NHL could possibly disband.

by **jnkcrp** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 8:56 am

THe real problem here is that some of the owners are actually losing money. The players expect to be paid more. There is almost no room for compromise. Would be nice to see the owners reboot the league

by **gowhitesox99** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 9:57 am

Here in Chicago, Hockey interest is less than zero. The Hawks owners are ass-faces.

If Hockey was gone would anyone notice??

Game 1 of the finals last year was out done by a design show on HGTV...

by **Tommy Boy** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 10:11 am

In Ottawa, it would be a very big deal if there was no hockey. We just had 4 World Cub Exhibition games last week and it was great having hockey here again.

People are already talking what it would be like without hockey and it is not pretty.

I know that it is not a big deal in the US like it is here, but it would really be a huge blow to most Canadians if there was no hockey.

I have no idea why NASCAR is so popular in the US, just like most Americans likely cannot understand why hockey is so popular here.

I think that the time is long overdue for the owners to draw a line in the sand and hold to it on the player's salaries. It is crazy that 76% of all operating expenses of NHL hockey clubs go to player's salaries. Imagine, for every dollar that the club spends, $0.76 goes to salaries and $0.24 goes to everything else like building costs, non-hockey staff, etc...

hard to believe....

by **Tommy Boy** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 10:14 am

Originally posted by jnkcrp
THe real problem here is that some of the owners are actually losing money. The players expect to be paid more. There is almost no room for compromise. Would be nice to see the owners reboot the league

sorry for the double post, but in fact 24 out of 32 teams last year lost money...the current situation cannot continue, even if it means losting a few American teams where the market is not really interested in hockey anyway.

The NHL can be one of the best leagues in the world, but it has to be managed properly...what we really lack is a solid TV contract like so many of the other professional sports...but the catch 22 is that without the tv coverage, people are not interested. Without interest, you will not get the tv coverage...

so who knows what will happen? I just really hope that there is hockey in a few weeks...

by **:UnclSxyPants:** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 10:27 am

yah whats up with nascar? ive tried to watch it several times but if nobody crashes in 5 minutes i turn it off, not that i want to se anyone get hurt i just like the cars exploding into pieces, but as for the rest of the sports, those poor poor multi-millionaires just cant catch a break these days

by **VlfPlyer** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 11:27 am

My rambling thoughts
in reference to the 4 above posts;

1. I had to to see hockey in person to like it. Kid/ Semi-pro / Pro.
Playmaking good hits great reflexes control of stick, skate and puck.

2. I had to see racing in action to really like alot. Around here we have always had badass cars and illegal road races. Drag/ Dirt / Stock Car / Formula One.
200mph bumper to bumper

When Nascar cleaned up the image and got good TV [and that prissy boy Jeff Gordon-who can drive his ass off]
then they started doing good. Before that it was just a bunch of rednecks road runners.

All I know is that when Wayne G. was playing then everyone seemed alot more interested. Too bad he didn't stay in Canada instead of going Hollywood-

Maybe the whole thing does need to be fdisc'ed and reloaded- but regardless in my opion, Canada should not become a farm team for the US $'s.

Anyway thats just my opinion- if it makes any sense at all.

by **Sewer-Urchin** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 11:53 am

Gretzky's trade to LA was a huge blow to Canadian's, but it was the main catalyst for the NHL's expansion into the lower-US. Before Wayne moved to LA, the southern most team was the Crapitals...now there teams in Fla, GA, NC, AZ, TX and TN.

The Cup was won last year by a team that is an example of how to do things right...they built up a tallent base in the draft and the fans were loyal enough to stick with the team through losing seasons. I've been a Rangers fan my whole life, but their method of team building is not going to work.

It is very hard for hockey to get attention down here...I'm from central NC...there's one or two college basketball teams y'all might have heard of...NASCAR is also very big, and now the Panthers are playing well in the NFL. Tommy's right, hockey needs the TV coverage that other sports get. Unfortunately, it's difficult for the uninitiated to follow on TV. When you go to a game, you really can get into the speed and action that's involved in it.

The player salaries are way out of line, and yes the Rangers are part of that, though they are not the only culprits. In 1990 the NHL had one player making over a million a year...now that is the norm. IMO the NHL had a golden opportunity to replace MLB in the top three sports after the baseball strike, but the bone-headded players and owners let the 95 strike happen and lost the chance. Now hockey is having to fight off growing competition just to remain in 4th place.

by **gowhitesox99** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 12:34 pm

i saw something the other day on Sportscenter that showed the NHL salary and NFL salary are almost the same on average. but the NHL tv deal is a couple hundred million and the NFL deal is a couple BILLION so you do the math there.

I am also a HUGE NASCAR fan, have been for life. Ya if you don't get into it or go to some races and see it live, it wont be that good. Kinda like Hockey, hockey on TV does nothing for the sport, when you see it live you are like "Holy crap" these guys are fast!!!! Tv just doesn't do hockey justice.

by **Face** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 12:45 pm

It is so easy to solve professional sports money issues. The players are just like sales men. The more they "sell" the more they should make. Create a nice base salary minimum for all players. Then, pay players additional based on:
* Performance (runs/goals/assists/etc)
* Merchandizing (a percent of anything with their name/pic for sale)
* Endorsements (if they are in a TV commercial representing the team, they get 'n' percent of the ticket sales)

Now, good players make money with no theoretical limit, just practical limits, based on how good they are or how popular they are (ballclub owners care less about stats and more about people paying ticket money to see a certain player.)

by **Sir Loin** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 1:25 pm

I'd like to make a toast........"Here is to the end of hockey!!!"

....'takes drink from his soda'

by **Colonel Ingus** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 1:56 pm

I have no idea why NASCAR is so popular in the US, just like most Americans likely cannot understand why hockey is so popular here.

No problems there Tommy I am American and I don't understand it. "Lets drive 'round in circle real fast and call it a sport!" Rednecks.

All sports leagues should follow the NFL's blueprint to success by installing a salary cap. This allows the talent to be evenly dispersed amongst all teams and is up to the brains of the GM not the deep pocket of an owner that determines a teams success, giving fans of all teams reason to believe that this could be the year they win it all

Sandstorm is dead on. The league calls it parity and it works quite well. You can go into a season with the attitude that you team can be a contender and do some damage in the playoffs every year. There are teams with problems with the system but thats more of Bad Owner/Gm decisions than anything wrong with the system. Teams go into salary cap hell due to bad business decisions and you can't blame anyone but them for that. Examples include this year Tennesse Titans and the Redskins in 2 years. Watch that team crash then.

The other MAJOR factor that the NHL needs is revenue sharing. With Revenue sharing teams would stay in Canada and not migrate to the sunbelt where the average sports fan is more impressed by something as simple and common as driving a car.

And no shitty NBA gauranteed contracts. That the stupidest thing I have ever heard off and a horrible business model.

by **Tommy Boy** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 2:12 pm

and don't forget that everything is in US dollars...the players salaries, etc...while all Canadian teams collect their revenues in Canadian dollars...so right out of the gate most teams are down 25-30 cents on every dollar!

by **jnkcrp** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 2:35 pm

Ya but you save on the ice costs up in Canada...cost a lot to keep the ice frozen in Florida:flame: :flame:

by **Sewer-Urchin** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 3:02 pm

Not a huge NASCAR fan myself, but it takes an enormous amount of skill and ability to do what they do. It's not 'simple', and the work, preparation and courage required are far from common.

As for the problem of Canadian $$ vs. American, I don't know what should be done. It's a travisty that towns with great fans like Winnipeg lose their teams...I just don't know how the NHL is going to stop it. Would be nice to have seen one of the expansion franchise's go somewhere like Hamilton, where support would be so strong. Um...you guys can have the Islanders if you want...

by **Sabres** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 3:05 pm

Originally posted by VlfPlyer
Besides IF the SABRES were ever to win a cup, then the NHL would be finished.............lol

LMAO

NHL could possibly disband.

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