NHL could possibly disband.

by **Sabres** » Wed Jan 12, 2005 10:14 pm

hahaha

NO GOAL!!!

by **Tommy Boy** » Wed Jan 12, 2005 10:33 pm

I still think that the NHL can be the best league around as hockey is a fantastic sport.

I am not sure why it has never caught on in the US...especially when NASCAR is so popular? Who would have thought? I still don't get it...

by **DeathDealer68** » Wed Jan 12, 2005 11:11 pm

I haven't read the entire string but I just wanted to add this: The NHL is very poplular in the US but when they expanded the NHL to markets where they haven't seen natural ice since the ice age it dilluted the quality of the game and put an economic drag on the NHL. Now with no US TV contract and the players and owners cancelling their last scheduled meeting I think we are just about done with this season.

End of the league ? Well to me the league got into trouble when they expanded into so many small US markets and tried to compete with the NBA for revenue. In the end I hope they come to some agreement and shake off the small US markets and for that matter bring back the old division names, Patrick, Adams etc and give the NHL back the character it use to have.

I'm a life long NY Ranger fan and I really am missing hockey this winter.

by **Hash** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 1:19 am

I don't see how US teams can be considered small market when Canadian teams are figting for their financial lives. Compared to the US all Canadian teams are small market in terms of dollars and exchange rate.

by **King** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 2:56 am

One of the coolest things that the lockout has brought St. Louis Blues fans is classic games on the FSN channel... also FSN's regional coverage covers "SIM" Blues games... pretty cool. No substitute for the real thing though...

I still think both the owners and players are fucking retarded though.

by **Lt. Mass** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 4:03 am

Originally posted by Htown
I don't see how US teams can be considered small market when Canadian teams are figting for their financial lives. Compared to the US all Canadian teams are small market in terms of dollars and exchange rate.

I think maybe low-interest markets would be a better term. Buffalo is probably a true small market, but draws enough interest that it can scrape by for now. Some Canadian cities might not be as large as Detroit, NY, etc, but they have high interest and a strong fan base. IMO, teams like Calgary and Edmonton deserve their clubs. It should be based on interest and not dollars (obviously got to be decent size, can't have a Smallville team running around

)

I'd like to see a straight out salary cap, though. The Bills do just fine in Buffalo because there is interest (however waning), and they can compete on a level playing field. The Sabres struggle year in and year out and have been steadily getting worse as the discrepencies between NHL payrolls gets larger. Yeah, teams with low payrolls sometimes get a good season in, but that's more the exception than the rule, and fans know this. That's why they won't shell out LOTS of money for season tickets anymore. Colorado and Detroit don't have that problem, with their super-star lineups. Bottom line is a salary cap with a bit of revenue sharing would help Canadian and small market teams.

And NHL did screw up by expanding too quickly as well. I hope they learned their lesson, cause that is the 2nd biggest factor to me as to why the NHL is collapsing, with no salary cap being the 1st. Yeah, it is the owner's fault for offering the big contracts, but they're stupid and need to be protected from their own stupidity, thus the need for salary cap. Think of what the Redskins would do if there wasn't a cap in the NFL....a few more like Daniel Snyder and NFL would be in the same boat eventually.

Also, I'm not an expert on any of this, so feel free to make counter-points. This is just how I feel based on what I know (or think I know

).

by **Tommy Boy** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 9:55 pm

you can all rest easy now. The NHL and NHLPA are meeting on Wednesday so there is some LITTLE hope for a season to be salvaged...we will see if it amounts to anything, but we can all be hopeful. I was sure that you all would want to know of this update.

WE WANT HOCKEY!

by **SkiloDog2000** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 10:30 pm

^^canadian^^
cause im proud to be a canadian
where i like to watch hockey...
maple syrup...

by **Tommy Boy** » Fri Feb 04, 2005 4:58 pm

Despite the SuperBowl this weekend, the big news for hockey fans is that it is not looking good for a season this year...yes, that is partly due to teh fact that it is February 4th, but more importantly because the "last attempt" at salvaging a season seems to have ended in failure today.

Let's hope that a miracle happens, but it is not looking good.

How can the NHL be the 1st professional league to miss an entire season out of greed? What a joke....

by **King** » Fri Feb 04, 2005 5:32 pm

Originally posted by Tommy Boy
Despite the SuperBowl this weekend, the big news for hockey fans is that it is not looking good for a season this year...yes, that is partly due to teh fact that it is February 4th, but more importantly because the "last attempt" at salvaging a season seems to have ended in failure today.

Let's hope that a miracle happens, but it is not looking good.

How can the NHL be the 1st professional league to miss an entire season out of greed? What a joke....

Tommy, as soon as Tampa won the cup last year there was no hope....

by **Sabres** » Fri Feb 04, 2005 5:33 pm

Yeah. After this weekend, the Superbowl, I would normally resort to watching the Sabres but now that there is no season this year, what am I gonna do? watch the NBA?

by **Tommy Boy** » Fri Feb 04, 2005 5:36 pm

it is just brutal...

by **Sir Loin** » Fri Feb 04, 2005 5:47 pm

heh...I love the NBA. I like the NFL, but i really could care less about the NHL. I dont think they will ever get the NHL going again because these guys think they should be paid $10 million a year.

by **Sabres** » Fri Feb 04, 2005 5:55 pm

Today in my math class, we figured out how money much Alex Rodriguez (Yankees) makes per day. On a $25M a year contract, he will make $96,000 a day. So if he spends a sunday sitting on the couch watching tv, he will make about the same amount of money a nice job will pay in a year.

by **MeatHead_NJ** » Fri Feb 04, 2005 6:33 pm

The NHL had a salary cap on rookies/and a freeagnecy clause in 1995.

The Players/owners figured out how to bypass the rookie maximum limmit with bonuses, and the freeagncy clause? was a joke: if i offer you 25million your team has to match it or your free to leave.

The problem isn't the players. Truthfully it never is, you are entitiled to ask for whatever outrageous figure you want... It's always the owners. Afterall they are the ones that cut the check and make the deal. But, then they cry that it to expensive.

My beloved Devils have always been had one of the lowest paid especially when you compare that they are in the same market as the Rangers and Flyers. 3 stanley cups latter that can be expected to change.

They are all to greedy, and i feel that way for all sports.
Id really like to see a "bad news bears" team clean up.

But truthfully im not missing my hockey this year, I would love to see a throw back to some of the older ways (no comerical breaks). And id like to see more european hockey in place of it.

NHL could possibly disband.

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