2:22 pm: Well, if you watched or listened to the NHLPA press conference with Don Fehr, you're probably throwing up your lunch. It all started out so well as the players that crammed the stage were joking and laughing and we all thought "oooooohhh... Maybe this is good."
BUZZER! Nope. Not a chance! This is going to drag out for the long haul people. Fehr's quiet demeanor and dulcet tones hide his rigid position that the players are 'unified' and 'committed' to a 'fair deal.' His idea of a fair deal is to not budge when it comes to what the players make. Okay then. Now -- they will make nothing.
Certainly the owners will lose money, but that (for many) is a tax write-off. Also, with the buildings needing to be filled, those with close ties to their AHL and ECHL clubs, couldn't they bring hockey to their market places any way? Didn't the NY Islanders do that with the Sound Tigers? They actually PAID to have their season ticket holders brought to the coliseum.
The NHL and the NHLPA are playing a game of chicken and both are going to get hit by the truck.
SPLAT!
8 am: With all the time spent talking about the NHL CBA, sadly we are no closer to a settlement than we were when Don Fehr finally decided to begin negotiations.
I find it very interesting and frustrating at the same time that one of the biggest bones of contention is the amount of revenue the players will share with the owners when those numbers are based on projections. There is no hard financial facts (other than TV revenue that is guaranteed) that these two sides are bickering over.
HRR, or 'Hockey Related Revenue' numbers are all 'estimates.' Each side is using a different formula to estimate that number and projecting it out for the next few years. I believe they are missing the 'X' factor. US!
Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't it OUR dollars that fuels that 'estimate' of gate revenue and merchandise sales? Both sides are taking it for granted that we will not only pay what we did the last three years, but continue to pay and even pay MORE for this entertainment as the years go on.
I just read one article where the tickets for NY Ranger games have gone up 106% in the last six years. Will they go up another 25, 50 or 100% in the next three years as well? Will we pay it?
Is that what the two sides are bickering over? How much they get out of our after tax dollars?
I was a little surprised to see John Tavares put his two cents in on Twitter by Retweeting something that Paul Bissonette said.
Paul Bissonnette@BizNasty2point0
Question to the fans. If a company you worked for was making money and they asked you to take a 24% pay cut would you do it?
I am taking that to mean that while Mr. Tavares has been at many of these meetings, this is how he truly feels. Although from what I've read, I don't see that 24% roll back in this CBA. That was the LAST CBA and the players agreed to it and ended up being richer than they ever thought they would be.
In 1982, the small cable TV publishing company that I work for had a problem in the industry. After being the only game in town producing multi-channel cable TV guides, we found ourselves facing competition. A much weaker product, but it was considerably cheaper and was beginning to eat away at our client base.
In an effort to stay competitive in the market, each of us was asked to take a 20% pay cut. Mind you, no one was making $6 or $7 million a year, but a 20% pay cut to a secretary making $450 a week stung a little. We didn't revolt or stop working and our boss didn't have to close the doors. We complied, we stemed the tide of competition and headed in a bigger and better direction with our products. I still work at that same publishing company and we are still profitable.
The Players want us to think the owners are evil billionaires. I wouldn't say they are that, but they aren't very smart. Had they not handed out rediculous contracts in the first place, and if the salary floor wasn't as high, they wouldn't be in this position -- again.
Meanwhile -- we wait. Just like we did the last time. But this time may be different. I think we will not fork over as much to the NHL as we did in recent years.
See how that fits into your plans guys. Of course we will be back, you can take that for granted, but after all this, the wallets will stay in the pocket.
New York Islanders Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»