The Oilers haven't made the playoffs in 6 years and your are still looking at $37-50 for standing room sections. The high end are $210-251. I don't think that performance has much to do with it.
- Ben37

You're right, my statement isn't true of all teams. Hence my saying:

Some teams

Side note though... you really don't think Oilers will raise ticket prices if they win a cup? Cause... my guess is they would. Meaning performance still has something to do with it.

If you believe that, then you should believe that Revenue Sharing needs to stop too. The Canadian teams are paying huge prices for their tickets and allot of that money is being sent to places like Phoenix, Nashville and Columbus. If that were the case, then the Leafs would have the lowest ticket prices, because they haven't seen the playoffs in 8 years. But they have the highest, so teams like Phoenix can sign players like Shane Doan for 4 years with a huge cap hit. The Leafs fans must be thrilled that the Coyotes have re-signed their Captain, with the help of the Maple Leafs money!
- PrinceLH

Revenue sharing has nothing to do with what I was talking about. Revenue sharing is based on the belief that parity grows the league as a whole, and growth for the league as a whole increases the value of all teams in the league. It has nothing to do with the concept that some teams have lower ticket prices due to poor performance and should be able to raise prices as they do better. Revenue sharing isn't at odds with the concept of tickets being priced by supply/demand.

If you think a ticket costs too much, don't buy one. If enough people agree with you, prices will go down. But if it's worth more to 20k people to go to a hockey game in your town than it is to you, then I don't agree that ticket prices should be kept at an arbitrarily defined value instead of a market dictated one.

In a leafs standpoint and edmonton, wouldnt it be better if there was a lockout since the leafs, edmonton, and the islanders would have the best chance at winning the lottery? more so the leafs but you guys could still end up picking 2nd or 3rd and still select a top high end D-men you need most definitely

If you think enough NHL fans would even support this then yer on more Lac La Biche crack than I knew was possible up there...

In a leafs standpoint and edmonton, wouldnt it be better if there was a lockout since the leafs, edmonton, and the islanders would have the best chance at winning the lottery? more so the leafs but you guys could still end up picking 2nd or 3rd and still select a top high end D-men you need most definitely
- Mapleleafs_91

It'll be whoever they think can market the young player better. New York maybe. Rangers obviously, not islanders. LA if they make a good hockey movie of TV show. Make sure that Montreal is lined up for a French Player, give Toronto a local boy. The NHL will fix the draft right so everyone is happy.

In a leafs standpoint and edmonton, wouldnt it be better if there was a lockout since the leafs, edmonton, and the islanders would have the best chance at winning the lottery? more so the leafs but you guys could still end up picking 2nd or 3rd and still select a top high end D-men you need most definitely
- Mapleleafs_91

Teams expecting to be bottom 5 actually have a lower shot at landing the top overall pick if there ends up being a lottery in the same fashion as last time. They also would then be getting the 1st and the 60th instead of the 1st and 31st for being worst in the league and winning the lottery. Especially Edmonton or NYI, since they've had the top overall pick in the last 4 years.

Richard, Richard, Richard. I have a friend, who is a world renowned Canadian author, Order of Canada recipient. We talk politics, because that is one of his forte's. I said to him, The press in North America pretty much decides who becomes Prime Minister or President. He turned to me and said, John....the press has always decided who would be Prime Minister and President. My point being, the press has their own agenda, when covering sports. It's like politics and it earns them a living. You have huge media conglomerates, that own sports franchises and multiple ones at that. Their objective is to maximize their return on investment. If it means destroying a season, to get what they want, they'll do it. They'll spin the 24 hour news cycle to apply pressure at certain parts of the negotiations. They know what their profit floor is and they know where earnings have to be. It will be the media, in the end, that will decide what the final arrangements will be. The fans, like the citizenry in Politics, have no say in how things will be, in regards to a settlement.
- PrinceLH

Nice story, too bad it's full of holes. The press doesn't have a say in who the Prime Minister nor the President is. Try big business and special intrest lobbysts like the NRA, Big time Oil companies, big time drug manfactorers and Tobbacco to name a few. the Press in Canada have for years tried unsuccessfully tried to keep certain left wing governments in power like the Liberals and NDP and they are running 50% at the best of times.

Richard Cloutier: Stop the Lockout 2012
- Maxbone

Cheers!!

(number 9 aint gonna happen)

Your cause would be helped if you have an idea of what the dispute is really about

Bettman is viewed the bad guy here & I always believed it was him, I think he listens to the handful of big market owners & they are the one's calling the shots.

we as fans should be calling out Snider, Jacobs Ilitch whomever is the mouthpiece for the Rangers, Lemieux etc..... as Bettman is the mouthpiece for the handful of the owners that are calling the shots & providing influence.

If these guys came out & said the same thing that Fehr said, "as long as we're talking, we can start the season on time & continue under the current agreement, until a new one is made", then we wouldn't have the lockout threat.

This is about the big $ guys wishing the small $ guys would win a lottery ticket & leave them alone when it comes to cash, otherwise the current system would only require tweaking

The Media is Power but unfortunately Hockeybuzz is NOT consider a Real News Media but for Clouts idea to even get any attention from a Real Media All the Bloggers needs to do the same here,Twitter etc.
- AlEx_OiL

Winning starts with beginning and far to often change doesn't occur because people like yourself list a bunch of reasons that it won't be successful.

Full marks for Clouts in attempting to start something that gets the ball rolling. The world is full of people who do nothing but moan and groan. Its nice to see someone try something for a change.

If this action gets any traction you will see a number of other sites and eventually the media jump on board.

I think this is a great initiative. Although a lot of people seem to think this is hopeless I actually think that social media gives fans an opportunity to impact the negotiations this time around.

Bettman knows that right now the fans are completely disorganized and will come back to hockey hungrier than ever after a lockout. Clearly the owners saw that after the last one.

So the only way to influence the owners on this is to show that the fans can be united and organized, and can affect their revenues negatively. While I agree that the most direct way to do that is to boycott games (when they return) and not buy merchandise, the biggest way we can have an impact now is to get all the sponsors pissed off at the NHL. If coordinated boycotts of major sponsors are done in the name of Stop The Lockout, you can bet those sponsors will be calling Gary up and telling him to fix it. Having those voices in his ear only helps the cause.

By the way, here's a link to their sponsors:

http://www.nhl.com/ice/page.htm?id=75916

As for the manifesto, here are my comments:

1) Perfect
2) Tough one to ask. The parties need to agree on the term of the CBA, and I don't think either side will agree to 10 eyars + without reviewing / renewing it. I would just suggest that they understand any future work stoppages will be met with further sanctions
3) I say go further and ask for a rollback. Put time limits on it. ie for 1 week of work stoppage they roll back prices 5%. For 1 month, 10%, etc. This can be applied as well to concession stand items, Centre Ice package, etc.
8) Don't think that's really going to happen, and if there is to be a boycott of sponsors you'll be compromising that (e.g. Reebok jereys)
9) Yes, but go further and hit the other top sponsors as well. As Sept 15 gets closer, stage 1 day boycotts of products to send a shot across their bows.
Oh, and for those who subscribe to Centre Ice, I say cancel your subscription and tell them its in the name of Stop The Lockout.
New one for #10 - Have both sides agree that they will never allow advertising on the uniforms of the players. Let's get in front of that one before its too late!

Go ahead and sign a petition, boo Bettman and don't buy NHL 13...it doesn't make a difference ....someone here has to be realistic...thinking the NHL actually cares what you think is just a little fantasy.
- keatondixon

At this point you have said your peace. You have nothing invested in whether this initiative works or not. Time for you to leave please.

Minimal risk like career ending and life altering injuries in the most physical and travel heavy sport in the world over the longest schedule?

The owners are morons. They screw each other and themselves over and now they want the players to bite the bullet because of it.
- DTF69

You must live in another world than the rest of us. All an NHL player has to do, is play one season and they could be set for life. What is the minimum wage, in the NHL? $600,000.00? If a player can't invest that into something worthwhile, then they must be an idiot, drug addict, or sex addict. It's more money than most people will see in 10 years.

You're right, my statement isn't true of all teams. Hence my saying:
Side note though... you really don't think Oilers will raise ticket prices if they win a cup? Cause... my guess is they would. Meaning performance still has something to do with it.



Revenue sharing has nothing to do with what I was talking about. Revenue sharing is based on the belief that parity grows the league as a whole, and growth for the league as a whole increases the value of all teams in the league. It has nothing to do with the concept that some teams have lower ticket prices due to poor performance and should be able to raise prices as they do better. Revenue sharing isn't at odds with the concept of tickets being priced by supply/demand.

If you think a ticket costs too much, don't buy one. If enough people agree with you, prices will go down. But if it's worth more to 20k people to go to a hockey game in your town than it is to you, then I don't agree that ticket prices should be kept at an arbitrarily defined value instead of a market dictated one.
- Antilles

Living in Canada, you can't get a cheaper seat. Florida has a deal, where you can buy 4 tickets to a game, 4 drinks and 4 hotdogs, for $99.00. How can you ever believe that a team like Florida can ever be more than a Revenue Sharing recipient? It's almost half the league, that's getting cash from the big market teams. The NHLPA leader, Donald Fehr, thinks that there should be an increase in Revenue Sharing. Of course he does, considering that it would allow the small market teams, that can't compete, can bid for the high priced talent. These teams need to fold and get out of the business, if they can't compete.

Can you imagine that your a pizzeria owner and your competing for business and the guy two blocks away feels that he may have to close his doors, because he doesn't get enough business. He then comes and knocks on your door, for a $1000.00 cheque and the next thing you know, he's running a special, to steal your customers. That's what the NHL allows their teams to do, when it allows these kind of teams to exist on Revenue Sharing.

Nice story, too bad it's full of holes. The press doesn't have a say in who the Prime Minister nor the President is. Try big business and special intrest lobbysts like the NRA, Big time Oil companies, big time drug manfactorers and Tobbacco to name a few. the Press in Canada have for years tried unsuccessfully tried to keep certain left wing governments in power like the Liberals and NDP and they are running 50% at the best of times.
- longbottom

Actually the left wing press kept the Liberals in power for 13 years, scandal's and all. Where you miss the point here, is when there is a full consensus on who the press wants, they get their way. Don't you think all parties of all political strip, do not cut deals with the same dark side businesses, like Big Oil, Tabacco and Farma? They receive astronomical amounts of money for the treasury, that allows these parties to implement their pet projects? There isn't one Party, with the opportunity to actually govern, that doesn't realize what's going in. On the press being pro-left, you are correct, but there was no consensus on who to throw their support behind, last time around. You also have to remember that there is enough right wing press to keep the Conservative message in front of the electorate. Think Quebecor and Corus, then you can see why we've had numerous minority governments, up until recently.

If you want to see the power of the press and their left leanings at work.......see Obama, Barrack, for a good example. They never even checked his background, but the left wing press blitzed the American public, on the Evils of the Bush administration and this well spoken African American was the future of America. Nobody even bothered, outside of FOX News, to actually investigate his past. The Americans were sold a bill of goods and ended up with a socialist as President. Just watch what will happen going forward this time. Obama will win again, considering the High Unemployment, doubling the National debt, in 4 years, Tax increases, entitlement spending, but the Press will blame the Bush Administration for why it didn't work for Obama. Of course they'll never mention that the Democrats owned the House of Representatives and the Senate, during George Bush's last term. The press influence is there for you to see. Check back with me in 3 months to see if I'm right.

You must live in another world than the rest of us. All an NHL player has to do, is play one season and they could be set for life. What is the minimum wage, in the NHL? $600,000.00? If a player can't invest that into something worthwhile, then they must be an idiot, drug addict, or sex addict. It's more money than most people will see in 10 years.
- PrinceLH

Yup.

Living in Canada, you can't get a cheaper seat. Florida has a deal, where you can buy 4 tickets to a game, 4 drinks and 4 hotdogs, for $99.00. How can you ever believe that a team like Florida can ever be more than a Revenue Sharing recipient? It's almost half the league, that's getting cash from the big market teams. The NHLPA leader, Donald Fehr, thinks that there should be an increase in Revenue Sharing. Of course he does, considering that it would allow the small market teams, that can't compete, can bid for the high priced talent. These teams need to fold and get out of the business, if they can't compete.

Can you imagine that your a pizzeria owner and your competing for business and the guy two blocks away feels that he may have to close his doors, because he doesn't get enough business. He then comes and knocks on your door, for a $1000.00 cheque and the next thing you know, he's running a special, to steal your customers. That's what the NHL allows their teams to do, when it allows these kind of teams to exist on Revenue Sharing.
- PrinceLH

I'm not sure how this rant on revenue sharing actually responded to anything I said.

I'm not sure how this rant on revenue sharing actually responded to anything I said.
- Antilles

He feels he is a part of the intellectual elite because he writes long posts and claims to have long political talks with a reknown Canadian writer..

Many NHL players are not even involved with this lockout for example: new players that just signed NHL contracts or 4th line grinders who aren't on the cover of every poster. Most players play because they love the game and want to provide for their families. NHL athletes are among the most respectable athletes in the world. And for saying that they get paid too much I believe that that's debatable. They have been training their whole life for that job missing out on having a normal childhood because their at practice everyday and then go home to do homework. And what about the parents who spen their life saving for their kids to play hockey. Isn't it right that players can make enough money to help give back to their families and support their parents and children? I just wouldn't point too many fingers at the players who love hockey.