FIRST!!!













Any Habs rumours?!?














Nuff said

Very few professions offer job security, especially professional sports. So for anyone to say its not fair or wrong of NHL players to go to Europe and take jobs from other players need to remember this those players would be the first to jump at the chance to take a job in the NHL and would not think twice about who the replaced.

the players idea of a good offer is coming down from 57% to 56% of total revenue
- flashfire

I don't think so. The offer will be good. Hard for the owners to swallow but close enough to make it too hard to reject outright. My guess is the offer will include a phased in reduction of the players share of revenue down to 50% over the life of the contract. No roll backs of existing contracts. There will be changes to ELC and RFA contracting to slow down the acceleration of contract values of future players.

If the NHLPA offer has a reasonable framework (addresses all the right issues) you will know it from the language of Bettman and Daly. If they use the word interesting or promising in regard to the framework offered by the NHLPA you will know that the fix is in and the players in Europe will be buying tickets for NHL rinks.

Hope.....LOL what the (frank) ever!!!!
- MindFr3eak

Ek doesn't get it. This season is lost. Start writing about other hockey leagues ek

So true, the greedy, whining players are barking about their situation in the NHL yet they are willing to play for less than what they make if the NHL season was ongoing.

Yep, those are the brains the players carry around.

By the way, ask any player this the next time you run into them - how many employers are paying their employees a minimum 500k/yr with the average in the millions??

Yeah, it sure sounds like the employers really aren't looking out for their employees, i mean who really can make a living off 500k/yr minimum!!!

So true, the greedy, whining players are barking about their situation in the NHL yet they are willing to play for less than what they make if the NHL season was ongoing.

Yep, those are the brains the players carry around.

By the way, ask any player this the next time you run into them - how many employers are paying their employees a minimum 500k/yr with the average in the millions??

Yeah, it sure sounds like the employers really aren't looking out for their employees, i mean who really can make a living off 500k/yr minimum!!!
- newmy

I'd rather ask the owners why they canceled a season to get a salary cap and then spent the next 7 years figuring out new and improved ways to circumvent the cap with each passing day.

You sheep who buy the Bettman/Owners bullcrap are complete and utter morons.

Bobby Ryan has gained a ton of respect from many out there for this stance as he is actually treating this like a real union...showing solidarity for other hockey players...they raised us right in Cherry Hill, NJ Bobby!

Assuming you're a Union supporter I suppose
- Ogilthorpe2

Nice avatar

No Cup awarded 2004-2005

Very few professions offer job security, especially professional sports. So for anyone to say its not fair or wrong of NHL players to go to Europe and take jobs from other players need to remember this those players would be the first to jump at the chance to take a job in the NHL and would not think twice about who the replaced.
- RobFlyers#1

Seriously, that's your arguement? Haha. I'd jump at the chance to play for Real Madrid or Barcelona, but if one of those guys took my office job, i'd be proper pissed.

Seriously, that's your arguement? Haha. I'd jump at the chance to play for Real Madrid or Barcelona, but if one of those guys took my office job, i'd be proper pissed.
- walshyleafsfan1

it's a lockout, look up the definition.

The players want to go to work, the owners have locked the doors. It'a not a strike.

The European teams are loving the publicity of having NHLers on their teams.

An owner loving person like yourself should be very happy for them.

it's a lockout, look up the definition.

The players want to go to work, the owners have locked the doors. It'a not a strike.

The European teams are loving the publicity of having NHLers on their teams.

An owner loving person like yourself should be very happy for them.
- jimbro83

I just find it funny when someone is part of a union of players, showing solidarity amongst peers, we are all in this together bullcrap. (e.g Thornton, just an example) Not struggling for money yet he doesn't mind taking the 80K (probably) some Swiss guy would get.

I just find it funny when someone is part of a union of players, showing solidarity amongst peers, we are all in this together bullcrap. (e.g Thornton, just an example) Not struggling for money yet he doesn't mind taking the 80K (probably) some Swiss guy would get.
- walshyleafsfan1

and I find it funny that Gary Bettman has presided over a shortened 48 game NHL season do to an owner/Bettman imposed lockout, a canceled NHL season to to a owner/Bettman imposed lockout, we are on our way to another canceled season or more to an owner/Bettman imposed lockout and nobody has shot the little bastard yet.

Eklund: Hope. Tuesday's Meeting Holds Great Potential...Players in Europe..
- Eklund

Blah, blah, blah, same old crapola

FU Gary Bettman
FU Donald Fehr
FU NHL owners
FU NHLPA
YOU ALL SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Very few professions offer job security, especially professional sports. So for anyone to say its not fair or wrong of NHL players to go to Europe and take jobs from other players need to remember this those players would be the first to jump at the chance to take a job in the NHL and would not think twice about who the replaced.
- RobFlyers#1

But the thing is, these average players in SEL, KHL, Swiss League or whatever aren't good enough to take an NHLers spot...so these players are out of work because the NHL players feel they can do as they want...and because they are the best players in the world of course these European league teams would love to have them...
So, yes they are being even more greedy and selfish taking someone else's spot while they wait to be allowed to play in the NHL again.

Blah, blah, blah, same old crapola

FU Gary Bettman
FU Donald Fehr
FU NHL owners
FU NHLPA
YOU ALL SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- BiggE

Well said...hard for the average person to side with anyone right now when its millionaires fighting with millionaires over billions of dollars.

and I find it funny that Gary Bettman has presided over a shortened 48 game NHL season do to an owner/Bettman imposed lockout, a canceled NHL season to to a owner/Bettman imposed lockout, we are on our way to another canceled season or more to an owner/Bettman imposed lockout and nobody has shot the little bastard yet.
- jimbro83

The NHL players have it better (compared to revenues) than both the NFL and NBA (cap leagues). Since the last lockout, NHL salaries have skyrocketted more than the NFL, NBA AND MLB.

The shortened season was on Bettman, I'll give you that.

The last lockout, though? Nope. The league needed a cap, plain and simple. Do you really want the NHL to be like MLB, where it's the same damn teams competing every year for the championship, while 1/3 of the league has NO chance?

Bettman had to give the players a sweet deal (rising % as revenues went up), to get the cap he was looking for. The lost season in 04/05 was abosolutely worth it.

Now, the league needs to correct the mistake they made with giving the players too much at the last lockout (which I contend, they HAD to, to get a deal done). If you want to blame Bettman for something, blame him for giving the players TOO MUCH in order to get a cap in place. I can almost guarantee you, though, that the vast majority of owners (especially those making money or breaking even), were down his throat to make sure they weren't going to miss another season.

The players clearly need to wake the hell up. They are getting treated as well as professional athletes in the other 3 major north american sports leagues, and those three leagues all pull in way more revenue and are way more popular. NHL players should feel blessed that they can even make as much as they do, while the NHL sits on page 8 of the sports pages in almost every single American city.

Sure Bettman has made mistakes. Maybe he shouldn't have put teams in certain cities. But, if he hadn't, would the NHL have gotten the $2B deal from NBC? Just to put that into perspective, that works out to 200M/yr or 6.6M per NHL team per year.

Bettman certainly has no charisma whatsoever and is a smug little man. But if you take off your partisan glasses, I think you'll realize that he has probably done more good for the sport than he has, bad.

The NHL players have it better (compared to revenues) than both the NFL and NBA (cap leagues). Since the last lockout, NHL salaries have skyrocketted more than the NFL, NBA AND MLB.

The shortened season was on Bettman, I'll give you that.

The last lockout, though? Nope. The league needed a cap, plain and simple. Do you really want the NHL to be like MLB, where it's the same damn teams competing every year for the championship, while 1/3 of the league has NO chance?

Bettman had to give the players a sweet deal (rising % as revenues went up), to get the cap he was looking for. The lost season in 04/05 was abosolutely worth it.

Now, the league needs to correct the mistake they made with giving the players too much at the last lockout (which I contend, they HAD to, to get a deal done). If you want to blame Bettman for something, blame him for giving the players TOO MUCH in order to get a cap in place. I can almost guarantee you, though, that the vast majority of owners (especially those making money or breaking even), were down his throat to make sure they weren't going to miss another season.

The players clearly need to wake the hell up. They are getting treated as well as professional athletes in the other 3 major north american sports leagues, and those three leagues all pull in way more revenue and are way more popular. NHL players should feel blessed that they can even make as much as they do, while the NHL sits on page 8 of the sports pages in almost every single American city.

Sure Bettman has made mistakes. Maybe he shouldn't have put teams in certain cities. But, if he hadn't, would the NHL have gotten the $2B deal from NBC? Just to put that into perspective, that works out to 200M/yr or 6.6M per NHL team per year.

Bettman certainly has no charisma whatsoever and is a smug little man. But if you take off your partisan glasses, I think you'll realize that he has probably done more good for the sport than he has, bad.
- Charliebox

are you out of your mind?

every one of those leagues has a player making 30 million a year

are you out of your mind?

every one of those leagues has a player making 30 million a year

- jimbro83

A player! hahahaha..

Again.. A player. ONE. poop, even if all the other leagues had 5-10, my point still holds.

I was never talking about the high-end. I'm talking about how the average NHLer is treated compared to the average player in those other leagues.

The NHL pulls in nothing compared to those leagues, yet NHLers are compensated almost as well.

You don't see something wrong with that? You think the NHL can sustain that, while 1/3 of the league's owners are losing money?

A player! hahahaha..

Again.. A player. ONE. poop, even if all the other leagues had 5-10, my point still holds.

I was never talking about the high-end. I'm talking about how the average NHLer is treated compared to the average player in those other leagues.

The NHL pulls in nothing compared to those leagues, yet NHLers are compensated almost as well.

You don't see something wrong with that? You think the NHL can sustain that, while 1/3 of the league's owners are losing money?
- Charliebox

take a look at the "average NBA player" salary and get back to me

take a look at the "average NBA player" salary and get back to me
- jimbro83

Really? You really just did that?

That's like me saying, 'take a look at the average NFL salary and get back to me'!

hahahahaha..

You're really going to pretend you don't realize that an NHL roster has 2-2.5X the number of guys on it than the NBA?

That's like me pretending not to realize that an NFL roster as 2-2.5x the number of guys on it than an NHL roster.

Really? You really just did that?

That's like me saying, 'take a look at the average NFL salary and get back to me'!

hahahahaha..

You're really going to pretend you don't realize that an NHL roster has 2-2.5X the number of guys on it than the NBA?

That's like me pretending not to realize that an NFL roster as 2-2.5x the number of guys on it than an NHL roster.
- Charliebox

Exactly

the Los Angeles Lakers had a roster half the size of an NHL team and had a 100 million payroll last year.

http://hoopshype.com/salaries/la_lakers.htm

do you have a Bettman poster above your bed?

NBA player "Metta World Peace" makes as much money in the NBA as the top NHL players

Exactly

the Los Angeles Lakers had a roster half the size of an NHL team and had a 100 million payroll last year.

http://hoopshype.com/salaries/la_lakers.htm

do you have a Bettman poster above your bed?
- jimbro83

Jesus man. Are you honestly not getting it?

http://www.plunkettresear...earch/industry-statistics

The NBA made more than 1B more than the NHL did last year!

The NHL's cap is 70M with a revenue of 3B.

• 2005 CBA: Players receive 57 percent of Basketball Related Income (BRI).

• 2011 CBA: Players receive 51.15 percent of BRI in 2011-12. In later seasons players receive 49 to 51 percent of BRI (50 percent, plus or minus 60.5 percent of the amount by which BRI exceeds or falls short of projections); 1 percent of BRI (from the players' share) is used to fund a new pool for post-career benefits.

So the NBA went from 57% (just like hockey is now), to 51.15% (basically what the owners are looking for now).

IF the players were allowed to continue under the last CBA (say they signed it again, and changed nothing), NHL players would CLEARLY be better off than their NBA cousins.

What don't you understand about this?

The NHL cannot continue to operate giving the players 57% of revenues and making the 'floor' so damn high that 1/3 of the league loses money every year, by only spending to the FLOOR.

If you want the league to contract by 33%, then fine.

But I'm pretty sure Bettman's job is to GROW the league, not the other way around.

Jesus man. Are you honestly not getting it?

http://www.plunkettresear...earch/industry-statistics

The NBA made more than 1B more than the NHL did last year!

The NHL's cap is 70M with a revenue of 3B.



So the NBA went from 57% (just like hockey is now), to 51.15% (basically what the owners are looking for now).

IF the players were allowed to continue under the last CBA (say they signed it again, and changed nothing), NHL players would CLEARLY be better off than their NBA cousins.

What don't you understand about this?

The NHL cannot continue to operate giving the players 57% of revenues and making the 'floor' so damn high that 1/3 of the league loses money every year, by only spending to the FLOOR.

If you want the league to contract by 33%, then fine.

But I'm pretty sure Bettman's job is to GROW the league, not the other way around.
- Charliebox

boy do you ever buy the NHL P.R. bullcrap like no one else I have ever seen.

Bettman's legacy is "NO CUP AWARDED. 2004-05"

He is doing his best to have it read "NO CUP AWARDED AGAIN. 2012-13"

A player! hahahaha..

Again.. A player. ONE. poop, even if all the other leagues had 5-10, my point still holds.

I was never talking about the high-end. I'm talking about how the average NHLer is treated compared to the average player in those other leagues.

The NHL pulls in nothing compared to those leagues, yet NHLers are compensated almost as well.

You don't see something wrong with that? You think the NHL can sustain that, while 1/3 of the league's owners are losing money?
- Charliebox

Wow...
Highest paid player in NHL last year was Brad Richards at $12mil...
Top10 highest paid NFL players all make over $14mil...
Top25 highest paid MLB players all make over $17mil...
Top25 highest paid NBA players all make over $14mil...

So the NHL easily has the lowest salaries.