Not true.
Not to offend BUffallo fans, but most want Original 6 + extra canadian teams.
We're just sick of season smaller non hockey markets dictating our game.

It's the equivalent of Toronto, Baltimore and Tampa dictating the next Baseball CBA to make sure we are competetive. How would that go over in NYC and Boston? They would say just contract the league and get rid of the smaller non baseball markets.
- B-Wforever

great baseball market.

Not true, most would like to see Chicago, Detroit, Boston and the NYR stick around.

The others...meh.
- JDJ

Sabres and Philly too.

great baseball market.
- Fountain-San

They can't compete in the same $ for payroll as the big 2.
NVY 197 mil
Boston 173 mil
Baltimore 81 mil
Toronto 75 mil
Tampa 64 mil.

Very similar to the NHL in terms of gap but I can not fathom Boston and NYC standing idly by and letting others dictate how they are going to pay their teams.

Not true.
Not to offend BUffallo fans, but most want Original 6 + extra canadian teams.
We're just sick of season smaller non hockey markets dictating our game.

It's the equivalent of Toronto, Baltimore and Tampa dictating the next Baseball CBA to make sure we are competetive. How would that go over in NYC and Boston? They would say just contract the league and get rid of the smaller non baseball markets.
- B-Wforever

The misconeption is that small markets created the lockout.

You can call it dictating "your" game, or you can call it "not turning into baseball" where only 3 or 4 teams matter in a whole league. Its (frank)ing stupid.

You used NYC and Boston as examples, but by that standard Calgary and Edmonton would be the Tampa and the Baltimore of the sport. Wouldn't they have to be eliminated? Quebec City would off the table totally for getting a team.

In the NHL all teams are forced to play in the same set of rules. Canadians in larger cities are just frustrated that management for Toronto and Montreal aren't as good at playing the game as Tampa or Nashville. On top of that T.O. and MTL have the advantage of spending to the cap with cash to spare and still can really get anywhere.

Besides, what would all the Toronto snow birds have to do in Florida if the couldn't pop into a game in Tampa or Miami to see thier team play a few times a year?

JUST LOOK WHAT NO HOCKEY HAS DONE TO US, YOU GOT PEOPLE BICKERING IN BLOGS ABOUT SOME STUPID CRAP. OH WHAT A SAD DAY IT IS MY COLLEGE FOOTBALL TEAM (VT) SUCKS, MY NFL TEAM (BILLS) SUCK , AND HELL, MY HOKCEY TEAM (PENS) ISNT EVEN PLAYING, HURICANES TAKING OUT NEW YORK, MIDDLE EAST STILL WANTS TO KILL US, AND OBAMA IS PROBABLY GOING TO GET RE-ELECTED, WHAT A YEAR. I GUESS IT CAN ONLY GET BETTER FROM HERE. LOL

JUST LOOK WHAT NO HOCKEY HAS DONE TO US, YOU GOT PEOPLE BICKERING IN BLOGS ABOUT SOME STUPID CRAP. OH WHAT A SAD DAY IT IS MY COLLEGE FOOTBALL TEAM (VT) SUCKS, MY NFL TEAM (BILLS) SUCK , AND HELL, MY HOKCEY TEAM (PENS) ISNT EVEN PLAYING, HURICANES TAKING OUT NEW YORK, MIDDLE EAST STILL WANTS TO KILL US, AND OBAMA IS PROBABLY GOING TO GET RE-ELECTED, WHAT A YEAR. I GUESS IT CAN ONLY GET BETTER FROM HERE. LOL
- pensfan024

If you look on the left side of your key board you will see a button that says "Caps Lock". Click it once. It will makes your posts seem less suicidal.

edit: And yes the Bills suck. A message this Halloween from our friend Ralph Wilson jr.

They can't compete in the same $ for payroll as the big 2.
NVY 197 mil
Boston 173 mil
Baltimore 81 mil
Toronto 75 mil
Tampa 64 mil.

Very similar to the NHL in terms of gap but I can not fathom Boston and NYC standing idly by and letting others dictate how they are going to pay their teams.
- B-Wforever

more to building a ball club than payroll. my only point was that baltimore is an old and traditional market.

@FriedgeHNIC's 30 Thoughts he says the teams driving the lockout are BOS, ANA, CLB, FLA, NYI, PHX, STL, WSH and DAL.


we could do without most of those teams.....lets just move forward without them
- Barx

I am surprised that the Phoenix ownership is backing Gary

The misconeption is that small markets created the lockout.

You can call it dictating "your" game, or you can call it "not turning into baseball" where only 3 or 4 teams matter in a whole league. Its (frank)ing stupid.

You used NYC and Boston as examples, but by that standard Calgary and Edmonton would be the Tampa and the Baltimore of the sport. Wouldn't they have to be eliminated? Quebec City would off the table totally for getting a team.

In the NHL all teams are forced to play in the same set of rules. Canadians in larger cities are just frustrated that management for Toronto and Montreal aren't as good at playing the game as Tampa or Nashville. On top of that T.O. and MTL have the advantage of spending to the cap with cash to spare and still can really get anywhere.

Besides, what would all the Toronto snow birds have to do in Florida if the couldn't pop into a game in Tampa or Miami to see thier team play a few times a year?
- Buffalo--Sabres

Burke

@FriedgeHNIC's 30 Thoughts he says the teams driving the lockout are BOS, ANA, CLB, FLA, NYI, PHX, STL, WSH and DAL.


we could do without most of those teams.....lets just move forward without them
- Barx

Actually the finger should be pointed at Buffalo. The Sabres are a huge driver of the lockout. It all goes back to 06-07 where they should have signed Drury, Briere and Campbell to reasonable contracts(that the players admitted they would have signed no questions asked). Instead they hit the market and got more money, driving inflation. Which then led to the Edm offer of 7 mil per the Buffalo matched. Further driving inflation. The Terry Pegula buys the team and start overpaying for everybody because he's loaded and thinks it is a good idea, which reeeaaallly drove inflation of player contracts.

Burke
- uf1910

Yep

Besides, what would all the Toronto snow birds have to do in Florida if the couldn't pop into a game in Tampa or Miami to see thier team play a few times a year?
- Buffalo--Sabres

Or based on last year you have to add Peg to this. Wow did they travel

For me personally the best part of the winter classic is the road to the classic tv series, which shows the players/coaches/dressing rooms in a real life perspective for games leading up to the classic.
This could not happen now anyway.

At this point I much prefer they cancel the classic and postpone Toronto-Detroit until next year. That way we'll get to see the road to the classic series with the leafs involved.
- B-Wforever

I wonder what the language of that contract with HBO is? Will the NHL being paying out more fines/breach of contract penalties? I suppose it could be a year to year deal...

You used NYC and Boston as examples, but by that standard Calgary and Edmonton would be the Tampa and the Baltimore of the sport. Wouldn't they have to be eliminated? Quebec City would off the table totally for getting a team.

- Buffalo--Sabres

If it was up to me the NHL would adopt a two tier strategy similar the EPL so that smaller markets who couldn't afford the payroll would compete in a b league.
Yes, this would include smaller canadian teams.

Besides, what would all the Toronto snow birds have to do in Florida if the couldn't pop into a game in Tampa or Miami to see thier team play a few times a year?
- Buffalo--Sabres

You mean the 3,000 people sitting in an 18,000 arena?

If it was up to me the NHL would adopt a two tier strategy similar the EPL so that smaller markets who couldn't afford the payroll would compete in a b league.
Yes, this would include smaller canadian teams.


You mean the 3,000 people sitting in an 18,000 arena?
- B-Wforever

B league? Naw. Then we would never have those awesome underdog stories. You can't tell me you werent going bonkers in 2006 when 8th seed Edmonton was in the finals can you?


3,000 people in an 18,000 seat arena? Not when Toronto is in town. I watched Panthers games vs. Toronto just to hear the out of town crowd(yes I have problems). Pheonix is the only team that should be poop canned. Otherwise we should make this think work and get back to hockey.

JUST LOOK WHAT NO HOCKEY HAS DONE TO US, YOU GOT PEOPLE BICKERING IN BLOGS ABOUT SOME STUPID CRAP. OH WHAT A SAD DAY IT IS MY COLLEGE FOOTBALL TEAM (VT) SUCKS, MY NFL TEAM (BILLS) SUCK , AND HELL, MY HOKCEY TEAM (PENS) ISNT EVEN PLAYING, HURICANES TAKING OUT NEW YORK, MIDDLE EAST STILL WANTS TO KILL US, AND OBAMA IS PROBABLY GOING TO GET RE-ELECTED, WHAT A YEAR. I GUESS IT CAN ONLY GET BETTER FROM HERE. LOL
- pensfan024

Most importantly, the lockout has lead to a caps lock problem....

Hey ek, honest question. Have you ever given thought to maybe (temporarily) turning hockeybuzz into...idk NFLbuzz? or maybe basketball... i dunno man, this whole situation is really depressing. It would give us all something different to talk about... just an idea!

They can't compete in the same $ for payroll as the big 2.
NVY 197 mil
Boston 173 mil
Baltimore 81 mil
Toronto 75 mil
Tampa 64 mil.

Very similar to the NHL in terms of gap but I can not fathom Boston and NYC standing idly by and letting others dictate how they are going to pay their teams.
- B-Wforever

great system Fehr, I would rather have no hockey than a baseball system

Not true.
Not to offend BUffallo fans, but most want Original 6 + extra canadian teams.
We're just sick of season smaller non hockey markets dictating our game.

It's the equivalent of Toronto, Baltimore and Tampa dictating the next Baseball CBA to make sure we are competetive. How would that go over in NYC and Boston? They would say just contract the league and get rid of the smaller non baseball markets.
- B-Wforever

How many of the Canadian teams have been truly competitive on a perenial basis over the last 20 years aside from Vancouver? Not trying to bash, but just being in a lucrative market does not necessarily contribute to the success of the league! Success on the ice apparently is inconsequential to Canadian NHL fans, because they haven't exactly won a boat load of cups in the past 30 years, yet they talk like their teams are the dominant ones. 7 Stanley cups since 1980, one since 1990. One cup in the last 22 years!! Really? So it seems like the arrogance displayed by the majority of Canadian fans demanding more Canadian teams, less American teams and clamouring on about how Amercian teams are ruining the competitive nature of the game is misplaced to say the least.

I'd have no problem with the Canadian teams splitting off to form their own league. Go enjoy your 7 team league and add as many Canadian markets as you want, just please stop acting like Canadian teams are so much more relevant than American teams.

Edited: forgot about the 93 Montreal team... my bad

I have to admit, I'm not missing it.

I'm seriously kicking ass in my WNBA fantasy league this year. I'm already 12 points ahead of the next poolie.

So with all the time I'm putting into my pool this year, analyzing all the stats and game film, I really wouldn't even have time to watch hockey if they settled and started playing NHL games again.
- Atomic Wedgie

How many of the Canadian teams have been truly competitive on a perenial basis over the last 20 years aside from Vancouver? Not trying to bash, but just being in a lucrative market does not necessarily contribute to the success of the league! Success on the ice apparently is inconsequential to Canadian NHL fans, because they haven't exactly won a boat load of cups in the past 30 years, yet they talk like their teams are the dominant ones. 7 Stanley cups since 1980, zero since 1990. Not one cup in the last 22 years!! Really? So it seems like the arrogance displayed by the majority of Canadian fans demanding more Canadian teams, less American teams and clamouring on about how Amercian teams are ruining the competitive nature of the game is misplaced to say the least.

I'd have no problem with the Canadian teams splitting off to form their own league. Go enjoy your 7 team league and add as many Canadian markets as you want, just please stop acting like Canadian teams are so much more relevant than American teams.
- MnGump

Thing is... even if every Canadian team was/is terrible, or not winning cups, they have no problem putting butts in the seats, and you really can't say the same about most american teams. It does not matter if they are competitive or not the fans will show up. Not attacking you, just my two cents.

Sabres and Philly too.
- Fountain-San

Not so much.

Hey ek, honest question. Have you ever given thought to maybe (temporarily) turning hockeybuzz into...idk NFLbuzz? or maybe basketball... i dunno man, this whole situation is really depressing. It would give us all something different to talk about... just an idea!
- Deadmau55

Because that would necessitate having knowledge of football or basketball...

... oh, I see where you are going there...

Could you please stop linking the lockout to the devastation in New York and elsewhere?

It's grossly inappropriate.
- Atomic Wedgie

he really wrote that?

Redonkulous Ek, Redonkulous

I'd miss maybe...three of those teams.
- Scruffton

Yeah, the last 3.