I wonder which one can sustain losing money for a longer time, billionaires or millionaires with short term career on average (4-5 years).
- Symba007

Until the NHL moves off on basically the original deal(yes I know there have been tiny tweaks) there will be no deal. The players have already said they will do 50/50. Just won't take a 2nd rollback.
What I would like to see is a rollback, on anything signed before July 1st 2011 but anything after that is full value. Because its pretty clear ownership wasn't bargaining in good faith

A player overseas texted me earlier today "what do you think we can do to help the situation?"

Any one that believes an NHL playered texted Eklund looking for advice, please see me. I have some great swamp land in Florida available.
- maaddmike

I understand the logic behind it, but if we all thought that way, there would only be two kinds of people in the world: billionaires, and those making minimum wage.
- The Shrike

Exactly

Players want to win this one, they know the league wants to put a system in place that will reduce their % share and put new contract rules. They wanted a fight.....they are getting it. Most knew a Fehr vs Bettman would mean losing a season and most likely part of next year also.
- Symba007

Fehr knows Bettmas strategy and is making him squirm. Fehr is pretending they are strong enough to walk away from the wrong deal and Bettman doesn't have a plan b. The players have a plan b, they can play in the KHL AHL or overseas.

Can you imagine the wrath Bettman will receive when the Billionaire owners don't get a season? Everyone talks about how powerful and rich the owners are, just wait till they get pissed off.

The losing franchises are a write off for most of the owners anyway. Anyone who has owned or run a business knows that you can buy things that don't make you $ to offset the things that do.

Until the NHL moves off on basically the original deal(yes I know there have been tiny tweaks) there will be no deal. The players have already said they will do 50/50. Just won't take a 2nd rollback.
What I would like to see is a rollback, on anything signed before July 1st 2011 but anything after that is full value. Because its pretty clear ownership wasn't bargaining in good faith
- Bieksa#3

Tiny tweaks? Really? You call a make whole of 211M a tiny tweak? Going down to 50/50 when you still get 100% of your salary was an EASY compromise for the PA, don't kid yourself.

You are right when you say there won't be a deal, not until the players are hurting enough. The league is entertaining the PA tomorrow, just watch, the PA will come back with some ridiculous offer again....the owners will walk away. Don't expect hockey this year...it's not gonna happen.

They haven't because the owners insist on treating them like "cattle", and have that smarmy wiener Bettman doing the negotiating for them. The players hate Bettman, so much so that they're willing to lose money just to poke him in the eye.

Basically, it's no longer about money, it's about pride.

The best thing the owners can do now is find a way to make a deal that allows the players to retain said pride, otherwise in six years we will be going through this again.
- The Shrike

Lose money to poke someone in the eye, maybe they should talk with some players who went through this before and get their take on what should be done. From what I read they all say sign a deal now its not worth it as its only going to get worse.

We will be right back here 6 or 7 years from now when the owners take a bit more than they're going to this year. That is what people with money do, they take more money whenever they can.

Fehr knows Bettmas strategy and is making him squirm. Fehr is preending they are strong enough to walk away from the wrong deal and Bettman doesn't have a plan b. The players have a plan b, they can play in the KHL AHL or overseas.

Can you imagine the wrath Bettman will receive when the Billionaire owners don't get a season? Everyone talks about how powerful and rich the owners are, just wait till they get pissed off.

The losing franchises are a write off for most of the owners anyway. Anyone who has owned or run a business knows that you can buy things that don't make you $ to offset the things that do.
- cracka

You mean the 60-70 players out of 700 in the KHL? That's plan B? union is in BIG trouble if that's plan B. Other leagues in Europe, players make peanuts....

Fehr knows Bettmas strategy and is making him squirm. Fehr is preending they are strong enough to walk away from the wrong deal and Bettman doesn't have a plan b. The players have a plan b, they can play in the KHL AHL or overseas.

Can you imagine the wrath Bettman will receive when the Billionaire owners don't get a season? Everyone talks about how powerful and rich the owners are, just wait till they get pissed off.

The losing franchises are a write off for most of the owners anyway. Anyone who has owned or run a business knows that you can buy things that don't make you $ to offset the things that do.
- cracka

Not all players have a Plan B, at least half the players can't play anywhere else and will be working at McDonalds or selling used cars.

scarl

scarl

Eklund: Whywe shouldn't be afraid of Donald Fehr.
- Eklund

Too simplistic. If only it were that easy....

scarl

Not all players have a Plan B, at least half the players can't play anywhere else and will be working at McDonalds or selling used cars.
- BigStew

And what is the owners plan b?

What do they fill their arenas and parking lots with?

What do they put on the tv channels they own? (Leafs TV specifically)

What do they do when sponsors pull the plug?

And what is the owners plan b?

What do they fill their arenas and parking lots with?

What do they put on the tv channels they own? (Leafs TV specifically)

What do they do when sponsors pull the plug?
- cracka

Rent their buildings, cover their actual costs or lose a bit of money knowing in the long run they will make it back. Owning a hockey team is not the core business for an owner....they were rich before they bought them. Plan B is to make sure they next CBA makes sense for the league and they have proven in the past, they can be very patient before they get it.

Until the NHL moves off on basically the original deal(yes I know there have been tiny tweaks) there will be no deal. The players have already said they will do 50/50. Just won't take a 2nd rollback.
- Bieksa#3

Until the NHLPA moves off of "we want a guaranteed $1.883 billion we got last year, plus 1.75% for this year" there won't be a deal either.

What I would like to see is a rollback, on anything signed before July 1st 2011 but anything after that is full value. Because its pretty clear ownership wasn't bargaining in good faith
- Bieksa#3

If the owners weren't bargaining in good faith, why reward them by pushing a rollback on those contracts? On the contrary, if you're going to have a rollback (I think there shouldn't be one at all) I'd specifically exempt those contracts signed after 7/1/11 from it - just to account for the likelihood that some of them were negotiated with "... and there will be a rollback, so we won't have to pay all of that money" in mind.

And what is the owners plan b?

What do they fill their arenas and parking lots with?

What do they put on the tv channels they own? (Leafs TV specifically)

What do they do when sponsors pull the plug?
- cracka

Or they lose their billion dollar us TV deal. Which will happen if the season is lost. I bet they will all be telling bettman how great he is when that happens. Don't kid yourself the owners have far more to lose this time then last.

Can you imagine the wrath Bettman will receive when the Billionaire owners don't get a season? Everyone talks about how powerful and rich the owners are, just wait till they get pissed off.
- cracka

Depends, which franchises are the ones saying "get a deal done" and which ones are saying "gut it out to the bitter end?" If 23 of them want a deal done bad enough, they can band together and vote one through over Bettman's objection; if 20 of them don't like what Bettman is doing, they can band together and vote him out completely.

From the sounds of it, there certainly aren't even 20 willing to do the former, much less 20 willing to band together to do the latter.

Until the NHLPA moves off of "we want a guaranteed $1.883 billion we got last year, plus 1.75% for this year" there won't be a deal either.


If the owners weren't bargaining in good faith, why reward them by pushing a rollback on those contracts? On the contrary, if you're going to have a rollback (I think there shouldn't be one at all) I'd specifically exempt those contracts signed after 7/1/11 from it - just to account for the likelihood that some of them were negotiated with "... and there will be a rollback, so we won't have to pay all of that money" in mind.
- Irish Blues

Isn't this what I said

Rent their buildings, cover their actual costs or lose a bit of money knowing in the long run they will make it back. Owning a hockey team is not the core business for an owner....they were rich before they bought them. Plan B is to make sure they next CBA makes sense for the league and they have proven in the past, they can be very patient before they get it.
- Symba007

Don't forget there is HRR - they split this with the players.

Then there is NHRR that the teams are missing out on (some more than others).

poop will hit the fan soon if a deal is not done soon. Bettman has more to lose than Fehr.

The strongest negotiatior is the one who can walk away. Remember that.

Or they lose their billion dollar us TV deal. Which will happen if the season is lost. I bet they will all be telling bettman how great he is when that happens. Don't kid yourself the owners have far more to lose this time then last.
- Bieksa#3

The NBC contract has a clause it in for a free season at the end if the current lockout takes the whole season. The owners knew it was a risk and they are prepared for it.

The strongest negotiatior is the one who can walk away. Remember that.
- cracka

exactly why the owners are in a stronger position......billionaires > millionaires

The NBC contract has a clause it in for a free season at the end if the current lockout takes the whole season. The owners knew it was a risk and they are prepared for it.
- Symba007

So what you are saying is if it goes into next season the owners are screwed? If the pa is willing to scrap this season they best wait through a few months of next?

exactly why the owners are in a stronger position......billionaires > millionaires
- Symba007

Ask Suter, Parise, and Weber. There is such I high amount of players getting a huge signing bonus that they less contracts they have over seas don't hurt as much. Couple that with better tax laws and they are losing far less then you are making it out to be. As for your renting out the arena, how does that work? Day to day you aren't going to get a ton more interest in the space then you currently have.

exactly why the owners are in a stronger position......billionaires > millionaires
- Symba007

Agree...especially when said millionaires have such a short horizon to earn their money.