So the players are willing to cut their nose off to spite their face! Uh huh! Have at it and so long NHL, who cares anymore, the greed is overwhelming and I have zero respect for any of then anymore, double that feeling for Crosby.
- Bullot

I have no respect for Jeff Finger - he's the reason for this mess, taking a salary he didn't deserve and driving up the Cap so Atlanta had to move to Winnipeg, should never of happened - goddamn Jeff Finger screwed us all.

NBA PA decertified last year and they were back playing in December. It's a tactic, the chances of the NHL playing without a union are zero. Could lose the season and probably some of the bottom teams like Pheonix or it could make the owners cut their losses and just go with a soft landing to 50-50.

Nope, they cut salaries by trading Hossa and De Vries and adding Heatley at a reduced rate.
- tuna99

The dollar?

I have no respect for Jeff Finger - he's the reason for this mess, taking a salary he didn't deserve and driving up the Cap so Atlanta had to move to Winnipeg, should never of happened - goddamn Jeff Finger screwed us all.
- tuna99

Bobby Holik says hello

In the pre-seaosn in 2005 Melnyk came out and said unless the Sens won 2 rounds of hockey he would lose money - this is after a 24% roll back in salaries and a full season of lost hokey.

If the Sens have lost money despite being a top 10 revenue generating team and have the 9th most valuable NHL brand, and being pretty much sold out every game since 2005 - this must mean something - it's that the business model is broken and the answer is revenue sharing and this cannot really be debated.
- tuna99

It absolutely can be debated. All increased revenue sharing will accomplish is spreading the profits around. But there are so little profits, to make all of them profitable, you’d have to spread so much of the revenue around, even the most profitable teams would be making miniscule amounts.

Why? Costs are too high. What’s their highest cost? Player salaries. By a long shot. And in the NHL, players make a bigger cut of revenue than any other pro sport right now.

Seems like the answer is pretty obvious to me.

In the pre-seaosn in 2005 Melnyk came out and said unless the Sens won 2 rounds of hockey he would lose money - this is after a 24% roll back in salaries and a full season of lost hokey.

If the Sens have lost money despite being a top 10 revenue generating team and have the 9th most valuable NHL brand, and being pretty much sold out every game since 2005 - this must mean something - it's that the business model is broken and the answer is revenue sharing and this cannot really be debated.
- tuna99

if you're saying revenue sharing and a roll back to 50%, then i agree with you. but if you're putting the onus on the owners to plug the leak while the players maintain the status quo, i think you're living in a fantasy land.

It absolutely can be debated. All increased revenue sharing will accomplish is spreading the profits around. But there are so little profits, to make all of them profitable, you’d have to spread so much of the revenue around, even the most profitable teams would be making miniscule amounts.

Why? Costs are too high. What’s their highest cost? Player salaries. By a long shot. And in the NHL, players make a bigger cut of revenue than any other pro sport right now.

Seems like the answer is pretty obvious to me.
- prock

Yet for some reason the NHL allowed it to get there.

Everyone acts like the players (frank)ed the NHL, yet the owners are the one who gave the players the potential to make that much.

I wonder how the NHL (frank)s themselves this time.

Nope, they cut salaries by trading Hossa and De Vries and adding Heatley at a reduced rate.
- tuna99

The Sens lost money in 08-09 because they failed to make the playoffs, added $3 million higher payroll and a falling Canadian dollar.

After 11 straight years in the playoffs, the Ottawa Senators failed to qualify last year finishing a disappointing 11th in the Eastern Conference. No playoffs, a $3 million higher payroll and a falling Canadian dollar (since rebounded) caused the Sens to lose money last season for the first time since the NHL resumed in 2005 after the lockout.

http://www.forbes.com/lis...tawa-Senators_318444.html

However, something is clearly wrong with the model.

It absolutely can be debated. All increased revenue sharing will accomplish is spreading the profits around. But there are so little profits, to make all of them profitable, you’d have to spread so much of the revenue around, even the most profitable teams would be making miniscule amounts.

Why? Costs are too high. What’s their highest cost? Player salaries. By a long shot. And in the NHL, players make a bigger cut of revenue than any other pro sport right now.

Seems like the answer is pretty obvious to me.
- prock

right and salaries will go to 50-50 / but to think this will solve the small market clubs problems it won't, we'll be right back here in 5 years with another lockout and the owners demanding more money from the players - we all know this, this is what the NHL owners do, this is their business model - it's time for a new business model.

I have no respect for Jeff Finger - he's the reason for this mess, taking a salary he didn't deserve and driving up the Cap so Atlanta had to move to Winnipeg, should never of happened - goddamn Jeff Finger screwed us all.
- tuna99

And you would turn that salary down for the love of the game? Doubt it.

The Sens lost money in 08-09 because they failed to make the playoffs, added $3 million higher payroll and a falling Canadian dollar.


http://www.forbes.com/lis...tawa-Senators_318444.html

However, something is clearly wrong with the model.
- dawgzhouse

Thank you for proving my point - if your club does not make the playoffs you lose money - no club can expect to make the playoffs every year - so the model is broken. If Nashville misses the playoffs a couple of years in a row, as does Tampa or Phoenix, what situation will we be in?

Revenue Sharing

And you would turn that salary down for the love of the game? Doubt it.
- Dwight K. Schrute

He's being sarcastic to push his pro-player agenda.

And you would turn that salary down for the love of the game? Doubt it.
- Dwight K. Schrute

Blame the players, not the owners for giving Jeff Finger that money. Blame Daniel Alfredsson for playing for $1 million this season, blame Zetterburg for making $2.5 million after the lockout when he was a league MVP. It's always the players fault, not matter what type of money they are making

Bobby Holik says hello
- Lahey

So does Wade Redden

Yet for some reason the NHL allowed it to get there.

Everyone acts like the players (frank)ed the NHL, yet the owners are the one who gave the players the potential to make that much.

I wonder how the NHL (frank)s themselves this time.
- Lahey

Allowed it? You realize that with the last CBA it was reduced significantly from pre-salary cap levels, right? The last CBA didn't "(frank)" themself, it was a trend in the right direction, just not far enough.

right and salaries will go to 50-50 / but to think this will solve the small market clubs problems it won't, we'll be right back here in 5 years with another lockout and the owners demanding more money from the players - we all know this, this is what the NHL owners do, this is their business model - it's time for a new business model.
- tuna99

nothing will ever solve ALL problems of every team. You're an idiot if you think there is a solution that will do that. This will certainly help though. In fact, it'll make the majority of teams profitable.

You seem to ignore that this will be only the second CBA with any significant form of salary control in place. Did you honestly think they were going to go directly from a system that was a nightmare for owners of 25 out of 30 NHL teams, to a system that worked perfectly for everyone?

You know, if the last CBA hadn’t made the changes it did, compared to the CBA prior to that, the Sens might not be here.

that's what makes the players so stupid--they can't see anything more than 6 inches from their faces.

EVERYONE got (frank)ing hammered last time.

all the players can talk about is what they've given and what they've been asked to give. they never allude to what they currently HAVE and what they had in the past.

it's like 2 guys investing equally in a business, one's been walking away with 57%-75% of the year end net, and whining like a (frank)ing girl every time his partner asks for an equal share.
- DoubleDown

The PA wanting current contracts honored isn't alluding to what they currently have? How about thier point of view that they're going from 57% to less then that towards 50/50? That's not alluding to what they had in the past?

Blame the players, not the owners for giving Jeff Finger that money. Blame Daniel Alfredsson for playing for $1 million this season, blame Zetterburg for making $2.5 million after the lockout when he was a league MVP. It's always the players fault, not matter what type of money they are making
- tuna99

That's just a futile attempt to help his team be competitive, from an over the hill player that shouuld probably just retire.

I suggest that the nhlpa follows through on the threat and you request that the other writers hold a draft picking every player available. I want to see how the 30 bloggers would pick their teams through a draft. Go by the order of the draft this year and pick a roster of 23. Jackets would probably pick crosby and me personally for the oilers would have a tough call. I would pick either stamkos giroux or hall with the next pick.

That's just a futile attempt to help his team be competitive, from an over the hill player that shouuld probably just retire.
- prock

He had 27 goals last season and 59 points last season, did anybody in Nashville get 27 goals or 59 points last season?

Does Nashville have a Captain that wants to stay in the city? Does Nashville have an Assistant Captain that wants to stay in the city?

Now is a good time to buy Preds tickets, they are selling them to non-existant games for 50% off - why don't you support your hard-luck owner and go buy some right now.

eeek!

You know, if the last CBA hadn’t made the changes it did, compared to the CBA prior to that, the Sens would have two or 3 Stanley Cups.
- prock

Fixed

eeek!





Fixed
- conor_smythe

Sure, the Kansas City Sens would have been awesome.

Thank you for proving my point - if your club does not make the playoffs you lose money - no club can expect to make the playoffs every year - so the model is broken. If Nashville misses the playoffs a couple of years in a row, as does Tampa or Phoenix, what situation will we be in?

Revenue Sharing
- tuna99

I don't disagree with you at all (not my team btw). The model is broken but I was clarifying that the Sens did not lose money or declare that they were losing money since it's inception. It seems nit-picky but when statements are repeated enough on this site it tends to become gospel.

I suggest that the nhlpa follows through on the threat and you request that the other writers hold a draft picking every player available. I want to see how the 30 bloggers would pick their teams through a draft. Go by the order of the draft this year and pick a roster of 23. Jackets would probably pick crosby and me personally for the oilers would have a tough call. I would pick either stamkos giroux or hall with the next pick.
- yanew1975

One prob with that. A draft would be illegal under an anti-trust post de-cert. Everyone would be a UFA free to go wherever they chose, not to have a fantasy draft.

It essentially would be UEFA rules for club soccer teams in europe where you bid on players and then once you have secured their rights you negotiate a contract with them.

Oh my god Tuna AND MJL at the same time.