Fans don't care who "wins" they want the NHL season to start, I think some of the players are more interested in hating Gary Bettman than making a deal so the NHL season can start.

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

Oh prock. Just like the good old days

Bobby Holik says hello
- Lahey

our GM was his agent at the time

I've got kind of a different angle on this. I'll be writing about it in a bit.

Someone pass the Tylenol first..

The guy cheers for the Bills and no one holds a gun to his head.

I just don't know if I could read his stuff.
- Lahey

Richard Cloutier: CBA Goes Nuclear: NHLPA to Decertify
- Maxbone

Where ownership is coming from is half the teams in the league are losing money, and something needs to change so the NHL is a place where all teams are profitable.

The solution to the issue of some teams loosing money is really quite simple. Get out of markets that will never ever support hockey to the level they need to. Either fold these teams or move them to markets that will support them. But oh no, the great Bettman can't ever give in to this logic. That would mean he would have to admit that his great pei in the sky plan failed. Well guess what, it has failed and that's why we're in the mess we are in. Until Bettman is replaced with a true "hockey person", nothing will change.

Maybe if no one talks or writes about the lockout, from big sites and networks to the smaller ones, the PA and Owners will think no one gives a poop about the nhl anymore and they are on the risk of losing all their fans and then they might get their panties untangled and settle on an agreement. Don't even report lock out meetings or updates

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

Or simply remove the cap floor.

I didnt read through all the responses because they were all the same, and alot simply showing which "side" you are on.

Big thing here is nothing ever happened in NBA one as they took the offer shortly after. NFL was first awarded the "win" to start the Anti Trust suits and then overturned three times by a seperate court so they weren't even able to get past the second hurdle to actually do any damage.

Look this system with no PA does work in places (see Euro football) however we would be looking at a 10-15 team league at best, but boy the teams could be REALLY good. Alot of garbage fourth liners that now feed off the current system (see Paul Bissonette) would be gone, or forced to take AHL type salaries and negotiate all the rest (chartered travel, insurance, equipment, you name it).

So look what will occur is they accept the same damn offer they had in November, longer they wait less chance this "make whole" will work as they are both losing the revenue as I type this.

I believe Mirtle wrote something along the lines of just take the first year (where large disparancy of make whole exists) of the offer and level it out and split the difference over the remaining 5 years. Its not rocket science.

The last problem however is Donald Fehr, they are getting exactly what they paid for with him, now they have to live with it. Player opinions and the PA soplitting will happen far before he gives in.

My two cents......

Where ownership is coming from is half the teams in the league are losing money, and something needs to change so the NHL is a place where all teams are profitable.

The solution to the issue of some teams loosing money is really quite simple. Get out of markets that will never ever support hockey to the level they need to. Either fold these teams or move them to markets that will support them. But oh no, the great Bettman can't ever give in to this logic. That would mean he would have to admit that his great pei in the sky plan failed. Well guess what, it has failed and that's why we're in the mess we are in. Until Bettman is replaced with a true "hockey person", nothing will change.
- BurnabyBob

This!

Years back, the NFL union decertified and none of the things you forecast happened.

Maybe if no one talks or writes about the lockout, from big sites and networks to the smaller ones, the PA and Owners will think no one gives a poop about the nhl anymore and they are on the risk of losing all their fans and then they might get their panties untangled and settle on an agreement. Don't even report lock out meetings or updates
- Killbot460

And then start an online petition!

Where ownership is coming from is half the teams in the league are losing money, and something needs to change so the NHL is a place where all teams are profitable.

The solution to the issue of some teams loosing money is really quite simple. Get out of markets that will never ever support hockey to the level they need to. Either fold these teams or move them to markets that will support them. But oh no, the great Bettman can't ever give in to this logic. That would mean he would have to admit that his great pei in the sky plan failed. Well guess what, it has failed and that's why we're in the mess we are in. Until Bettman is replaced with a true "hockey person", nothing will change.
- BurnabyBob

yes, very simple

and no, Bettman didn't move the Trahshers to Winnipeg

Maybe if no one talks or writes about the lockout, from big sites and networks to the smaller ones, the PA and Owners will think no one gives a poop about the nhl anymore and they are on the risk of losing all their fans and then they might get their panties untangled and settle on an agreement. Don't even report lock out meetings or updates
- Killbot460

I like this idea...Send it in to TSN

Or simply remove the cap floor.

- Iccemaan

NHLPA won't agree to that.

NHLPA won't agree to that.
- Atomic Wedgie

The (frank)in Isles would have a midget team playing for $ 500 a week, each.

And then start an online petition!
- Atomic Wedgie

That, then start the official "the NHL is the devil" movement! It's foolproof! The mere notion of such diabolical deviance will have us watching our beloved NHL by weeks end!

Moohooohahahaaa!!!!

I say "yay" for decertification. I guess I just want to see the world burn.

NHLPA won't agree to that.
- Atomic Wedgie

I know they wouldn't, but I was trying to be as simple as that one dudes reasoning....

I like this idea...Send it in to TSN
- bixll

TSN is the worst, it emailed them to stop showing highlights of khl games, playing rewinds of wjc, and show ahl games and they said they didn't own the rights. WTF those rights are prolly 2 bucks and who doesn't wanna watch Hall/Ebs/Nuge/Schultz... Gardiner. Most of the elite prospects are in the AHL.

Stop talking about Hall, Nuge, and Eberle like they are the best players on the best team in the NHL. They are a bubble team in the AHL like breaking that team up would be the biggest loss in the NHL

NHLPA is full of it
- flashfire

Oooooh yesterday they were a .500 team, now they are a bubble team!!!


Slowly getting there!

I believe Mirtle wrote something along the lines of just take the first year (where large disparancy of make whole exists) of the offer and level it out and split the difference over the remaining 5 years. Its not rocket science.


- Iccemaan

I agree. Play this year and just split 50/50. And make year 1 of Make whole actually year 2 of the CBA. Otherwise, with less games being played if they ever settle, make whole payments have to get smaller in year 1.

As much as your duh emoticons make a convincing argument, I'm afraid you've missed the point of decertification.

If the union decertifies, the league can't implement aspects of the CBA and call it league or franchise rules. Anything that inhibits player salaries or movement would be deemed illegal under anti-trust laws.
- Atomic Wedgie

Respectfully, I think you might have missed the point.

They can't implement word for word but they can re labelled it, re structure it and indirectly influence everything and end up back at the same place. Franchises could be absorbed into 1 large company where each owner has equal shares. (think of it like a bunch of Walmart store competing) Then there is no competition in the NHL/ NHLPA current structure. Many , many other ways around this that I am sure the lawyers on the NHL have figures out already. It would take time to reimplement.

Decertification would be disasterous for the NHLPA and a long term win for the NHL with the (short term headaches)

Respectfully, I think you might have missed the point.

They can't implement word for word but they can re labelled it, re structure it and indirectly influence everything and end up back at the same place. Franchises could be absorbed into 1 large company where each owner has equal shares. (think of it like a bunch of Walmart store competing) Then there is no competition in the NHL/ NHLPA current structure. Many , many other ways around this that I am sure the lawyers on the NHL have figures out already. It would take time to reimplement.

Decertification would be disasterous for the NHLPA and a long term win for the NHL with the (short term headaches)
- akermack

I agree with the last part being disasterous for the players, but not the first part.
Owners would have to agree to give up their individual rights as franchises in order to allow "one large company" or entity to take control. As it stands now, the more successful franchises would want no part in sharing the majority of their revenue in order to allow equal shares throughout the league and help fund the bottom feeders that cannot sustain themselves. I think the board of governors would vote for contraction of those teams before agreeing to that.

The notion of one large company has already been suggested and tried when Bain capital sought to buy entire league. Owners said no.

OH pretty please let the players decertify and call for anti-trust suits.

The NHL only has to point out these simple facts:

These players can play in the AHL, CHL, ECHL, USHL, (decertified means they can) or even play abroad in the KHL, or any of the other european leagues. The NHL is certainly not a monopoly. It's just the 'richest' option of any of the leagues, but that being said some of the contracts in the KHL are 'almost as good' as the NHL paydays.

So please decertify you overpaid scrubs. After that, the NHL can create a new NHLPA with its own puppet director, and start calling in the scabs so we can get back to playing hockey.

Fans don't care who "wins" they want the NHL season to start, I think some of the players are more interested in hating Gary Bettman than making a deal so the NHL season can start.
- Thehabsfan93

Agree 100%