Sidney Crosby please stop threatening us with going to Europe. Pack your bags and your mush head and get the Fahq Out!!!!!!!!!!!!
- tmlfan17

WTF does this have to do with the topic at hand? Absolutely amazed at how many jagoffs get wood over hating on the kid.

WTF does this have to do with the topic at hand? Absolutely amazed at how many jagoffs get wood over hating on the kid.
- Sell My Monkey

Ya, I dont get it either....especially when he was their 2010 Olympic hero......

WTF does this have to do with the topic at hand? Absolutely amazed at how many jagoffs get wood over hating on the kid.
- Sell My Monkey

Agreed, but if you do see him, can you please tell him to spit out his gum before he goes into the negotiating sessions?

It's just so bush league.

F-ing DiPietro...

The only reason why there is still a lockout going on is because Donald Fehr is running the NHLPA. Fehr is not trying to "make a deal". He's trying to live up to his reputation as a "tough negotiator", which translates into forcing the owners to lock out the players by failing to engage the league in discussions prior to this past summer and telling the players to essentially leave him alone and let him decide when its time to make a deal.

Anyone who is familiar with MLB should know Fehr's M.O. at this point. Fehr doesn't negotiate. He makes demands and doesn't come off them. Hence the reason why all the concessions you read about come from the owners. He has a reputation to uphold. This lockout was a foregone conclusion once Fehr was hired by the NHLPA.
- Jethro09

I think I agree with every point you made. I will admit to being wrong, now.

In the beginning, I truly believed that this lockout was about money distribution (owner/player AND revenue sharing), and that there is no way we'd miss a single regular season game over money.

It's clear that there is a stronger motive than just money here now that I see the players arguing for things that seem to be against their best interest... If using the last 7 years is precedent, and I think it is.

Agreed, but if you do see him, can you please tell him to spit out his gum before he goes into the negotiating sessions?

It's just so bush league.
- Atomic Wedgie

FIRST....!

Oh crap, missed first spot.

Is the lockout still on ?

Ya, I dont get it either....especially when he was their 2010 Olympic hero......
- chompsey

It's a Canadian thing. We hate anyone Canadian who is successful.

Like Nickelback.

Let's put this in perspective...

-In Canada, "the average Joe's" annual salary is ~$45K, while the average NHL player's annual player salary is $2.4M

- The average NHL pay cheque every two weeks is ~$92K, more than double the "the average Joe's" ANNUAL salary.

- Based on a $45K salary, it would take "the average Joe" 53.3 YEARS to make $2.4M. Pretty much their entire work life/career, and that's on the high side.

It blows my mind with how out of touch the NHLPA is. They have ZERO idea how good they have it. I hope league takes these spoiled brats to the cleaners!
- As_I_See_It

You make great points.

However, would you mind doing the math on this for what the owners are making? And I don't just mean via hockey - I mean via all of their enterprises. Because for most owners, they are not living on the earnings (or losses) of the NHL team they own.

What's my point? Why should the players be looked at as greedy for making higher than average salaries, while the owners who make 10x as much as players, or more, be viewed as heroes?

Obviously, the scale here is much higher, but it mimics the outrage that people had when they were losing their homes because of the banking bailout while the CEOs of the banking companies were handing out bonuses.

I don't feel sorry for millionaire players, but when compared to billionaire owners, I am more understanding of the players' view of all this. The players have a small window of time to earn a small fraction of what the owners are worth.

It's a Canadian thing. We hate anyone Canadian who is successful.

Like Nickelback.
- Atomic Wedgie

Nickelback I get entirely......

Quit drinking the kool-aid. About 6% of players have longer than 5 year deals. So tell me, how would that 40 players affect the entire pay structure? It doesn't. The problem for the NHLPA is that it slows down the rate of growth of salaries because there can be no more long term back diving deals.....
- chompsey

Whenever you come up with a maximum wether it is years or $$$ on a contact that number is seen as only for stars. So if only the stars are getting the 5 year deals then the second tier guys are only getting 4 or 3 and if you are a 4th liner you will never get more then a one year deal two if you are really popular. You will never see guys like Justin Abdelkader get a 4 year deal like he got in the current system because if the most a star can get is 5 why give a 3rd/4th line guy only one year under the max? Stars will still get thier money but insead of only some of it counting agaist the cap more will and there will be less money for the other players. Getting rid of the backdiving contracts while good for the game hurts the other players more then it does the stars. Guys like Weber will still get close to the max money but insted of their cap hit being much lower the team will have much less cap room to spend on the 3rd and 4th line guys so their money is getting taken away and if there are more rules on sending guys down teams won't want to take any risks on fringe guys. Saying having a 5 year limit only will harm guys who have 6 year or longer deals is very short sighted.

FIRST....!

Oh crap, missed first spot.

Is the lockout still on ?
- MikeyOz

No, First games tomorrow night

Speaking of jokes, does anyone have an idea of how much McDavid's 15 year endorsement deal with Reebok is worth?

Ya, I dont get it either....especially when he was their 2010 Olympic hero......
- chompsey

no Luongo was......if it wasnt for him we wouldnt have had a chance to win it in OT

**** the NHL! Bring on the World Juniors!

**** the NHL! Bring on the World Juniors!
- tmlfan69

Does Toronto still have an Arena Football team?

That season's got to be starting soon, right?

Does Toronto still have an Arena Football team?

That season's got to be starting soon, right?
- Atomic Wedgie

A&W

Good evening sir. Beer tap installed yet?

I am generally in agreement with the last few blogs that EK has wrote, but here he is missing the primary reason Fehr and the players want longer contracts, especially coupled with no limitation on the spread between the years (meaning, front loaded contracts are allowed).

The reality is that those contracts significantly help more than just the top players, mainly due to the trickle down effect. Star players do not want shorter contracts - they want the security and frankly big ego boosting dollars of larger contracts.

The Doan contract cited is a special case, as he really only wanted to stay in Phoenix. The Giroux contract referenced is also an exception, as he wanted a shorter contract that would get him to FA and the bigger payday sooner. It's the exact opposite of the Simmonds situation where the team was buying into free agent years at a premium.

The reality is that teams will bid higher against each other if they can amortize it over a longer period of time, with the front-loaded contract. As is the case with much of corporate america (and I am a die hard capitalist), the short term is the priority of the long run.

So now that those contracts are at a much higher average annual value, the next rung of FA benefit. Example, Carle in no way would have justified that contract a couple of years ago. But teams say Suter is worth x, Carle is 70% of a Suter so he must be worth y.

This is undoubtedly the messge that Fehr is giving the players. Drive up the salaries for the stars, and everyone benefits.

Nickelback I get entirely......
- chompsey

A&W

Good evening sir. Beer tap installed yet?
- Colin Dambrauskas

Last weekend!

Best part was a bit unexpected: I will never have to hear the stupid question, "Do you want to split a beer?" from the wife ever again.

It's a Canadian thing. We hate anyone Canadian who is successful.

Like Nickelback.
- Atomic Wedgie

Nickelback sucks...And don't get me started on Nickelback...

They are the suckiest bunch of sucks that ever sucked. They just plain suck.

Are we there yet?

So far as I can tell, the league has "given" exactly two things. The new pension plan (which no one has quantified the cost), and an increase in revenue sharing to the low-revenue teams (which helps the owners as well, btw).

Everything else isn't a "give" by the NHL. . . it's a "Take Less than I originally asked, but still far more than I had last time". The vaunted $300M "sorta make whole"? Well, the league is demanding from the players, over the 10 year period the league is demanding it, something north of $2B from the players EVEN AFTER THE MAKE WHOLE is netted out. Some "give" from the league. I get all misty-eyed thinking of how much the owners are willing to "suffer".

So far as I can tell, the league has "given" exactly two things. The new pension plan (which no one has quantified the cost), and an increase in revenue sharing to the low-revenue teams (which helps the owners as well, btw).

Everything else isn't a "give" by the NHL. . . it's a "Take Less than I originally asked, but still far more than I had last time". The vaunted $300M "sorta make whole"? Well, the league is demanding from the players, over the 10 year period the league is demanding it, something north of $2B from the players EVEN AFTER THE MAKE WHOLE is netted out. Some "give" from the league. I get all misty-eyed thinking of how much the owners are willing to "suffer".
- georule

Don't worry -- people will be here shortly to explain to you that at the end of the last CBA players had nothing -- repeat nothing. Anything that the owners have offered to date is a give and the players should be grateful for that and the little sandwiches they got at the meetings

You make great points.

However, would you mind doing the math on this for what the owners are making? And I don't just mean via hockey - I mean via all of their enterprises. Because for most owners, they are not living on the earnings (or losses) of the NHL team they own.

What's my point? Why should the players be looked at as greedy for making higher than average salaries, while the owners who make 10x as much as players, or more, be viewed as heroes?

Obviously, the scale here is much higher, but it mimics the outrage that people had when they were losing their homes because of the banking bailout while the CEOs of the banking companies were handing out bonuses.

I don't feel sorry for millionaire players, but when compared to billionaire owners, I am more understanding of the players' view of all this. The players have a small window of time to earn a small fraction of what the owners are worth.
- lifexkills

I really love the Average Joe argument the most. Just cause those (frank)ers are the best in the world at playing some game, why do they think they deserve more than me!

Congrats, the first riot joke of the day...
- bloatedmosquito

You mean your avatar isnt the lead singer of Quiet Riot?