The purpose of the lockout was to shave the players share of the pie from 57% to 50%. It had nothing to do with the size of the cap - the owners would dance around naked and giddy if the cap went up to $100M.
- mohel

Ahh...not so much. Not if you believe Wirtz is still losing money on the hawks.

Go to the Islanders, Preds, Panthers, Senators, Lightning blogs....just to name a few and tell them the cap is going up to 100 million, and you will see a vast majority of teams struggling to hit the cap floor.

Ahh...not so much. Not if you believe Wirtz is still losing money on the hawks.

Go to the Islanders, Preds, Panthers, Senators, Lightning blogs....just to name a few and tell them the cap is going up to 100 million, and you will see a vast majority of teams struggling to hit the cap floor.
- SteveRain

If the cap goes to $100MM, then HRR has to be $6B - up from about $3.6B now.

SOME of the $2.4B HAS to trickle down to the teams you mentionned - otherwise they should just shut the doors.

Ahh...not so much. Not if you believe Wirtz is still losing money on the hawks. .
- SteveRain

I don't - not from operations, at any rate.

Ahh...not so much. Not if you believe Wirtz is still losing money on the hawks.

Go to the Islanders, Preds, Panthers, Senators, Lightning blogs....just to name a few and tell them the cap is going up to 100 million, and you will see a vast majority of teams struggling to hit the cap floor.
- SteveRain

I'm confused... For the cap to go up $40M would mean that revenues went up $80M per team (or $2.4B for the league). Pretty sure the owners would be giddy about that because they'd have $1.2B more revenue that doesn't go to the players.

I have to say it feels that way to me. That said, dunno.
- John Jaeckel

My thinking is they wanted to make sure they had no chance of losing both Crawford and Hammer...

@AlCimaglia

Anybody think that Crawford will be affected more than the average goalie with the new pad restrictions?

Ok.....lets look at this logically.

Everyone is assuming HUGE cap increases, which I somewhat get...but lets get real...what is a huge cap increase? If it goes up 10% which I think is crazy to think, but I'll give it to you.....you are going to pay up to 5 million, maybe more to retain Hammer...

So now you are at a little over 60 million in cap salaries...10 million in room and you need a back up goalie, and 6-7 players....Raanta is already at 1.4 with RFA deal expired, so he gets a raise....So now you're more at 8 million with 6-7 players....From there you'll have RFAs like Shaw, Hayes, Morin...Shaw is line for a pretty nice bump...like 1.5-2 million...So very quickly that room starts to go.

that's my point....everyone can speculate that maybe they trade Oduya, and they could, but even as that cap number goes up, and I honestly don't see how it goes up 10% next year, and a large % the following year, or otherwise what the hell was the purpose of the lockout? How do the small market teams continue to compete? They can't....The cap can't go up 10% next year, and another high percentage the following year.....

Oh...and the following off season...You have Kane, Toews, Saad, Kruger and Leddy...with at least 32.5 committed to only 6 guys...which easily could 41-43 after potential deals for Hammer, Shaw, and Raanta.

By the time you sign Toews and Kane you are at LEAST 59-61 million on the low end, and have all of 11 guys signed.....And have to sign another 11 with maybe 14 million in cap room? Imagine if Leddy and Shaw have some monster years.....very quickly this gets tight.

But....nobody will whisper a thing about this in the press...just absorbing all the talking points they feed out on conference calls.

All this is speculation and I completely get that, but somebody please show me when the cap EVER went up 6+ million in 1 year...
- SteveRain

I will bet you a warm soft pretzel it is closer to $80 mill than $70 mill in two years...

Don't forget it has been adjusted down and could easily go up $10 mill + from here.

I will bet you a warm soft pretzel it is closer to $80 mill than $70 mill in two years...

Don't forget it has been adjusted down and could easily go up $10 mill + from here.
- Al

I can run up and give it to Sassone to pass along to you....

16 million in 2 years? I'll take that bet, and I hope you are right.

I don't - not from operations, at any rate.
- StLBravesFan

Either do I....but he's out there promoting it.....

I can't complain though.....my seats to the general public went at $30-$50 instant profit for me...that's if I sold them at the Hawks listed website prices....

He's going to ride this train for as long as he can...and rightfully so. I just dont' want to hear him whining about losing money...

Hawks Season Ticket Holders:

- Expect another hefty raise in ticket prices next season. Hawks have all the leverage with the ST waiting list rising beyond UC capacity.

- Expect another statement by RW that Blackhawks organization is still losing money. Wirtz Holdings, a private company, is raking in big (1/2 proceeds from UC sales, plus beverage sales to UC by Wirtz Beverage Group are not reported as Blackhawks revenue, yet Blackhawks are driving those sales as well)... LEFT POCKET, RIGHT POCKET...

I have no complaint about Rocky making money, or overpaying players, as long as he puts winning team on ice, and does not price me out of my season tickets. The last part does concern me given ticket price progression of last 3-4 years.

Hawks Season Ticket Holders:

- Expect another hefty raise in ticket prices next season. Hawks have all the leverage with the ST waiting list rising beyond UC capacity.

- Expect another statement by RW that Blackhawks organization is still losing money. Wirtz Holdings, a private company, is raking in big (1/2 proceeds from UC sales, plus beverage sales to UC by Wirtz Beverage Group are not reported as Blackhawks revenue, yet Blackhawks are driving those sales as well)... LEFT POCKET, RIGHT POCKET...

I have no complaint about Rocky making money, or overpaying players, as long as he puts winning team on ice, and does not price me out of my season tickets. The last part does concern me given ticket price progression of last 3-4 years.
- Nerko77

agreed. and if you choose to sell you instantly make $30-$50 per seat.

Not crazy like a fox. Just crazy. He performed really well during the playoffs spoiling my prediction he was the obstacle the Hawks couldn't overcome.... and I give him full marks. History shows he was less himself and more on a roll and will revert back at some point. Overpaid by 1-2 mil a season.

Hawks Season Ticket Holders:

- Expect another hefty raise in ticket prices next season. Hawks have all the leverage with the ST waiting list rising beyond UC capacity.

- Expect another statement by RW that Blackhawks organization is still losing money. Wirtz Holdings, a private company, is raking in big (1/2 proceeds from UC sales, plus beverage sales to UC by Wirtz Beverage Group are not reported as Blackhawks revenue, yet Blackhawks are driving those sales as well)... LEFT POCKET, RIGHT POCKET...

I have no complaint about Rocky making money, or overpaying players, as long as he puts winning team on ice, and does not price me out of my season tickets. The last part does concern me given ticket price progression of last 3-4 years.
- Nerko77

This type of thing is an example of where the organic increase in league-wide revenue will come from to increase the salary cap.

agreed. and if you choose to sell you instantly make $30-$50 per seat.
- SteveRain

So this means that RW is undercharging his customers; the market says he could get $30-$50 more per seat. That would mean more revenue and a higher salary cap....

agreed. and if you choose to sell you instantly make $30-$50 per seat.
- SteveRain

Yes, if you are in business of re-selling tix, and not wanting to see games.

This type of thing is an example of where the organic increase in league-wide revenue will come from to increase the salary cap.
- mohel

And how many markets like Chicago are there in the league? 10 to 15, tops.

Ever looked on stub hub for tix in LA, PHX, Nashville, Columbus, FL? Re-selling below face all day. It's not a "league-wide organic increase," that is for sure.

I don't disagree...and I like Crawford, but HATE the deal...if that makes sense....

You have Raanta as leverage...You have a great 2011, a bad 2012, a great 2013 as leverage...which Crawford is he?

Put the deal out there, and come December if he's off to a hot start, push it then...but at least see.

I also don't like the fact they gave up TERM and $$ in this....So what is Raanta now, and what happens if they did strike it rich twice and find another Niemi? Would they have been better with a cap friendly goalie and a top notch D, or a huge $$ goalie, and losing at least 1, possibly 2 guys by the start of 2015 with the huge deals to Toews, Kane, Shaw, Leddy, Saad, Kruger and Hammer all coming up?

That's where I'm coming from....
- SteveRain

Steve,

I actually agree with you completely. I was responding to another poster that tried to diminish CC and his ability/worth. I think CC deserves to get paid, I just didn't think that expensive goalies signed long term was how the Hawks rolled under Bowman.

Guess many of us were wrong...but it's done so I'm just hoping for the best.

CC...stay healthy, stay focused, stay passionate....and for goodness sake stay sober.

And how many markets like Chicago are there in the league? 10 to 15, tops.

Ever looked on stub hub for tix in LA, PHX, Nashville, Columbus, FL? Re-selling below face all day. It's not a "league-wide organic increase," that is for sure.
- Nerko77

And how many of these teams are lowering their ticket prices? I'll go way out on a limb and say that the league will have greater ticket revenue (note I did not say attendance) in 13/14 than they did last year. What percent will that growth be? Dunno, but there will be growth. If attendance goes up, that will be more growth. Increased revenues will also come from the Canadian TV deal and TV/Radio rights deals for individual teams. By the way, how many times since its inception has the salary cap gone down?

And how many markets like Chicago are there in the league? 10 to 15, tops.

Ever looked on stub hub for tix in LA, PHX, Nashville, Columbus, FL? Re-selling below face all day. It's not a "league-wide organic increase," that is for sure.
- Nerko77

16 teams were at or over 100% capacity last year, another 4 were above 99%.

Don't know about the resale market, and I'm sure some of those teams can't dramatically increase ticket prices, but if you're at full capacity and can't make money, you need to leave that market: no amount of acceptable cap reduction can both make you money and make you competitive.

16 teams were at or over 100% capacity last year, another 4 were above 99%.

Don't know about the resale market, and I'm sure some of those teams can't dramatically increase ticket prices, but if you're at full capacity and can't make money, you need to leave that market: no amount of acceptable cap reduction can both make you money and make you competitive.
- StLBravesFan

This also means that at least 20 markets will handle an increase in ticket prices. If an owner is completely sold out and doesn't raise ticket prices....

And how many markets like Chicago are there in the league? 10 to 15, tops.

Ever looked on stub hub for tix in LA, PHX, Nashville, Columbus, FL? Re-selling below face all day. It's not a "league-wide organic increase," that is for sure.
- Nerko77

This means they lose some concession money, but it also means those tickets have already been paid for. The clubs take selling 90% of the tickets even if only 65% show up

You know, I don't give a rats ass about the dollars. I don't want Crawford to be the Hawks goalie for the next 7 years. Period. Not for $100 bucks a game and meal money. As many have pointed out numerous times, other than a stellar performance against Vancouver in '11 (well, at least games 4 through 7) and a Jennings worthy '13 (48 games, basically half a season) that ended with his name on the Cup, he has been a mediocre, team defence dependant (more so than most) keeper. Yeah, I know, he won a Cup. The '10 Flyers came within 2 games. A couple of bounces here and there and maybe the Flyers hoist the Cup that year. If that happened, is somebody paying Michael Freakin' Leighton 6 mil now? Considering Philadelphia's organizational goaltender retardedness, maybe. But he sure as hell wouldn't have been worth it. I've said it before but if the Hawks don't rally in game 6 against Detroit CC is run out of town by the very people who now worship him. I've never seen anybody older than 10 get stuck on a post the way Crawford did on Zetterberg's tying goal in game 7. Two of the goals he gave up in game 4 against Boston made me puke.
And I'm back to wanting to kick Stan Bowman in the nuts. I read in the Trib that extending Crawford was part of the plan as far back as when they let Niemi walk. I call BS! Revisionist history. Crawford had not shown enough at that point to justify letting Niemi walk. I'm with the poster with the "Darkness" avatar. Ruined my day when I heard yesterday.

No, it was much higher. This is a pretty significant move (>8%) in terms of currency vs. currency in the last 12 months, and the trend is in tact.

http://www.advfn.com/exchanges/FX/CADUSD/chart
- MartiniMan

Check the trend over 5+ years...ignoring the crisis the rate has been stable.

And how many of these teams are lowering their ticket prices? I'll go way out on a limb and say that the league will have greater ticket revenue (note I did not say attendance) in 13/14 than they did last year. What percent will that growth be? Dunno, but there will be growth. If attendance goes up, that will be more growth. Increased revenues will also come from the Canadian TV deal and TV/Radio rights deals for individual teams. By the way, how many times since its inception has the salary cap gone down?
- mohel

Great to see that you worry about league revenue vs. attendance (you should work for NHL). I agree that league will increase revenue (and probably attendance) this upcoming season, because of all outdoor games that are scheduled for this season. But, that is not "organic and sustainable growth," it is artificial growth that will become stagnant when the league reaches the max # of outdoor game the market is willing to support (ECON 100 supply/demand). When the market becomes stagnant, then salary cap will becaome stagnant.

What league needs is the sustainable growth in actual/real attendance. That will only come when small market teams start putting people in seats. Currently, teams count attendance of tickets sold to corporations, and season ticket holders whether or not they attend the game. Yes, it is league revenue. But, teams/owners are really at a loss because any empty seat means lost revenue/profits on concessions (and parking), where they make most money.

I can run up and give it to Sassone to pass along to you....

16 million in 2 years? I'll take that bet, and I hope you are right.
- SteveRain

Here's my thinking....After this year it will be about $70 mill and then can be at least $75 the following year.

I didn't say $80 mill but basically over $75 mill.

...And I trust Tim but by the time the pretzel gets to me it will be hard as the blade on my old Northland...Will have to meet you between periods and get it while it is warm!