fuk bettman.
- Barx

(frank) Bettman, Fehr, and the players.

Eklund,
Considering where we are at today and considering who is at either end of the bargaining table I'm not sure how one can claim that this is going to be a very short lockout.
Frank Buttman and NHL.
Frank Ferh and NHLPA.

I understand how much our economies are intertwined. That's why our Prime Minister is out making trade deals with Europe and China. He's out looking for business, while Obama is out raising money for his election. Did you know that the U.S. has not had a budget passed in 3 years? That in itself is a criminal act!
- PrinceLH

Oh I agree, we have morons for leaders. However, Europe is in recession and China is headed that way; deal-making may help years down the road, but as long as there's debt that can never be repaid that everyone insists must be paid off no matter what, thinking we're going to have some massive explosion of economic activity is farcical. In the best-case scenario, we'll do what Japan has done from 1991/2 - present; build a bunch of crap, run up a bunch of debt, still struggle to get out of recession and grow at a strong clip.

Canada is heavily dependent on commodities [demand is decreasing] and has a massive housing bubble [despite claims from everyone above the 49th parallel that "it's different up here!"] - when all of that gets realized, it's only a matter of time before Canada joins us in the crapper. At that point, the appreciation from "Canada has stronger growth" is going to evaporate and a par exchange rate will be one of those things you tell your grandkids "yes, it really did happen."

Oh sure, this time may turn out to be different - but I'll bet the under on that.

Uh no.

If they "negotiate for another year" (ROFL!)... we will be in exactly the same place next year.

The only way this gets done is if it starts to hurt one side or the other.

I wish the owners would offer 40%, 4 year max contract, no guaranteed contracts, and free agency starts at 30 and then lock them out for 3 or 4 years if need be until they accept it.

The best news ever would be to see this union shattered, for good this time.
- NightTrain_AlMo

I hear ya, but you aint shattering them this time I'm afraid, Fehr is the reason for that.

The players really have no leverage, but we really shouldn't have to lose a year every time this situation occurs

here's something to ponder, why is it that the NHL is the only league to lose a season? why not others? Why are we at risk of losing another & no one else was even close to this?

Eklund,
Considering where we are at today and considering who is at either end of the bargaining table I'm not sure how one can claim that this is going to be a very short lockout.
Frank Buttman and NHL.
Frank Ferh and NHLPA.
- Aliaksandrhn

yet when you read EK's blogs, and what his sources tell him, it's almost like the glass is 1/2 full, & we're looking at having a season.

And the casual fuc&ing fan is the reason we have the stupid shootout, so we can draw more interest, (after 2004-5), after being laughed at by people whom could take hockey or leave it

yet when you read EK's blogs, and what his sources tell him, it's almost like the glass is 1/2 full, & we're looking at having a season.
- puckhead17

It's good to be positive. However, sometimes it's good to be realistic also.

Oh I agree, we have morons for leaders. However, Europe is in recession and China is headed that way; deal-making may help years down the road, but as long as there's debt that can never be repaid that everyone insists must be paid off no matter what, thinking we're going to have some massive explosion of economic activity is farcical. In the best-case scenario, we'll do what Japan has done from 1991/2 - present; build a bunch of crap, run up a bunch of debt, still struggle to get out of recession and grow at a strong clip.

Canada is heavily dependent on commodities
- Irish Blues[demand is decreasing] and has a massive housing bubble [despite claims from everyone above the 49th parallel that "it's different up here!"] - when all of that gets realized, it's only a matter of time before Canada joins us in the crapper. At that point, the appreciation from "Canada has stronger growth" is going to evaporate and a par exchange rate will be one of those things you tell your grandkids "yes, it really did happen."

Oh sure, this time may turn out to be different - but I'll bet the under on that.

There is a difference, in regards to a housing bubble, in Canada. The government changed the laws, to make sure that each mortgage had a minimum of 10% down. In the U.S. people where refinancing their mortgages, at 150% of their value and going on a spending spree. It finally caught up with them, when the meltdown happened. Everybody was a speculator, thinking they could upgrade their homes and it would continue to increase in value. Yes, some of that has happened, in a Toronto and Vancouver, but on the overall, it's stayed relatively stable. Harper has done a good job, keeping a handle on expenditures. He had to go along, with the rest of the world, when the markets crashed and introduced stimulus. Our deficit this year is going to come in, around 15 billion dollars. If you times that by 10, when you look at the population difference, it would equate to a 150 billion dollar U.S. deficit. There would be a party on Wall Street, if that were to occur in the United States.

On issues overseas, the big problem is China and it's currency manipulation. They won't allow their currency to float, like all other currencies. The minute it does, manufacturing leaves China, to cheaper locations. Some may actually return to the United States. They should never have abandoned tariffs, on Chinese manufactured items. It should only be dropped, if they stop the currency manipulation.

Back to Canada. With all of the idiots, in the Muslim world, burning their cities to the ground, there should be an excellerated effort to make North America energy independent. Canada has the Oil and the U.S. are making headway, with Natural Gas, thanks to fracking technologies. North America could become the next energy superpower. Let the Muslim dogs, that want to live in the ninth century, wallow in their oil that they can't sell. Make it easier to manufacture oil and sell it's components oversees. Refine it here and keep the jobs here. Let China and the orient buy our finished products, for a change.

BUTTMAN wants the players to take salary drop, bet you Eklund that same Bullpoop face of NHL comissioner that probably never figured out how to lace skates yet wouldn't take the same drop on his salary....

Best thing that could happen to the NHL is a dead Bettman nothing less...

BUTTMAN wants the players to take salary drop, bet you Eklund that same Bullpoop face of NHL comissioner that probably never figured out how to lace skates yet wouldn't take the same drop on his salary....

Best thing that could happen to the NHL is a dead Bettman nothing less...
- toyster

http://www.cmha.ca/mental...etting-help/#.UFajR1J0jSg

NHL doesn't start until after the NFL season anyway.

NHL doesn't start until after the NFL season anyway.
- RynoBull

OK, my question: Why can't we have a cap ceiling and a cap floor for ticket prices? Since we have fans in Toronto, paying about 10 times the amount for their tickets, then a fan in Florida, where is the equality here? Revenue sharing has not helped this league, to the extent that the players have believed. The top 10 teams have been bailing out the bottom 10 teams for far too long now. A franchise should only get a two or three year window on turning their franchise around. If in that period of time, they can't make a go of it, then they should be forced to move or fold. As a Leafs fan, I'm sick of paying welfare to these deadbeat teams and want an end to the constant increases to the cost of going to a game in my home arena. I believe that a cap on ticket prices would help keep costs down, in some of these markets. It may not allow for a huge increase in league revenues, but there would be equality and price certainty, in all markets.
- PrinceLH

I agree completely with ticket prices being so high. There needs to be some consistency in the ticket prices and lowered in many cases.

I agree completely with ticket prices being so high. There needs to be some consistency in the ticket prices and lowered in many cases.
- AlfieisKing

There should be a base of $200k plus maximum bonuses of $1 million per year. At the end of each season, arbitrators look at players on a player by player basis to determine which bonuses apply to each player... The sh1ttiest players get $200k total, while the best players in the league get a maximum of $1.2 million... If they don't like it, they can go to Europe and ruin the KHL or stay in North America and work a normal job... These a-holes don't know how lucky they have it. Must be tough working in an industry where the average employee makes 2.4 million a season and retires in their 30's.

"Swedish teams are restricted to having just two players born outside of Europe on their rosters."
Sounds pretty racist to me.
- flamminghead

Actually it stinks of Collusion. Thought that was illegal.

There should be a base of $200k plus maximum bonuses of $1 million per year. At the end of each season, arbitrators look at players on a player by player basis to determine which bonuses apply to each player... The sh1ttiest players get $200k total, while the best players in the league get a maximum of $1.2 million... If they don't like it, they can go to Europe and ruin the KHL or stay in North America and work a normal job... These a-holes don't know how lucky they have it. Must be tough working in an industry where the average employee makes 2.4 million a season and retires in their 30's.
- laughs2907

NHL doesn't start until after the NFL season anyway.
- RynoBull

NHL>>>>>>>> NFL.

Real fans care.

NHL>>>>>>>> NFL.

Real fans care.
- burn

Seriously? Real hockey doesn't start till Jan. Any team can be average until the 2nd half of the season and then get 'hot'.

NHL can't get out of its own way. Owners especially.

Seriously? Real hockey doesn't start till Jan. Any team can be average until the 2nd half of the season and then get 'hot'.

NHL can't get out of its own way. Owners especially.
- RynoBull

Cough............ Kings ........... cough cough

The old CBA was not working but the owners were still siging players right up to the deadline. If the owners were that united and hurting that much then why not wait till a new deal is done. Players want revenue sharing then let them buy shares in the team.

Seriously? Real hockey doesn't start till Jan. Any team can be average until the 2nd half of the season and then get 'hot'.

NHL can't get out of its own way. Owners especially.
- RynoBull

If you believe that you're not a real fan. Hockey starts in OCT and is better than NFL.

No.

That is the escrow works (from taking salary away) and it has never been set at 24%. If the players salaries are greater than 57%, the money is given to the NHL. Otherwise the money is returned to the players (with interest).

Try again.
- JDJ

That was straight from an NHL'rs mouth. So no wonder we have an issue. My research was direct from the player and their interpretation of where their money each cheque goes. 24% was what I was told.

You should do some research about how escrow works and how the salary rollback was applied. Hint: the players are not setting 24% aside every year for escrow.
- Irish Blues

Here:

You can think of escrow like withholding taxes from your paycheck. As tax season ends, depending on what you were able to deduct for whatever reason, if you paid too much income tax, the US government and/or your state government gives you a tax refund. Nobody knows what league revenues will be before the season, so nobody knows what cut players and owners are entitled to, but players have to get paid, right? So they project. Accountants work their fancy math and a certain percentage of player salaries go into an escrow account, and payments into it throughout the year are adjusted as projections get more accurate. Finally, in the offseason, the accountants are able to fancy-math us an answer for how many dollars of the revenue the owners were entitled to under the CBA. The owners take whatever they may still need to get them to that number out of the escrow account, and what's left is given back to the players: a "tax refund," if you will.

The problem here is that adding more to escrow is, in terms of real dollars, not different from a salary rollback. Keeping with the "tax return" theme, if suddenly you were having more of your check withheld every pay period, and your refund either stayed the same or decreased come tax time, how would that be different from just starting at a lower salary with the percentage being withheld staying the same?

Oh I agree, we have morons for leaders. However, Europe is in recession and China is headed that way; deal-making may help years down the road, but as long as there's debt that can never be repaid that everyone insists must be paid off no matter what, thinking we're going to have some massive explosion of economic activity is farcical. In the best-case scenario, we'll do what Japan has done from 1991/2 - present; build a bunch of crap, run up a bunch of debt, still struggle to get out of recession and grow at a strong clip.

Canada is heavily dependent on commodities
- Irish Blues[demand is decreasing] and has a massive housing bubble [despite claims from everyone above the 49th parallel that "it's different up here!"] - when all of that gets realized, it's only a matter of time before Canada joins us in the crapper. At that point, the appreciation from "Canada has stronger growth" is going to evaporate and a par exchange rate will be one of those things you tell your grandkids "yes, it really did happen."

Oh sure, this time may turn out to be different - but I'll bet the under on that.

You should do some real research on the Canadian economy and housing market. Blanket averages and stereotypes for a whole country that is very regional is ignorant. Try again.

must be nice to be making so much money they can't even decide how to split it. bye bye hockey. i'll take a year off.