Unions cause more problems than they solve.

That's all I have to say about that.
- Ogilthorpe2

It's good that's all you have to say because you don't know what you're talking about. Without a union you get fu@#ed.

For the 2010-11 season, the NHL's average player salary was $2.4 million and the minimum wage was $500,000. Just prior to the formation of the National Hockey League Players Association (NHLPA) in 1967, it was rumored that players averaged about $10,000 to $15,000 per year, with no pension or healthcare plans. It was also common for pre-union NHLers to work summer jobs to support their families. In 1955, Tim Horton, star defensemen for the Toronto Maple Leafs, summer construction worker and namesake of the popular coffee-and-doughnut franchise, broke his leg in a game. If a player missed a game, which Horton did miss several, he wasn't paid. And with no healthcare plan and no income, the Horton family struggled mightily to pay the bills. After the injury, Horton wasn't as effective, to which the Leafs management cried "indifferent play" and cut his salary the following year.

Such treatment inspired the Detroit Red Wings' Ted Lindsay to rally the players to form a union during the late 1950s. To cripple the movement, the Red Wings traded Lindsay to Chicago, where he was less effective in organizing key players to join him. Other influential players across the league were also traded away or banished to the minor leagues. Lindsay was successful in creating a small association of players, but the group folded shortly after Lindsay was traded. It wasn't until 1967 that the players were able to unite in enough numbers to convince the owners to recognize the demands of the NHLPA, and not punish players for being members.

Sorry bro, you are just way off base here. Millionaires fighting billionaires, no real victims here. JJ makes a salient point and that is some cities realistically can not support a team and trying to find revenue sharing formulas to make it happen, including salary caps, is not really helping or healthy.
- TrueGrit

Not every player is making 8 million dollars, bro.

The league is not going to contract and even if it did, it wouldn't contract by more than a couple teams. You still have a wide gap in revenue from the top 8 or so teams to the bottom 8, which in a league with no revenue sharing, cap, or any real checks and balances, would result in a top heavy league with the best players playing for the richest teams. Guess it'd be ok if you lived in Chicago.

It's good that's all you have to say because you don't know what you're talking about. Without a union you get fu@#ed.

For the 2010-11 season, the NHL's average player salary was $2.4 million and the minimum wage was $500,000. Just prior to the formation of the National Hockey League Players Association (NHLPA) in 1967, it was rumored that players averaged about $10,000 to $15,000 per year, with no pension or healthcare plans. It was also common for pre-union NHLers to work summer jobs to support their families. In 1955, Tim Horton, star defensemen for the Toronto Maple Leafs, summer construction worker and namesake of the popular coffee-and-doughnut franchise, broke his leg in a game. If a player missed a game, which Horton did miss several, he wasn't paid. And with no healthcare plan and no income, the Horton family struggled mightily to pay the bills. After the injury, Horton wasn't as effective, to which the Leafs management cried "indifferent play" and cut his salary the following year.

Such treatment inspired the Detroit Red Wings' Ted Lindsay to rally the players to form a union during the late 1950s. To cripple the movement, the Red Wings traded Lindsay to Chicago, where he was less effective in organizing key players to join him. Other influential players across the league were also traded away or banished to the minor leagues. Lindsay was successful in creating a small association of players, but the group folded shortly after Lindsay was traded. It wasn't until 1967 that the players were able to unite in enough numbers to convince the owners to recognize the demands of the NHLPA, and not punish players for being members.
- fattyboubatty

Sir, my only hope is you have plenty of children so your wisdom will live on and disperse.......... Some will never stop voting against their jobs until everyone makes 10 bucks an hour like they do.

The real battle is wealthy owners vs rich owners. In the end the owners will continue to take concessions out of players salary, benefits, insurance, etc (matter of time). Owners created this environment and are now trying to use the economy as an excuse to take back money. Which is mind blowing when league is running at an old time high, I don't understand both sides when both refuse to meet.

Please don't compare the NFL revenue to the NHL revenue. Apples to Oranges.
- roenick

Wrong! The owners are united in the fact that they want the 'players' to bridge the revenue gap. Wasn't the lockout vote unanimous?

Sorry, but you are the one who is wrong. The victims here are the fans. Prices go up year after year in tickets, concessions, and parking; while these a-hole owners keep whining about losing money. Nobody is putting a gun to their heads and saying to pay these ridiculous contracts to the players. I don't blame the players for a second for going out and getting as much as they can. The real issue is that the league wants the players to fix the system. They (the large market owners) don't want to help out the small markets owners, who in all reality shouldn't have an NHL franchise. Get rid of the Phoenix's, the Florida's, the Columbus's and either put them in a markets that can actually support the clubs, like Quebec, Hamilton, Or God-Forbid another team in Toronto. Contraction, though the best option, will never happen so move these poor markets to better markets. I, also, have ZERO sympathy for the owners. Make the players and owners 50/50 partners and if teams are still struggling, move or fold up shop. End of Story!!! It will be a long, long time before I step foot in the UC, or another NHL building. I, instead, will focus my money more on teams like the IceHogs, who make it actually affordable for a family to go to a game.
- hawks2010

The victims here are the fans..... being used as pawns by BOTH sides to improve their bargaining positions. Just like the kids in Chicago right now. Welcome to labor negotiations involving unions 101.

It's good that's all you have to say because you don't know what you're talking about. Without a union you get fu@#ed.

For the 2010-11 season, the NHL's average player salary was $2.4 million and the minimum wage was $500,000. Just prior to the formation of the National Hockey League Players Association (NHLPA) in 1967, it was rumored that players averaged about $10,000 to $15,000 per year, with no pension or healthcare plans. It was also common for pre-union NHLers to work summer jobs to support their families. In 1955, Tim Horton, star defensemen for the Toronto Maple Leafs, summer construction worker and namesake of the popular coffee-and-doughnut franchise, broke his leg in a game. If a player missed a game, which Horton did miss several, he wasn't paid. And with no healthcare plan and no income, the Horton family struggled mightily to pay the bills. After the injury, Horton wasn't as effective, to which the Leafs management cried "indifferent play" and cut his salary the following year.

Such treatment inspired the Detroit Red Wings' Ted Lindsay to rally the players to form a union during the late 1950s. To cripple the movement, the Red Wings traded Lindsay to Chicago, where he was less effective in organizing key players to join him. Other influential players across the league were also traded away or banished to the minor leagues. Lindsay was successful in creating a small association of players, but the group folded shortly after Lindsay was traded. It wasn't until 1967 that the players were able to unite in enough numbers to convince the owners to recognize the demands of the NHLPA, and not punish players for being members.
- fattyboubatty

Keep telling yourself that. I prefer to stand on my own merit. If I could opt out of my union I'd do it yesterday.

It's good that's all you have to say because you don't know what you're talking about. Without a union you get fu@#ed.

For the 2010-11 season, the NHL's average player salary was $2.4 million and the minimum wage was $500,000. Just prior to the formation of the National Hockey League Players Association (NHLPA) in 1967, it was rumored that players averaged about $10,000 to $15,000 per year, with no pension or healthcare plans. It was also common for pre-union NHLers to work summer jobs to support their families. In 1955, Tim Horton, star defensemen for the Toronto Maple Leafs, summer construction worker and namesake of the popular coffee-and-doughnut franchise, broke his leg in a game. If a player missed a game, which Horton did miss several, he wasn't paid. And with no healthcare plan and no income, the Horton family struggled mightily to pay the bills. After the injury, Horton wasn't as effective, to which the Leafs management cried "indifferent play" and cut his salary the following year.

Such treatment inspired the Detroit Red Wings' Ted Lindsay to rally the players to form a union during the late 1950s. To cripple the movement, the Red Wings traded Lindsay to Chicago, where he was less effective in organizing key players to join him. Other influential players across the league were also traded away or banished to the minor leagues. Lindsay was successful in creating a small association of players, but the group folded shortly after Lindsay was traded. It wasn't until 1967 that the players were able to unite in enough numbers to convince the owners to recognize the demands of the NHLPA, and not punish players for being members.
- fattyboubatty

Okay. Time circuit's on. Flux capacitor, fluxing. Engine running. All right... we are heading back to the 50s!!