The new nhl

[budbowl77]

I live close to the Canadian border, plus i have a satelite dish so i get HNIC, But Canadians shouldnt be so crabby about letting America get HNIC broadcasts, I think we need the Saturday night game here in the USA and I think announcers like Don Cherry with his colorful use of terms and knowlegde of the game would bring more fans to the game of Hockey, cause if you look at Hockey is suffering here in the USA and if it suffers here, its gonna suffer in Canada and pretty soon we may not have an NHL

[Mac the Knife]

Unfortunately the new WHA isn't going to be viable enough to seriously challenge the NHL - even during a strike - because (a) its team owners don't have deep enough pockets, and ( a smart NHL player isn't going to jump, even during a strike, because the strike could (albeit unlikely) be averted or relatively short.

The only way the WHA even makes a dent in the NHL is if they get a national television contract in both Canada and the U.S.  Without it, the WHA becomes "WHO?" in a matter of a year or two.

A more intriguing idea in the event of a strike to me is what I call the "NFL Solution."  In 1987 the NFLPA went on strike.  The NFL did the unthinkable - fielding teams of replacement players.

Most fans were pissed at the notion, but enough of 'em attended the games to scare the NFLPA into a new CBA including a salary cap.  Unless there's something contractually prohibiting the NHL from doing it, they could go the same route, using players from the AHL, ECHL, European leagues or other sources.

[jkrdevil]

I think replacement players would work. Like you said it worked in the NFL, plus it also ended the '94 MLB strike.

[habsfannova]

It not only ended the 87 strike, it put the union in it's place.  The union never really was threatening after that.

[Puckguy14]

Replacement players?  Oh boy!  Better get training right now then.

[NJTank]

You know worrying about next season is gonna ruin this season if you are not careful. Maybe Im stubborn but I cant see thsi thing going nuclear I cant see eitehr side being taht stupid.

[CJR]

It should also be pointed out just how quickly the IHL crumbled once the NHL resumed. While its never been confirmed (at least in none of the circles I've been privy to) I wouldn't be surprised if the NHL went out of its way to put pressure on the IHL for that very reason.

That's because the IHL got delusions of grandeur after their success during the lockout in 1994 and tried to challenge the NHL.  They went nationwide really quickly and put teams into markets that couldn't support them.  If the league had remembered its place in the whole scheme of things, it wouldn't have self-destructed.  If the WHA realizes they can't challenge the NHL, they could last.

[CJR]

A more intriguing idea in the event of a strike to me is what I call the "NFL Solution." In 1987 the NFLPA went on strike. The NFL did the unthinkable - fielding teams of replacement players.

Most fans were pissed at the notion, but enough of 'em attended the games to scare the NFLPA into a new CBA including a salary cap. Unless there's something contractually prohibiting the NHL from doing it, they could go the same route, using players from the AHL, ECHL, European leagues or other sources.

Forgot to reply to this in my last post...

If I'm remembering right (I'm too lazy to check right now), most AHL players have 2-way contracts with NHL teams. Some ECHL and UHL players do as well. If the NHL locked out players, these players would be included. So the replacement players would be Europeans and the lesser players from the AHL who weren't good enough to be signed by an NHL team and sent to the minor but signed straight to a minor-league team.

In football there are no minor leagues (or at that time at least) so the replacement players would be minor league calibre, which isn't bad. In hockey, the replacement players would be less-than-AHL calibre, aside from what Europeans that might be convinced to leave home to serve as a scab. It's not the same.

[habsfannova]

You know worrying about next season is gonna ruin this season if you are not careful. Maybe Im stubborn but I cant see thsi thing going nuclear I cant see eitehr side being taht stupid.

A-The sport is already dieing, unlike baseball in '94 or football in the 80's.  There is really gonna be a MAJOR faceoff over this (pardon the pun, SVP).  The sport will die without some sort of control.  ALSO, the owners are the ones clamping down, not the players.  The players would be fine with what they have now.  

B-I'm a Montreal fan, I can wait. We need a few years

[yh]

It should also be pointed out just how quickly the IHL crumbled once the NHL resumed. While its never been confirmed (at least in none of the circles I've been privy to) I wouldn't be surprised if the NHL went out of its way to put pressure on the IHL for that very reason.

The IHL created their own demise 2 years before the '94 work stoppage when they decided to add 9 teams, competing with the NHL in Chicago, Detroit, the Bay Area and LA and gobbling up the NHL's top expansion choices at the time, Dallas and Denver (the Dallas team switched to Minnesota when the Northstars decided to move to Dallas).  They also expanded into Houston, Orlando and Las Vegas, thus greatly diluting the talent pool and creating financial instability.  The talent pool was further diluted when NHL teams "coincidentally" started moving their minor league affiliates to the AHL.  Eventually the IHL died of starvation.