NHL Lockout

[Phil]

I plunked myself down in front of the tube for some recap and analysis, and lo and behold, I found myself taking notes. (Maybe it's the journalist in me, or maybe I've just been in school for far too long.)

-Gary Bettman started out with the base public support, but Goodenow's PR work has been masterful so far, especially working out of that hole he started in. However, does anyone get the feeling their spending a lot of time trying to appeal to the only group that doesn't have a say in the negotiations?

-Further thoughts on Goodenow. He's a terrific leader it would seem, and clearly has the upper hand in a personal comparison to Bettman. However, in this case, it's more important to be big than good, and Bettman trumps the PA there.

-The players really can't win. I mean, they've basically been in damage control-mode the whole way, negotiating to lose as little as possible. However, the owners ultimately have the power to force the issue... indefinitely if they want.

-The way I see it, Goodenow's success will also be his downfall. His success at creating the situation that led up to the lockout (very player friendly to say the least) and making it very clear they will not accept a cap. However, he the owners, as previously stated, have the power to say there will be a cap, and so unless Goodenow convinces them otherwise (which I don't foresee), the PA will have to succumb. After all that rhetoric about not accepting a cap... I have a feeling it will be a tough pill to swallow.

-The players would be wise to start negotiating on the cap now. They've lost the battle for no cap... they couldn't convince the NHL otherwise, and I think today's was the deciding battle. The PA played their ace in the hole by flashing the attractive 24%, hoping to catch owners off guard and getting enough support to pull a fast one. It didn't play out that way. The PA will not win the cap, so fall back from that doomed position and try to win the cap war, and give yourselves the best of bad situations.

-The longer the lockout goes on... the worse those situations become. TSN's Bob McKenzie made a great point that the pie will get smaller as the lockout drags on... expected future revenues are falling as the stoppage continues.

-The owners attempts to turn the lower-earning PA members against the PA is not very secretive. It's so overt, one wonders how it could be successful. But I have a feeling that when players start realizing these "attempts" could mean the difference between a Hummer/Beamer and Rav4/Sonata, you don't question the tactics as much. People make a lot of the 1.8 mean salary, but there's a lot more players below that number than above it.

-I think Bettman's a rat, but boy, I'd hate to be in Bob Goodenow's shoes. He's proven to be a very capable union boss, but he'll be a legend in labour circles if he comes out of this one with a smile on his face.

[flamesfan89]

I agree with most of what you are saying. After what happened today, it is clear that the players are in a lose/lose situation. A cap is inevitable and it would be a lot easier on them if they negotiated one rather than having it forced upon them through an impasse. It amazes me how the players can't see this.

[NJTank]

They might as well take a cap, becuase if they dont then who knows what will become of hockey 1 year off will be hard to overcome, and if they want to keeep slaraies taht are high it may be teh only way otehr wise they will be competing with the NLL and other 2nd tier leagues.

[DEAD!]

They might as well take a cap, becuase if they dont then who knows what will become of hockey 1 year off will be hard to overcome, and if they want to keeep slaraies taht are high it may be teh only way otehr wise they will be competing with the NLL and other 2nd tier leagues.

Well I prefer the NLL over the NHL right now. It's much more affordable and fun to watch.

I think the owners would accept a luxury only if the cap was much, much lower. But I think the players would have to accept the current economic climate in the NHL and accept a cap. But what is really important is they should find ways to fix the on-ice product. If they fix the game, hockey would be more entertaining to watch and thus the league and the players would benefit from it.

[Suigi]

Here are a few questions I'd ask Bettman and Goodenow, if given the chance:

Just to test your hockey savviness (that a word?), when was the last time Toronto won the Cup?

Where is your biggest hockey market currently? (just checking that if they rig games, they can rig the Leafs a Cup!)

How many teams moved from the WHA to the NHL?

How many of those teams are still here today?

When was the MLB's lockout?

Did they cancel the World Series that year?

How pissed off were the fans?

How pissed off do you think hockey fans will be if the Stanley Cup sits in the Hockey Hall of Fame collecting cobwebs this season?

How long did it take for baseball to recover?

How long do you think it will take for hockey to recover?

How big of a percentage of the NHL's revenue is from ticket sales?

What would the effects be if, say, 1/4 or even 1/2 of the total ticket sales disappear?

Who buys those tickets?

And who is being turned off on hockey because of the lockout?

You have no idea how great the temptation is to lock Bettman & Goodenow in a room until they make a freaking deal.

I don't care if they starve! The less people who want to ruin the game, the better!

[dwertman]

One of if not the greatest goalies of all time has weighed in on all this

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?id=108231

''The Players' Association's proposal's only goal was to win popular favour.''...kinda wierd that an ex player would say that isnt it

[NJTank]

Interesting a recent player hurting the NHLPA, I wonder if the Union will ultimetly collapse and give in thats the only hope we got of a season.

[Stampman]

Both sides are to blame, then and now...

AND even if they do agree--they'll probably make up for what they lost in ticket prices...

[DEAD!]

I think the players should realise that the NHL is nowhere near the NFL, MLB and the NBA in terms of popularity

Today's Globe and Mail:

Asked to name their favourite sport, respondents to a recent poll in the

U.S. ranked hockey 10th among 11 professional sports. The poll also found

that interest in hockey appears to be declining, possibly because of the

current lockout.

Asked to name their favourite sport, respondents to a recent poll in the

U.S. ranked hockey 10th among 11 professional sports. The poll also found

that interest in hockey appears to be declining, possibly because of the

current lockout.

Percentage of Fans of Different Sports in the United States

Yes, a fan Somewhat of a fan (vol.) Total fans

% %* %

Professional football 58 6 64

College football 47 7 54

Professional baseball 43 9 52

College basketball 35 6 41

Figure skating 34 7 41

Professional basketball 33 5 38

Auto racing 25 5 30

Professional golf 22 8 30

Professional tennis 18 6 24

Professional ice hockey 18 5 23

Professional wrestling 8 2 10

SOURCE: GALLUP

[gojetsgo]

Well hockey did beat one sport... if you can call it one.

The same poll conducted in Canada:

1. Hockey

2. There are other sports?

[paynomind]

%

Professional football 58 6 64

College football 47 7 54

Professional baseball 43 9 52

College basketball 35 6 41

Figure skating 34 7 41

Professional basketball 33 5 38

Auto racing 25 5 30

Professional golf 22 8 30

Professional tennis 18 6 24

Professional ice hockey 18 5 23

Professional wrestling 8 2 10

SOURCE: GALLUP

Can I laugh now that NBA came in behind Figure Skating?

HA!

[random]

At least you all in canada have minor league hockey to watch.

I've got nothin

Grr...start the season soon

[CC97]

At least you all in canada have minor league hockey to watch.

I've got nothin

Grr...start the season soon

http://www.theahl.com/

http://www.echl.com/

http://www.theuhl.com

http://www.centralhockeyleague.com/

[Lee.]

I've been watching the TSN "we're about the fans" spin (generally brought about by their massives losses in revenue do to the lockout), with their daily roundtable with that fat bastard Bob McKenzie, Brian Burke, and "players players players" Hrudey. Every proposal or hypothetical situation that Burke has tossed out there has been, IMNSFHO, spot-on. I know he was a key cog in the original CBA that killed the Jets, Nords, and Whale, but this time around, the guy's been nothing short of brilliant in his analysis of the situation and the remedies to fix it all.

Good on ya Burke. Hrudey, McKenzie, go to hell. How McKenzie got to be editor of the Hockey News is beyond me.

[yh]

At least you all in canada have minor league hockey to watch.

I've got nothin 

Grr...start the season soon

http://www.theahl.com/

http://www.echl.com/

http://www.theuhl.com

http://www.centralhockeyleague.com/

I think he's talking about having hockey to watch on TV. Not too many good outlets for live minor pro action here in the states.

[DEAD!]

I've been watching the TSN "we're about the fans" spin (generally brought about by their massives losses in revenue do to the lockout), with their daily roundtable with that fat bastard Bob McKenzie, Brian Burke, and "players players players" Hrudey. Every proposal or hypothetical situation that Burke has tossed out there has been, IMNSFHO, spot-on. I know he was a key cog in the original CBA that killed the Jets, Nords, and Whale, but this time around, the guy's been nothing short of brilliant in his analysis of the situation and the remedies to fix it all.

Good on ya Burke. Hrudey, McKenzie, go to hell. How McKenzie got to be editor of the Hockey News is beyond me.

I think a guy like Burke is a good analyst because he's been there, behind the scenes, in the negotiating table and he's much more objective than Hrudey. McKenzie is really only an outsider who only gets his information by phone calls, and what not. Why Burke is not at the negotiating table is beyond me.

[Suigi]

Who the hell cares about analysis and speculation by TSN/Sportsnet/THN/a random bum on the street corner?

Bettman and Goodenow sure as hell aren't listening.

For example, the TSN Solution they made.

Looked absolutely wonderful. Coulda fixed everything.

Not a mention of it by either side. Were they temporarily blind and deaf, or do they WANT to sit on their hands while the game wastes away?

Nothing will change until Bettmand and Goodenow stop exchanging proposals and making PR moves, and actually NEGOTIATE.