The National Hockey League … how much do you care?


  • You know CK - as long as we are building a fantasy “it would be nice but prolly won’t happen” league, why not give Atlantic Canada a team? Heck - i’d go to Halifax just to party, nevermind to see a hockey game. Also i think that if you built an areana equidistant between S-toon and Regina, you’d capture a massive, rabid/fanatical hockey market (look at how well the Roughriders do in getting fans into Regina).

    That would be ideal … it would be much more unlikely than teams in Winnipeg, Quebec and Hamilton, but it would be sweet nonetheless. I’m sure a team in Saskatoon would do pretty well on its own (I’m not sure what else there is to do in Saskatchewan other than watch sports and drink, anyway!) I think Regina and Saskatoon are about 3 hrs away from each other … Did you know that in '83, the Blues were sold to a group from Saskatoon, but the NHL rejected the sale? … the Saskatoon Blues … interesting ;)

    Ah well … I was focusing on cities that have had teams, or could very likely support one … but it would be incredible if there was a team in every province from BC to Quebec, and a team for the maritimes, too.

    Which reminds me … Quebec has one team, florida has two; Ontario has two teams, california has three … ???


  • i have not examine these for content

    for those of you interested in hockey fights:

    http://hockeyfighters.com/Classic_Fightclips/?M=A


  • According to former NHL players living in Boston, Pittsburgh and Dallas, the NHL lockout gets hardly any mention down in the States. Apparently hockey doesn’t get much coverage in Dallas anyway; now that there’s no hockey, well, there’s basically no coverage. In the New England area - even before the NFL playoffs - there would be some short “NHL report” once a week - and that’s it. In Pittsburgh, again - no mention of the lockout. Players who live in the States and came up to Calgary to play in a little 3-on-3 pond hockey tournament learnt more about the lockout in 6 hours than they have all year (it’s a quote in the Calgary Herald). Meanwhile, in Canada, the lockout continues to dominate sports news.

    This is why I complain about American teams in the NHL … look how passionate Canada is about (lack of) NHL - there is daily news on the lockout. And yet, in the States, it appears as if it would make no difference to them if there were no NHL or not. So why is the NHL wasting its time down there while simultaneously depriving Canadians of better hockey?


  • i just whant to ask a question

    how much are chances that the players and clubs agree on contracts

    and we see nhl this season

    i am also sad why this thing gone too far

    personali i am a fan of ottawa senators i dont know the situation in their lines but i am familiar with that some players simply exagarated with the money they asked


  • how much are chances that the players and clubs agree on contracts

    and we see nhl this season

    As much as the media keeps saying otherwise, theres still about a 50-50 chance of a season.


  • CanucKev,
    I root for the Blues because they are in my State, though we are VERY far apart. KC and St. Louis are literally on the West and Eastern boarders respecitivly. My Brother and I have thought about taking the drive to watch a game, but really that will probablly not happen. We are too old for the rode trip idea anymore. I did attend a Scouts game when I was a very little boy. They left when I was like in 3rd grade as I recall. If we had a team I would support it.
    When the playoffs roll around I try and pick a team to support so I can get pleasure in watching it. I was a fan of the Great one of course, so I watched his swan song with the Kings pretty religiously. Heck loosing Gretzky hurt hockey more than the lockouts IMO.
    If we get a team again I would think very seriously about getting season tickets, so I hope it comes back and I hope a team gets dropped in our (brand new) stadium.


  • Hey Amon-Sul,

    Looks like the owners and the players are going to meet up again sometime this week - although time is quickly running out. If they don’t strike a deal by the end of January, there will very likely not be a season. It’s possible that they’ll figure something out as the “deadline” approaches, but I think both Bettman and Goodenow are too bone-headed to agree on anything.

    I saw a comic in the Herald the other day … it had Bettman and Goodenow standing behind a podium saying, "Well, no, we haven’t made any progress in the labour talks but on the plus side, we did resolve all the problems in the Middle East … "

    Lizard, it looks like you and I have something in common … although Gretzky never played for our hometown, he did play in our province/state (me Edmonton, you St Louis). … Lucky for you, the team he played for is one you like … Flames fans and Oilers fans were mutually exclusive in the 80’s (now, one will root for the other if the “enemy” is in the playoffs, and your team isn’t).

    Gretzky did a LOT for hockey in the South - look where he took the Kings. Now, without him, hockey is left without a visible face in the States.

    A man who recently died in Ottawa asked for his obit to say that Bettman and Goodenow are skunks for not letting him watch the NHL in his last days, and that Gretzky should take over as NHL commissioner.

    Gretzky would be good for the League. At least he knows hockey - because Bettman sure doesn’t …


  • Gretzky did a LOT for hockey in the South - look where he took the Kings. Now, without him, hockey is left without a visible face in the States.

    Thats exactly the problem right now. There is not one single major “celebrity” star in the NHL. Sure, Iglina or Forsberg or Brodeur or Lidstrom may be the best players, but no one has the combination of skill and charisma that Gretzky had.

    Hockey needs that charismatic figure. Unfortunately young guys like Kovalchuk or Ovechkin or Heatley don’t really appeal to American audiences too much. Even a guy like Rick Nash doesn’t have the charisma to become a media star.

    Michael Jordan and Gretzky both had the charisma to take their stardom from the arena to the TV cameras.

    I actually think that Sidney Crosby has that kind if charisma. Now we just need to make sure he doesn’t turn out to be another Daigle.

    I also think that the next star is going to come out of New York. You have no idea how much the NY media can hype a player. One of the reasons that hockey hasn’t been getting much TV coverage lately is the lack of a decent Rangers team. As always, blame the Rangers :)

    Theres no doubt that Gretzky as commish would be great on the public relations front, but I wonder of he can handle the business side of the game. I’d be much more in favor of Ken Dryden.


  • A Toronto radio station is reporting that the newest, and possibly final, round of meetings between the NHL and the NHLPA will take place the 26th in Toronto. The radio station reports that the NHL will offer a hard card/luxery tax combination with increased revenue sharing. The new system would be:

    35 million minium payroll per club.
    At 40 million penalties start (draft picks taken away, luxery tax)
    Clubs cannot excede 50 million.

    If this is true, the players will likely accept and we’ll have a season.


  • I suppose the $35M minimum is to appease the players … though I still can’t see how a minimum needs to be included ;)

    The owners getting off the hard cap is a must for the players to accept anything, it seems.

    But I maintain I will ONLY be happy - and guardedly optimistic - if the new deal allows hockey to easily and healthily survive in the markets where it matters the most to the fans - and those markets tend to be small markets.

    I’d prefer it if this came about by moving some teams out of the markets that have no fan appreciation into the markets that do … or if there was contraction (I think it’s a necessity, since you can’t turn back the clock and stop expansion at 24 teams) … however, that’s a pipe dream …

    If the new deal is going to allow teams like Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa, Buffalo, and, sadly, even Montreal to keep floundering under huge burdens, (and helping teams that are going nowhere off the ice to survive), then I will be even more pissed off than I am now (and I’m sure you can tell I’m pretty bitter!) … and I can’t see the NHL continuing on if that’s the case.

    Admittedly, I do miss being able to easily watch hockey. And I know once mid-April rolls around, I’ll feel a huge emptiness what with lack of playoffs. (It already hurts to think of!) But any deal that they do sign has GOT to be the right one. This isn’t such a big deal to the Rangers as it is to the Flames … know what I mean?

    (btw, I’m all for blaming the Rangers ;) … how much was Gretz hyped when he played for them? I think it was in '97 they almost made it to the Final … how was that down there?)

  • '19 Moderator

    @CanucKev:

    A man who recently died in Ottawa asked for his obit to say that Bettman and Goodenow are skunks for not letting him watch the NHL in his last days, and that Gretzky should take over as NHL commissioner.

    Gretzky would be good for the League. At least he knows hockey - because Bettman sure doesn’t …

    I kind of like Gretzky where he is… :P


  • Yeah, I can see how you would be OK with the status quo ;)

    Yanny, you bring up a great point - Dryden as commish would be ideal. Lawyer, politician AND former player (for the Habs no less … no bias, really!) … how much better does it get? Usually, “former player” is mutually exclusive from the other two …

    Also, what happens if a club exceeds $50M? It can’t be a “weak” penalty like loss of a draft pick … the Rangers will probably gladly pay any luxury tax, and buy any draft picks anyway ;) How about your team loses one point - ie, a point gained from winning or tying a game - for every $1000 you’re over? THAT would prove incentive to keep salaries down!

    However, with a salary cap, another (major) issue is full disclosure of contracts. A big problem in the CFL is although most teams submit salary info to the League that is low enough to remain under a cap, a lot of players are paid incentives otherwise … I’m not sure how, but it’s basically income that the team decided not to include when telling the League how much they’re paying so-and-so … hence, the salary cap is useless.


  • According to what I read, it’s a 50 million hard cap.


  • @CanucKev:

    However, with a salary cap, another (major) issue is full disclosure of contracts. A big problem in the CFL is although most teams submit salary info to the League that is low enough to remain under a cap, a lot of players are paid incentives otherwise … I’m not sure how, but it’s basically income that the team decided not to include when telling the League how much they’re paying so-and-so … hence, the salary cap is useless.

    usually cars, university/private school fees, houses, etc.


  • Yeah, that’ll do it …

    Anyway, I don’t get why they don’t just declare the season lost - because it honestly is - and get over themselves. I’m sick of the news story about “The NHL and NHLPA still have not got anywhere in negotiations”. It’s all I’ve been hearing on sports channels for the past 4 and a half months. I say, declare the season to be done with, since clearly the NHL is not interested in saving it; let the sportscasters talk about something else; and let CBC start broadcasting the CHL, instead of worrying about the NHL coming back mid-season, and instead of playing boring movies each Saturday! I miss being able to find hockey on the TV Saturday night, with ease! And it was always a Canadian team, too :(

    On another note, I doubt the Oiler’s governor is lying when he says that the team will have to be sold or suspended if no salary cap is introduced. I can believe that - and I don’t see how anyone can’t, or how anyone can see it as “Sabre rattling”. This should come as a hint. In one of the more important markets - at least, a market where hockey is IMPORTANT to fans, rather than a novelty - a team is in dire trouble and may be forced to leave for (yet another) market where hockey is a novelty.

    Bettman should summon up the balls to admit that he’s royally boned the NHL by placing teams in locations in which they can’t survive and draw little to no interest. I believe that is the fundamental reason that the league is SUCH a mess (both on the ice AND off) nowadays.


  • On a related note - did anyone see SNL last night?
    I love the way that they tied in the strike with Canada’s move to legalize gay marriages . . .
    This is what happens when they cancel hockey in Canada.


  • I saw that CC. Pretty funny stuff.


  • Didn’t see it … how’d they do it?


  • it’s gone man…gone…


  • If they were to cancel a complete season of the NFL I would end my life…so to your hockey fans, my deepest condolences…what do you think this will do revenue wise to some of the teams that were on the bubble to begin with?

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