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View Full Version : The 2005 NHL Season is OFFICIALLY CANCELLED



sputnik
02-16-2005, 12:10 PM
Looks like the NHLPA would rather have the league die before hockey is played again. Replacement players anyone?

http://tsn.ca/nhl/

:banghead:

69cougar
02-16-2005, 12:24 PM
Yep you beat me to it......
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/hockey/nhl/02/16/nhl.lockout.ap/index.html?cnn=yes

What a bunch of sorry sore losers the NHLPA are I would give my left nut and play for $150,000/a year and think I had the luckiest job in the world.

Xtrema
02-16-2005, 12:29 PM
Now the NHL, already low on the popularity scale in the United States, becomes the first major pro sports league in North America to lose an entire season to a labor dispute.

nobody give a shit.

Ben
02-16-2005, 12:30 PM
fuck em. Greedy whiney bastards.

having had close family working in the NHL since the 70's I've watched this progress and progress until what we have here. Pretty disappointing really. All the games I've been to over the years you could tell that each year a little peice of it was falling away, it's not like it was in the 80's thats for sure.

THere was a letter to the editor in the sun a couple days ago that said canada should drop the states all together. Canada only NHL.

Would get pretty boring playing the same team like 3 times in a 2 week period, haha, but it would be good hockey.

Kirbs17
02-16-2005, 12:35 PM
What a shitty Press conferance by Bettman. That man has 0 PR skills. He was getting upset at people for asking him questions. My ass he was truly sorry. grrrr :banghead:

Ajay
02-16-2005, 12:45 PM
Originally posted by Kirbs17
What a shitty Press conferance by Bettman. That man has 0 PR skills. He was getting upset at people for asking him questions. My ass he was truly sorry. grrrr :banghead:

I'm sure he's pretty frustrated and being barraged by the same questions over and over probably is getting on his nerves.

Sad day for hockey that's for sure. The players are going to demand Goodenow's head on a silver platter. Shitty deal too cause Bettman said their last offer is completely off the table and they're going to go back to an idea of linkage.

Players lost the best opportunity they had to end it....I'll be surprised if there's hockey in 2005/2006 at all.

sputnik
02-16-2005, 12:54 PM
Originally posted by Ben
THere was a letter to the editor in the sun a couple days ago that said canada should drop the states all together. Canada only NHL.

Would get pretty boring playing the same team like 3 times in a 2 week period, haha, but it would be good hockey.

Actually, its not that crazy of an idea. If you think that you could get 12-14 teams together with a $20M salary cap you could have a really popular league.

A $20M salary cap will keep the game affordable for smaller markets (Winnipeg, Halifax, Hamilton, Regina, Victoria etc) and will keep the salaries for the players higher than any other league in the world. And without big involvment from Canada, a US league would have a tough time getting off the ground.

The NHL folding is the best thing that could happen to hockey right now.

heavyD
02-16-2005, 01:10 PM
Has anyone noticed that in the last ten years that the higher paid the player the worse the effort alot of them (not all mind you) seem to put forward? Watching live you can see alot of these so-called superstars going through the motions.

We spent seven months hearing "we will never accept a salary cap" over and over then two days before deadline they accept one. If they would have accepted the cap months ago this could have got worked out. Now the players are going to go a complete year without income and still come back to work under a cap at a worse deal than the last offer by the league. Me thinks Bob G. will be looking for work next year.

I'm okay with losing the year if it means in the future, teams like Calgary and Edmonton are going to have a chance to keep their stars when they become free agents rather than trading them before the trade deadline to a team like the Leafs or Rangers for draft picks and prospects.

Reality check time for overpaid athletes.
:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

DonJuan
02-16-2005, 01:11 PM
Both sides are to blame, instead of having talks every other week like recently, they should have been doing this since BEFORE September not in the final days of a shitty 28 game season. Goodenow is a fuck nut and Bettman, well I just plain don't like him. Both of em are tied for the MVP award for the NHL 04/05 season, MVP meaning: "M"ost "V"ucking usless "P"ieces of shit. Now Mr King, gimme back my season ticket money, I got an engine to pay for!

sputnik
02-16-2005, 01:14 PM
Originally posted by DonJuan
Both sides are to blame, instead of having talks every other week like recently, they should have been doing this since BEFORE September not in the final days of a shitty 28 game season. Goodenow is a fuck nut and Bettman, well I just plain don't like him. Both of em are tied for the MVP award for the NHL 04/05 season, MVP meaning: "M"ost "V"ucking usless "P"ieces of shit. Now Mr King, gimme back my season ticket money, I got an engine to pay for!

What was the point of this post? Would you care to elaborate how both sides are to blame?

CRXguy
02-16-2005, 01:14 PM
bunch of assholes. now i got nothing to watch on tv. :guns: :thumbsdow

Kirbs17
02-16-2005, 01:18 PM
Nice pic. Im sure Bettman was mad, and I know Im overreacting, but he should have stayed in basketball. he ruined our sport. I want his and goodenows resignations.

Shampoo Suicide
02-16-2005, 01:30 PM
I really don't care about hockey anymore. Atleast now sportscentre can stop wasting 1/3 of its show everyday discussing if the season is going to be back.

Shaolin
02-16-2005, 01:32 PM
I don't understand how they had a problem with a 42 million dollar cap.. i mean.. you guys are going to get paid if the season starts.. now there's nothing. Spoiled a little bit too long and think the owners will budge? hmm..

Great job, now they don't get paid at all..

heavyD
02-16-2005, 01:33 PM
Originally posted by Kirbs17
Nice pic. Im sure Bettman was mad, and I know Im overreacting, but he should have stayed in basketball. he ruined our sport. I want his and goodenows resignations.

I disagree. Goodenow is the one who has ruined the sport with the help of some owners/gm's with no restraint. If you look through the years that salaries have escalated, it is all under Bob's regeme. I believe the sport started to decline in the early 90's when salaries went on the upward trend from manageable to out of control. This all happened under Goodenow's leadership of the players association and he essentially did an excellent job for his employers (the players). Problem being what is good for the players means higher ticket prices for the fans and large descrepancies between large market teams and small market teams which changed the competative balance of the league. While a few teams over the years like the Flames, Wilde, Senators, even Oilers made some nice playoff runs with lower salaries, the teams that always seemed to be in the playoffs on a consistent basis are Leafs, Devils, Flyers, Blues, Redwings, Avalanche, etc because they could afford to keep and sign superstars.

Gary hasn't done the greatest job but he has stuck his neck out for the small market teams and being a Flames fan myself I appreciate that.

The day Bob Goodenow resigns/get fired will be the most important day in the history of the NHL not today's cancellation.

Shaolin
02-16-2005, 01:52 PM
Anyone hear the Schneider phone call? wow... no finger pointing going on there.

Z_Fan
02-16-2005, 01:57 PM
Originally posted by heavyD
The day Bob Goodenow resigns/get fired will be the most important day in the history of the NHL not today's cancellation.

:werd:

Gary may not be overly liked, but he is a shrewd business person and knows what is necessary to keep the league alive. Sticking to his guns shows a great deal of integrity and his personal respect to the sport of hockey and its future well-being. He knows what is required to keep it viable, and isn't going to allow it to be overly compromised. So, great news! When hockey actually starts up again, and it will - at least it might have a hope of continued successful operation.

Besides, who really cares anyhow? We've already missed the vast majority of the season...

They will play next year...one way or another...they will play.

blinkme_210
02-16-2005, 01:57 PM
Originally posted by sputnik


Actually, its not that crazy of an idea. If you think that you could get 12-14 teams together with a $20M salary cap you could have a really popular league.

SIGN ME UP!!! I'll gladly play for less than $300,000/year.

hyperwhite
02-16-2005, 02:37 PM
42.5 million wasn't a good deal for the players, but it was the only deal available. did they seriously think that they could get a better deal by rejecting this one and letting the league go to impase?!?!?! now the NHL can makeup whatever kind of CBA they want. they worst part is that the retard millionare players decided that they spoke for the whole league and put the pressure on goodenow the reject this offer

scooby_dooby
02-16-2005, 02:59 PM
i don't think both sides are to blame, except the fact that gary bettman's attitude and language in his letters wre very counter productive.

It's all the NHLPA's fault, their enitre stance of "No Cap" was ridiculous, what if the cap was 200million dollars? Well obviously it would be acceptable, so the whole statement of "No Cap" was just STUPID, in addition to that all other pro sports have caps.

If they had just dropped that ridiculous postion talks would have started YEARS ago!

As far as linkage goes, the union claims they don't trust the numbers but the refuses to go and look at the numbers! It seems obvious they know damn well the league is losing money and they don't want to confirm it by examining the books themselves.

Furthermore, the NFL which makes like 3 times the revunue of the NHL has a cap around 80million, and a football team has more players than a hockey team. Who do these guys think they are that a 42million dollar cap and an average salary of 1.3million dollars is "not a good deal for the players", of course it's a good deal pull your head out of your ass, it's MORE than you deserve.

The owners take ALL the risk, and in business when you take the risk you SHOULD get the reward, not lose money every year.

grocko
02-16-2005, 03:05 PM
Originally posted by hyperwhite
42.5 million wasn't a good deal for the players, but it was the only deal available.

:werd: I was just watching the Leafs press conference..I guess they have the 2nd highest payroll in the league at around $48 Million....so when you think that the PA was offering $49 it says to me that these guys really don't seem to care about saving the season...even if the NHL offered 45 it would almost be too much for certain teams (Edmonton, Calgary, etc) to compete against other teams with. 42.5 was the best possible deal they could have gotten, and it'll never get back to that IMO....

They should get rid of all these old farts in the league offices too from back in the day who harp on "the tradition of the game" and start making it fun to watch again. Who really gives a sh*t about making minor rule changes...I want to see GOALS and FIGHTS and OT penalty shoot-outs and general excitment in games...I DON'T want to see all the stick work and "trap" play and all the b.s play to keep a lead in a game. The NHL needs a huge shake-up. I'm keeping with the good ol' NBA!!! :thumbsup:

Kirbs17
02-16-2005, 03:07 PM
Debates aside, Im relieved that theres a sense of finality to no season this year, but Im also disheartned that people making millions of dollars a year to play 82 games ( or more playoffs depends ) couldnt agree to something. I guess theres still hope for next year... maybe.

sputnik
02-16-2005, 03:20 PM
Originally posted by grocko
They should get rid of all these old farts in the league offices too from back in the day who harp on "the tradition of the game" and start making it fun to watch again. Who really gives a sh*t about making minor rule changes...I want to see GOALS and FIGHTS and OT penalty shoot-outs and general excitment in games...I DON'T want to see all the stick work and "trap" play and all the b.s play to keep a lead in a game.

You obviously arent old enough to remember what hockey was like in the mid to late 80s. The "trap play" actually started in the early 90s during the start of the US expansion. What happened is the NHL had a number of new teams that had to used the trap to be able to hold a lead against the veteran stronger teams. As a result many teams adopted that style of play. Now we have games where we dont even see shots unless there is a power play. No shots, no goals. When was the last time that you saw an end to end rush in a game? These days its "skate past the red line and dump the puck into the corner"... BORING!

The newer rules of hockey have destroyed the game. I say go back to the 80s when the NHL was at it peak. Make the goal pads tiny like the ones Grant Fuhr, Brian Hayward and Ron Hextall used to wear. Shrink the space behind the net and bring back the touch-up offsides again.

habsfan
02-16-2005, 03:25 PM
Is anyone watching Bob Goodenow's press conference? Truly reflects the attitudes of the players. "blah blah gary's fault" "boo hoo Gary owes the apology, not me" I sincerely hope, by some miracle that Goodenow sees this thread, because here is my simple message to him. YOU, Mr. Googenow are a complete waste of a life. YOU and your greedy, whiny-ass players have completely lost touch with reality. YOUR players dont deserve the money they are getting. and yes, YOU need to apologize to us, the fans. YOU robbed us of hockey, not Gary Bettman. In conclusion, I hope you choke.

/rant

DUBBED
02-16-2005, 03:46 PM
LOL did you hear what he said when they asked him to say with conviction that he has 100% support from the players.

"The players can't even agree on what time it is in this room."

Fucking moron, he has the support of the high-priced players. Whose voices are heard above the low-salary guys.

A_3
02-16-2005, 03:52 PM
Honestly I hope the NHL folds. I could care less about the league right now. Don't get me wrong, I love our Flames and Hockey more then anything but the NHL makes me sick. Hockey got ruined by the combination of a greedy players union and four to five owners who drove salaries through the roof. I especially liked scooby_dooby's point about the NFL salary cap. I would like to see the cap go down to around 30 million, I feel 42.5 is still high enough to eliminate alot of small market teams from building a winning franchise. These "players" are in the business of entertainment, and like any other business the end goal is profit. It doesn't take a fiscal genious to realize that when salaries are much too high to be sustained the business will start to run a deficit. Deficits result in bankrupcy. The way the NHLPA is going about their mandate is pure ignorance. I was sick to my stomach yesterday when I was watching sport centre interview players like Ryan Smith and Mathew Barnaby in reference to the NHLPA's offer of a salary cap. "We've given up way too much to have a salary cap" and "yeah i'm pissed off about a salary cap". Alright boys, I know you are probably under educated individuals with one too many concussion buttt pull your heads out of your asses. Without a salary cap you guys will be making 1/8 as much as you are now over sea's because your current league folded. If that's what you intend... well enjoy the European girls...

p.s. they don't shave ANYTHING!

rockym20
02-16-2005, 04:18 PM
The players should have accepted the cap, but with the condition that teams drop ticket prices by 10% (or something like that). This would have been a show of good faith to their employers (us, the fans) and they wouldn't have come accross like such a bunch of undereducated, overpaid babies. Both the NHL and the NHLPA have forgotten that it is ultimately the fans who pay their bills.

BumpinTalon
02-16-2005, 04:28 PM
Bettman is going to hand the NHLPA's ass to it with his next deal. They are going to get shafted and they will cry for awhile but then they have to realize, under a $30 million cap, everybody on the team is going to make about a million dollars which is more then 95% of the population ever dreams of making in a year.

grocko
02-16-2005, 04:53 PM
Originally posted by sputnik


You obviously arent old enough to remember what hockey was like in the mid to late 80s. The "trap play" actually started in the early 90s during the start of the US expansion. What happened is the NHL had a number of new teams that had to used the trap to be able to hold a lead against the veteran stronger teams. As a result many teams adopted that style of play. Now we have games where we dont even see shots unless there is a power play. No shots, no goals. When was the last time that you saw an end to end rush in a game? These days its "skate past the red line and dump the puck into the corner"... BORING!

The newer rules of hockey have destroyed the game. I say go back to the 80s when the NHL was at it peak. Make the goal pads tiny like the ones Grant Fuhr, Brian Hayward and Ron Hextall used to wear. Shrink the space behind the net and bring back the touch-up offsides again.

I do remember but, albeit very vaguely...but I totally agree with everything you're saying.
All I was trying to say that I can't stand the older guys (Bobby Clarke, etc, etc) saying the game needs to stay the same to keep its "tradition" which will then lead to more fans..it's b.s though! I loved the Oilers of the late 80's and have been longing for years to see that kind of action again...IMO it all went to garbage after the Rangers won the cup (94? but it was a great series and it seemed to have lots of viewers on both sides of the boarder). I don't know...I haven't really been keeping up with the NHL for a while, all that I do know is that it'll take YEARS to get back to where we were even 2 or 3 years ago....

Benny
02-16-2005, 07:45 PM
Heh... I got interviewed about it at Northland Mall today by some people from the CBC. I started off on a positive note with something along the lines of, "Well first I'd like to express from my thoughts on the last season that Lecavalier sucks..." :thumbsup:


I doubt they're gonna air me...

JordanLotoski
02-16-2005, 07:49 PM
well iam not glad we dont get to watch hockey this year, but its a reality check for these players. Next season i hope they bring in a wack load of replacment players that are willing to play for 200k a year. FUK them and there million dollar contracts.

SuPhistiKatEd
02-16-2005, 09:14 PM
We now know who the real grinch is...excuse the lameness, I did it in like 5 mins. I hate this man with a passion.

habsfan
02-16-2005, 09:27 PM
goodenow is definately a douche and i hope he dies. die bob. just die.

gongSHOW
02-16-2005, 11:40 PM
Goodenow did not have 100% of the player support. It was awesome yesterday when they were all like, "We waited for 6 months saying we'll never give into a cap, now the day before they say they'll agree." A lot of the players are quite mad at the NHLPA, if you are saying no cap for how many months and now that your under hte gun you suddenly agree. You can not accept a cap fine, but ohh no you won't get paid for one year, gotta accept. What a bunch of dumbasses, stupid money hungry bastards. The money they are loosing now not playing, is a lot more than their pay cut would be :thumbsdow

DonJuan
02-16-2005, 11:47 PM
Originally posted by sputnik

What was the point of this post? Would you care to elaborate how both sides are to blame?
Oh I don't know how about during the September - November months, what was it 1 meeting? Riiiight that is what I call negotiations :werd: As far as I'm concerned the season ended right there with the two of them squabbling like a bunch of idiots. It took Linden (their subordinate) till January to not invite either to talks that eventually brought both sides back. That is the point.

hyperwhite
02-17-2005, 11:48 AM
i think a big part of the problem is that the owners didn't want a salary tax or revenue sharing cause they dont want to give each other money they just want to make huge profits. the leafs dont care about the penguins or hurricanes as long as they're rolling in cash.

A_3
02-17-2005, 04:05 PM
Originally posted by gongSHOW
Goodenow did not have 100% of the player support. It was awesome yesterday when they were all like, "We waited for 6 months saying we'll never give into a cap, now the day before they say they'll agree." A lot of the players are quite mad at the NHLPA, if you are saying no cap for how many months and now that your under hte gun you suddenly agree. You can not accept a cap fine, but ohh no you won't get paid for one year, gotta accept. What a bunch of dumbasses, stupid money hungry bastards. The money they are loosing now not playing, is a lot more than their pay cut would be :thumbsdow

I'm positive that was always Goodenows plan, if you recal the cba in the early 90's the NHLPA held out right until the last second when the NHL gave in. That's what Goodenow was hoping to pull this time around, too bad it didn't work :rolleyes: . Goodenow doesn't understand the situation at all, it is amazing how stupid this whole thing is. The owners can strike as long as they want, they lose less money striking then playing the season. I say hold out as long as it takes.

Orbie
02-17-2005, 06:00 PM
Originally posted by heavyD
Now the players are going to go a complete year without income and still come back to work under a cap at a worse deal than the last offer by the league.

I think the thing that makes me the most mad about those greedy players is that they most definitely still will be making an annual income. It's called Lockout pay, $5000-$10000 a month. Boo hoo! now they're right in the average salary range of an average person so they won't be able to afford their 100K cars and 3 houses they'll just have to live life like the rest of us...what has this world come to!?

IMHO, they should go without income for as long as the lockout lasts just to remind them that the fact that they even get payed just to play hockey is a privilege not a right.