The 2005 NHL Season is OFFICIALLY CANCELLED

[grocko]

Originally posted by hyperwhite
42.5 million wasn't a good deal for the players, but it was the only deal available.

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!!!

[Kirbs17]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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..."


I doubt they're gonna air me...

[JordanLotoski]

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]

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]

goodenow is definately a douche and i hope he dies. die bob. just die.

[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

[DonJuan]

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 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]

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]

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

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 . 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]

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.