DR said:
Me said:
Most people on the owners' side, and I'd wager this includes Iconoclast, wholeheartedly agree that the state the league is in is the result of the owners' throwing cash at the players and allowing their personal competetiveness cloud their business judgment.
so how come the owners representitive wont admit it ...
"Let's be clear on where the responsibility for where we find ourselves today: it lies exclusively at the feet of union leadership who, despite numerous and repeated approaches by the league over many years, utterly ignored - and, in some cases, knowingly exacerbated - the financial distress the league was experiencing," Bill Daly, the NHL's executive vice-president and chief legal officer, told The Canadian Press via e-mail from New York"
nope, doesnt seem the owners believe this has anything to do with them at all.
I was speaking mainly about the position fans are taking. Of course, the owners and players are going to view their positions through tinted lenses ... but what the heck, I'll play along ...
How do you explain this quote from Flyers owner Ed Snider?
"They're blaming us for getting where we are and we're assuming full responsibility for that. But they're not agreeing with our cure for it."
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?id=108345
So much for "doesnt seem the owners believe this has anything to do with them at all."
DR said:
explain to me the mechanics of how the league would be flushed down the toilet. what does that mean ? the NHL would cease to exist ?
If the system the players want to hold on to were to stay in place, the league would eventually go bankrupt - or at least enough teams would go bankrupt to send it back to the good ol' days of six to twelve teams. I'm sure a number of fans would like that, but most wouldn't.
And what concession(s) has the NHL made ? not a single.
Just off the top of my head, they offered to lower the UFA age to 30 and they offered to increase the minimum salary to $300,000. So much for "not a single" concession"(s)", eh? Try to use facts and not hyperbole to make your arguments. It makes it a little more laborious to research and argue, but ultimately it makes your argument more effective.
Anyhow, Bettman wont cancel the season becuase then they owners have to give up all their season ticket revenue's.
They'll have to give them up or credit them for the next year hockey is played. It's not like owners can just pocket the money people paid this year then expect fans to pay in full again when the league resumes play.
If Gary's goal is to stifle negotiations, then of course he is on the right path.
His goal isn't to stifle negotiations, it's to get the system he wants. "Stifling" negotiations is a means to an end, not the end.
However, if he knows Goodenow will negotiate at the 11th hour, why doesnt he set an 11th hour to lure him into negotations ? WOuldnt this be a better strategy if you are sincerely interested in getting the game on the ice at the terms you need ?
Not really. You want the resolve of the person on the other side of the table to be as weak as possible. If Goodenow has a reputation for being a slick negotiator while the clock is ticking towards zero, then you don't announce to the world when the zero hour is and take away one of his strengths. You want him to come crawling to you desperate to negotiate. Remember that the "terms you need" part is more important than the "getting the game on the ice" part to the owners right now.
Giving a deadline also gives the players something to rally around should it pass with no deal. It gives them a second wind with respect to "sticking together" and all that stuff. No date means you keep them uncertain and on edge and more likely to cave or at least put pressure on union leadership to try to get the league to the table.
Seriously, the NHL needs to dangle some bait and make it comfortable for Bob to get back to business. How else do they expect to get the best possible outcome ?
They expect to get the best possible outcome by making Goodenow
uncomfortable, not comfortable.
Is Bettman not smart enough to bait the players to the table ?
Sure he is. For the umpteenth time, he's going to bait them to the table by stalling because he knows the players need the NHL more than the owners do. It sucks, I hate it and most everybody else does too, but the bottom line is it will be an effective way to get the system he wants. That's all that really matters to him and the majority of the owners.