Bill Guerin's comments

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NHLFanSince2020

What'd He Say?
Feb 22, 2003
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Luc Labelle said:
What in the world is he talking about? Someone please fill me in, I don't have a clue what this clown is talking about.
Ha. I don't think he has a clue what he is talking about either.

I didn't know ol' Billy, the same guy who two-hand whacked one of his own team-mates on the head, is the NHLPA vice-president.

His comments are like giving the NHLPA one big collective two-handed whack on the head.

My head hurts trying to interperet him.

Did I mention that he is the NHLPA vice-president? Oh yeah, I did.
:lol

NHLPA vice president Bill Guerin talked with hosts John Seibel and Fred Coleman on ESPN Radio's GameNight on Friday.

Q: How'd the meetings go today?
A: It was different after the first night. I think we were a little optimistic because Trevor (Linden, NHLPA president) relayed that the meetings went well. A lot of different ideas were exchanged. Things the second day dramatically changed. It just doesn't look good right now.

Q: How was it different than the first day?
A: There just wasn't as much listening. It was basically our way or the highway-type thing. This is what we need, what we want, what we get. For us, it just doesn't work. Like Trevor said, we can only do so much. We've reached out to the NHL a couple of times and tried to get this thing moving forward with negotiation, and they haven't shown the will to negotiate yet. It's been pretty much a one-way street.

Q: Are the players surprised they've come to this?
A: Definitely not. We've been hearing this for a couple of years now. We were told to prepare for the worst and hopefully everybody has looked after themselves financially and socked some money away and been ready for this. It's apparent that's what the ownership wants, and it seems like we're headed that way.
Yeah, Billy, players who have been making 1/10th or less the money you have been making better have socked away some money or they're screwed. If not, oh well, tough. Go away from your family, steal some other guys job in Europe and make a 1/10th of what you could in a capped NHL. Billy will be fine because he's had to have socked away some of his $9M/year.

Q: How resolute are the players that no collective bargaining agreement will include the words salary cap?
A: We're very strong on that. We've very resolved. That's been our stance all along. We've made it clear. We knew this was going to be a fight coming into it. We just don't believe the salary cap is the right way to go. It's unhealthy for players. We believe it's healthy for the league, and teams should be able to spend what they feel within reason.
Where's my Guerin-to-Sense translator?

A:The problem for the salary cap in hockey is in other sports you can have a good defense, a good QB and two good receivers and have a chance. You can be 6-8 and have a chance to make the playoffs. In hockey you need 26 guys. You can' t have three players on a hockey team and have a chance, and that's what they want to do. They want to spread everybody out. It just doesn't work.
I'm reading this and trying to get what he is trying to say.
How do these comment support his union's stance?
It just doesn't make any sense whatsoever. I need some advil.
At least it's a little entertaining, getting a good laugh at trying to figure out what the NHLPA VP is trying to get at.

Is he saying one-team should be able to stockpile the 26 highest-paid players on a roster with a payroll of...$260 Million? Is he saying that is the only way it works?
Is that the only way a team can win?
What sport has this d-head been paying attention to?
It's certainly not NHL hockey.

Does this a-hole really buy his own rhetoric? If so...WOW!

Hey...he's the NHLPA VP! :lol

Q: Is Gary Bettman the right commissioner?
A: That's not for me to say. He's their commissioner. He's hired by them so they feel he's capable. I don't think he's a hockey guy. I don't think he knows as much of the sport as he leads on or he doesn't know as much about his players as he might think, but that's just my opinion.

Q: If this drags into next year, and you end up caving in, well, people are going to say, 'Why didn't you do that last year?' At what point can the owners dictate the rules?
A: The ownership is so far into it, they might as well go all in. We're in the same boat. We're all in, too. If we go back now it'll be suicidal for players. What they feel is right is worse than a football-type salary cap, and football is horrible. I don't personally believe it works for football because it's terrible for their players, and it would be worse for hockey.
Has Billy been losing a lot of money playing Texas Hold'em?
Agree with an earlier post, the quality of football has been great (check out the NFL ratings and the NFL TV contract Billy) and the players are perfectly happy to be making an average of over a $1M/year. What has Billy been watching?

Oh, and the proposed NHL CBA would produce and average salary of $1.3M/year. How is that worse for hockey?

Q: How are older and younger players reacting?
A: They're all reacting kind of the same. The same result, just a different thought. A lot of older players say, 'I've had a good run at it, I've had a good kick at the can, and I'm ready to fight this battle. If I lose a year of my career, so be it.' The younger guys say, 'If we agree to this, I'm screwed for the rest of the career.' There's no earning power, so many restrictions. You might as well fight this early in your career and get what you can. It is a shame that the game isn't being played right now and the fans are being cheated. It's unfortunately guys like Mark Messier are being cheated. Hopefully we can get something done in time for a guy like Mike Messier to go out the way he should -- in style and playing the game that he's been so great at.
You might as well fight this early in your career and get what you can? Do the young players really buy this logic? There's one little flaw to this thinking Billy, while they are fighting(translation-stealing jobs in Europe) they are making 1/10th of what they would in the NHL (unless you're Kovalchuk) or 1/10th in the minors or out of hockey, so they are NOT getting what they can.

If I were the NHL, I would give up too. There's no sense in trying to negotiate with 'tards.
 
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