$$$ can't buy you love: NYR of Russian league eliminated in 1st round

[Luc Labelle]

Ak Bars eliminated

From the CP article:

The most expensive and star-studded hockey team in the world this season has been knocked out in the first round of the Russian league playoffs.

The rich Russian owner's have quickly learned that throwing as much money as possible at 15 NHL players is the quickest road to failure. Pad the players' wallets enough and they see no reason to compete, just like the countless overpaid players on the New York Rangers the last 10 years.

A good portion of the NHLPA membership has been programmed to play well when their contracts were up for renegotiation. The benchmarks reached, the players are overpaid for the life of their next contract as they slack off shortly after signing. Only to resurface during the last season of the new contract.

Hopefully the owners in Russia have learned their lesson. I have a hunch when they decide to go for the championship in another 1000 years they will have forgotten the lesson. The lockout might be over by then, I hope.

Click to read more...

 

[BLONG7]

Was Glen Sather the GM??? :lol

 

[hockeyfan33]

some things to consider....

Ak Bars is NOT the best team in the super league.


The team that beat them has one of the best if not the best center in the entire league (Alexei Yashin)


A lot of the players they signed are not even Russian so they have to adjust to the super league.


NHL and Russian super league are not a good comparision in THIS argument.

 

[Timmy]

some things to consider....

Ak Bars is NOT the best team in the super league.


The team that beat them has one of the best if not the best center in the entire league (Alexei Yashin)


A lot of the players they signed are not even Russian so they have to adjust to the super league.


NHL and Russian super league are not a good comparision in THIS argument.

So if he holds out next year on his Russian team, is he going to threaten to go to Florida?

 

[Empireshark]

I think the original arguement was that overpaid players are laid back in all leagues not just the nhl. besides I think lecaveliar and heatley match up pretty well to yashin.

 

[Took a pill in Sbisa]

Anyone know they're payroll?

 

[Shadow Journal]

no, i didn't know they are payroll.

 

[PecaFan]

The team that beat them has one of the best if not the best center in the entire league (Alexei Yashin)

Not to mention the best goaltender in hockey, Marc Lamothe. :lol

Once again, the NHLPA has proven that there's just not big a difference between NHL'ers, and non-NHLers.

 

[Tawnos]

Not everything is a PA ploy you know.

And actually, this completely destroys the argument that a salary cap creates competitive balance. Teams that spend don't necessarily win.

 

[hockeyfan33]

my only point, these are 2 completely different leagues, just because a player is good in the NHL, it doesn't mean he is going to be good in Russia, and vice versa.

 

[mackdogs*]

And actually, this completely destroys the argument that a salary cap creates competitive balance. Teams that spend don't necessarily win.

Nope. Like the NYR, this proves there are exceptions to every rule. Nothing to do with competitive balance.

 

[Munchausen]

And actually, this completely destroys the argument that a salary cap creates competitive balance. Teams that spend don't necessarily win.

The argument isn't that teams will win on a regular basis because they can spend. It's that teams cannot win on a regular basis if they can't spend. If you think about it, there's actually a huge difference.

 

[reckoning]

Nope. Like the NYR, this proves there are exceptions to every rule. Nothing to do with competitive balance.

So the Rangers are an exception. What about St. Louis? How much success have they had in the playoffs? How much success did buying Jagr and Lang bring Washington? How much success did buying Yashin and Peca bring the Islanders? How many playoff series have Dallas won since firing Hitchcock despite one of the leagues top payrolls? How many series have Detroit won since Bowman left despite their high payroll? Are these all exceptions?


About how it`s impossible for a team to seriously compete if they don`t spend: well a salary cap won`t fix that problem, only revenue sharing will.

 

[chriss_co]

So the Rangers are an exception. What about St. Louis? How much success have they had in the playoffs? How much success did buying Jagr and Lang bring Washington? How much success did buying Yashin and Peca bring the Islanders? How many playoff series have Dallas won since firing Hitchcock despite one of the leagues top payrolls? How many series have Detroit won since Bowman left despite their high payroll? Are these all exceptions?


About how it`s impossible for a team to seriously compete if they don`t spend: well a salary cap won`t fix that problem, only revenue sharing will.

This is ridiculous.. i've explained this literally 30 times on this board now throughout the lockout

Competitiveness isn't measure by championships... its measured by making the postseason... if you cant make the postseason, you aren't a competitive team... and if u look at the stats, most big spending teams make the playoffs consistently.. what they do from that point on is all on them

one thing i will agree is that a salary cap isn't the solution to all problems in the NHL.. revenue sharing is also a huge part too.. (the PA, however, is plain stupid for not negotiating on revenue sharing.. as theywould immediately gain a high percentage of public support.. if they start negotiating now, i'll ask - why not in January!?!)

 

[allelsefails]

Anyone know they're payroll?

The thing is, if what I have read is correct, payroll figures aren't disclosed to the public in Russia.

And it's believed that hardly any Russian teams make money and most lose heavily, especially during a time when they can toss money at locked-out NHLers.

Got to give it to them though, they wanted to celebrate their 1000 anniversary so they went all out for their fans.

 

[reckoning]

This is ridiculous.. i've explained this literally 30 times on this board now throughout the lockout

Competitiveness isn't measure by championships... its measured by making the postseason... if you cant make the postseason, you aren't a competitive team... and if u look at the stats, most big spending teams make the playoffs consistently.. what they do from that point on is all on them

OK, if the regular season is the only measure of competitive balance, then how do you explain the fact that the gap points wise between the best and worst teams is smaller over the last few years than ever before?

 

[Jaded-Fan]

Isn't the Russian mob supposedly heavilly involved in backing some of these teams? If that is the case, yikes . . . these players had more incentive than being in a contract year . . . heads may roll literally . . .

 

[nyrmessier011]

Goes to show that in any hockey league, parity in payroll does not equal parity in the game. Something you have heard Bettman and the owners say is a huge reason they need a cap.

NYR no playoff in 7 years.
Tampa/Calgary final
AK out in first round

 

[Johnnybegood13]

Goes to show that in any hockey league, parity in payroll does not equal parity in the game. Something you have heard Bettman and the owners say is a huge reason they need a cap.

NYR no playoff in 7 years.
Tampa/Calgary final
AK out in first round

They should have saved some money and paid Darrel Sutter 10 million instead!

 

[misterjaggers]

What Ak Bars early playoff demise demonstrates is that North Americans don't adjust well to playing in Russia. And I'll bet Heatly and the gang are happy they got eliminated so they wouldn't have to spend another minute away from their friends and families.

 

[eye]

Another one of many examples that NHL players don't always = the best that hockey has to offer. There are many replacements for current NHL players and players themselves know it. It's the average fan that hasn't played the game that doesn't understand that. Take out the top 100 or so NHL players and the rest are interchangable. It would only take 3-5 years for the NHL to recover if all current NHL players retired.

Players have to get over themselves and start appreciating the lifesyle the NHL offered them.

 

[mooseOAK*]

Dumb decisions like putting Kovalchuk, Kovalev, and Lecavalier on the same line. I can just see all three waiting for the others to go get him the puck.

 

[Hockeyfan02]

Dumb decisions like putting Kovalchuk, Kovalev, and Lecavalier on the same line. I can just see all three waiting for the others to go get him the puck.

I take it you didn't watch many Lightning games last year.

 

[Jaysfanatic*]

One thing no one mentioned is that unlike the Rangers, atleast these guys made the playoffs. Im glad they're out, Heater, and Vinny, come play at the Worlds!

 

[mooseOAK*]

I take it you didn't watch many Lightning games last year.

Apart from the playoffs, Lecavalier wasn't typically a banger who went to the corner to dig out pucks was he?