R0CKET said:
Great comment oil...
The players had a single strategy, break the backs of the NHL and force the League to give them what they wanted.
Shouldn't that read, "The owners had a single strategy, break the backs of the Union and force the players to give them what they wanted."
Isn't that seemingly what they did if the rumors are true?
R0CKET said:
To say that this isn't their fault because there was no way to know how that strategy was going to play out makes zero sense. Here's a bunch of guys who are getting fantastically increased paychecks over the last 10 years and while they command over 70% of the revenues the fabricate a strategy that seeks to fold the owners?
What was at fault and remains so today is their mental mindest that allowed them to even conjur up this strategy. Its a sick minded bunch of people who (the players) have so much and then hold a gun to the game's head (our game) in order to get what they want.
The rest of this post is just anti-player drivel. You are bleeding bias here. It shouldn't matter whether you wanted a cap or not, your expressed viewpoint here is ridiculous fanaticism.
Let's not forget it was the NHL who instituted the lockout. It was the owners who greenlit the GMs to sign players to these ridiculous salaries. How is it then only the fault of the players? Any reasonable person would conclude both sides were equally at fault for the situation leading up to the lockout. Both sides were equally at fault for everything that happened during the lockout. The players have now appeared to cave and people are even trying to find fault in it. "Why didn't they cave sooner?!"
I'm sure if they agreed with the NHL they'd have had a deal done a year ago. However, they didn't agree with the NHL just as the NHL didn't agree with them. As you're someone who obviously wanted a cap, I assume you would have been very angry if the owners caved easily. Why would you then expect the players to cave easily? It is because you don't agree with their stance, not their bargaining tactics. Instead of limiting your disapproval to what you actually disagree with, the players not only have the wrong viewpoint but their bargaining tactics are evil, they smell bad, and they ate your children.
Sick-minded bunch of people? For wanting to work in a free market? Personally I could have cared less as to whether or not they got a cap, but I find no difficulty in putting myself in either sides shoes. I can assure you it does not take a sick mind to want to get paid whatever your boss is willing to pay you. I'll tell you something else... it isn't greedy, either.
They held a gun to "our" game's head? First of all, you say "our game" as if it isn't their game; as if they have no love for the game. As if they have less right to the game than we do, disregarding that they've dedicated their lives to playing it.
Secondly, if the players held a gun to the game's head, the owners gave them that gun, fully loaded, and told them where to aim.
R0CKET said:
The NHLPA needs to find a soul (after they fire Goodenow), cuz these heartless bastards, who have each already won life's lottery, just blew away our game for an entire year due to their arrogant self-centered greed.
I don't really know where to begin here, but this kind of hateful garbage adds nothing to conversation or debate.
Yep, the players have no souls. In fact, they even steal souls from fans in an attempt to fill that void!
They've won life's lottery because they make a lot of money? Sure. Do you hold doctors, lawyers (well, maybe you should
), businessmen, inventors, or other people of wealthy professions in the same level of contempt? Is it strictly jealousy or are there some other issues at play here?
The entire league, from the owners to the players, took away the game for a year. The owners said "we're not going to have games until you give in on this, this, and this" and the players didn't do so (though it seems they did now). I wonder if rather than a lockout the players went on strike, would you instead blame the owners for not giving in to their demands? I doubt it.
Being that this is a hockey board where we talk about hockey players, I really wish this sort of hateful nonsense was disallowed.