Does the WHA Pressure the NHL?

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salty justice

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May 25, 2004
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The WHA actually is starting to look like they will have a season next year. Im sure NHLers will sign there should this lockout continue. So does that force the NHL to try harder to get a deal done and possibly give up some concessions?

If the WHA poses a threat to the NHL, it might not be too dumb a move to negotiate a 2 year deal without the cap just to put the WHA out of business.
 

Johnnybegood13

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Jul 11, 2003
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All i can do is :lol: :lol:

Why in gods earth would the NHL be worried about a league paying players a fraction of what they are offering in the NHL?
 

kerrly

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May 16, 2004
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I cannot believe that anyone is even talking about the WHA. It was a non-factor when it was announced and its even more of a non-factor right now. The league will never see a puck drop and even if it did, the players will never stay there long term. It will be a back drop league and a place for players to show their "solidarity" against a cap until one is accepted.
 

grego

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Jan 12, 2005
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Of course if for some unknown reason the owners caved and didn't take a cap.

And as a result teams like Edmonton and Calgary folded or moved. Then the WHA could have a chance to make it in some cities. A city like Edmonton or Calgay may be ones that would support a WHA team enough, if they were to lose an NHL team. Though for the WHA to survive they would need for that to happen to a few markets like that in order for them to get enough strong hockey cities for their league.

I doubt either of those will happen though. So if the WHA ever started it wouldn't be of much importance, especially after the NHL started back up.
 

Epsilon

#basta
Oct 26, 2002
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The only thing I hear on these boards more laughable than the idea the NHL worries about the WHA during CBA negociations is the suggestion that Sidney Crosby is actually a factor in the CBA negociations.
 

Lanny MacDonald*

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Only if you consider the IHL, AHL, ECHL, WPHL, or any of the European leagues as a threat to the NHL. Oh, and doesn't a league actually have to have some teams with players signed and have actually played a game before they can be designated a threat? The WHA is no more a threat to the NHL than the XFL was to the NFL.
 

i am dave

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Mar 9, 2004
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The Iconoclast said:
Only if you consider the IHL, AHL, ECHL, WPHL, or any of the European leagues as a threat to the NHL. Oh, and doesn't a league actually have to have some teams with players signed and have actually played a game before they can be designated a threat? The WHA is no more a threat to the NHL than the XFL was to the NFL.

But the XFL was eXtreme!
 

GKJ

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Feb 27, 2002
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The XFL wasn't designed to be an threat to the NFL. It was designed to give hardcore football fans more football (sadly, I'm one of those who watched) after the Super Bowl. The product wasn't awful, it just wasn't good enough for what they are looking for and all the money that was going into it. That's like saying arena football is a threat to the NFL.
 

Street Hawk

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Feb 18, 2003
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where would they play?

theBob said:
The WHA actually is starting to look like they will have a season next year. Im sure NHLers will sign there should this lockout continue. So does that force the NHL to try harder to get a deal done and possibly give up some concessions?

If the WHA poses a threat to the NHL, it might not be too dumb a move to negotiate a 2 year deal without the cap just to put the WHA out of business.

The WHA will not be a threat to the NHL period. Look at their plans this past fall. Teams were going to play in the Pontiac Silverdome and the Skydome for crying out loud.

The WHA can't get into any decent arenas in the "hockey markets". Really, who'd want to watch hockey in a football stadium? Most of the professional sports quality arenas have their primary tenants and they're not going to bring in another team to compete with them.

Personally, I was hoping that the WHA would have made a go of it last October. I wanted to see if any NHLers would sign with the league that was going to adopt a salary cap and how hyprocritical of them to say they wouldn't accept one to play in the NHL, but would in the WHA.

But, really, I can't see the WHA getting off the ground.
 

Toonces

They should have kept Shjon Podein...
Feb 23, 2003
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Street Hawk said:
The WHA will not be a threat to the NHL period. Look at their plans this past fall. Teams were going to play in the Pontiac Silverdome and the Skydome for crying out loud.

Sums it up pretty well.

Without actual arenas, the WHA will remain a fantasy.
 

se7en*

Guest
The old WHA was a real threat, wasnt it? Anyone who lived through that, can you tell us?

However, this new WHA was and is a joke.
 

Bicycle Repairman

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Jul 1, 2003
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Well, it's the New New WHA now. :)

Al Howell and Nick Vaccaro sold the rights to the Ricky Smith group. Little is known at this point how they plan to structure the league. As been pointed out before, the Salary Cap issue may be a non-starter.
 

Fish on The Sand

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Feb 28, 2002
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chiavsfan said:
Come on...The Chicago Enforcers RULED!!!
What about the Birmingham Bolts? New York/New Jersey Hitmen, LA Extreme were the bets though. I don't think the chemistry Maddox had with Macdonald and Copeland will ever be matched.
 
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