Hopeless comments from Oiler players...

[Luc Labelle]

Robert Tychkowski column

"We had an idea that the league's plan from the start was just to wait it out as long as they could to see if they could break our association," said defenceman Jason Smith, adding the owners miscalculated if they thought it would happen in five months.

"We're only kidding ourselves if we think this is going to be resolved over the summer," said Brewer.
'"If it's not resolved now, it's not going to be resolved until this time next year, if at all.

This coming from the team whose owner has said he will fold or move the team if there is not an agreement with cost certainty. Boy the players are dense.

Click to read more...

 

[dem]

The players disgust me more and more each day. Let those morons sit for 2 or 3 years to think about it. I can deal with junior hockey for awhile.

 

[mr gib]

Robert Tychkowski column

This coming from the team whose owner has said he will fold or move the team if there is not an agreement with cost certainty. Boy the players are dense.

the player's are not dense - they've lost two third's of their wages already this year - there is no point giving into a cap now -

 

[John Flyers Fan]

This coming from the team whose owner has said he will fold or move the team if there is not an agreement with cost certainty. Boy the players are dense.

According to all reports Edmonton made a profit last year with little to no revenue sharing and without playing a playoff game. The Oilers aren't going to be folded.

 

[dem]

According to all reports Edmonton made a profit last year with little to no revenue sharing and without playing a playoff game. The Oilers aren't going to be folded.

Because they had Heritage Classic..

Did they not lose money the previous year going to the playoffs?

 

[waffledave]

Why would they care? They can go play in Europe and enjoy Russian winters! That'll show those owners!

 

[GirardIsStupid]

Robert Tychkowski column

This coming from the team whose owner has said he will fold or move the team if there is not an agreement with cost certainty. Boy the players are dense.

jeezus, the players aren't the ones being so dense here. im pretty distraught with all the animosity that's being show to the players here. sure, they're overpaid...but they're the ones being asked to make significant concessions to an untrusworthy group of owners who messed up the last CBA on their own (and in the process are hurting fans like me by assuming we'll come back after this lockout). get off your high horse fans...you're no better people than these players are. the owners and team management, on the other hand, consist of many manipulative, condescending, egotistical and vindictive individuals wanting payback against the players. now, im starting to believe a lot of fans here are following in the same suit. even good ole brian burke has been slamming the owners for their hard way of thinking. the owners are trying to build rome in one day rather than make it gradually like the NFL did with their cap system.

anyhow, ill be glad to see the season ended. the majority of fans are staunch supporters of the owners so they ought to suffer the consequences of egging the owners on to take down the PA. me, i'm looking forward to baseball for the first time in my life. im focusing on the super bowl. im sick of this lockout crap and i hope the owners pay dearly for it.

 

[oil slick]

the player's are not dense - they've lost two third's of their wages already this year - there is no point giving into a cap now -

I think they probably feel this way, but IMO there certainly is a point to playing. Cap or no cap, when all is said and done they will probably get somewhere between 54 and 80% of revenues of any deal (even if no cap and no luxury tax is in place, I think the owners are not that stupid that they would spend more than 80% of revenues)... if a cancelled season has the same effect as it did to MLB, then there certainly is incentive for both sides to get things rolling this year. They are essentially arguing about how much of the revenues generated each side gets. If the season is canelled, and fans get pissed causing revenues to tumble, it doesn't matter what CBA is in place, the players (and owners) will loose a tonne of money.

This is what is so irksome to me. Both players and owners are being petty. Some players have said that they would not play if the cap were 200 million. Bettman has implied that he would not accept a luxury tax even if it were ridiculously high.

Both these views are disgusting. What does it matter if there is a cap at 200 million? It doesn't. What is the difference between a hard cap, and a luxury tax set at 1000%? nothing. Both sides are turning this into a pissing match instead of doing what's best for the fans, the game, and themselves. They want to appear tough and resiliant, but are ending up being stupid and spiteful to a lot of folks who are being hurt by this.

 

[wazee]

jeezus, the players aren't the ones being so dense here. im pretty distraught with all the animosity that's being show to the players here. sure, they're overpaid...but they're the ones being asked to make significant concessions to an untrusworthy group of owners who messed up the last CBA on their own (and in the process are hurting fans like me by assuming we'll come back after this lockout). get off your high horse fans...you're no better people than these players are. the owners and team management, on the other hand, consist of many manipulative, condescending, egotistical and vindictive individuals wanting payback against the players. now, im starting to believe a lot of fans here are following in the same suit. even good ole brian burke has been slamming the owners for their hard way of thinking. the owners are trying to build rome in one day rather than make it gradually like the NFL did with their cap system.

anyhow, ill be glad to see the season ended. the majority of fans are staunch supporters of the owners so they ought to suffer the consequences of egging the owners on to take down the PA. me, i'm looking forward to baseball for the first time in my life. im focusing on the super bowl. im sick of this lockout crap and i hope the owners pay dearly for it.

Now that is kind of funny. You are 'distraught with all the animosity that's being show to the players here' but you have not problem labelling the owners as 'manipulative, condescending, egotistical and vindictive individuals'. No animosity there. Right?

 

[mr gib]

I think they probably feel this way, but IMO there certainly is a point to playing. Cap or no cap, when all is said and done they will probably get somewhere between 54 and 80% of revenues of any deal (even if no cap and no luxury tax is in place, I think the owners are not that stupid that they would spend more than 80% of revenues)... if a cancelled season has the same effect as it did to MLB, then there certainly is incentive for both sides to get things rolling this year. They are essentially arguing about how much of the revenues generated each side gets. If the season is canelled, and fans get pissed causing revenues to tumble, it doesn't matter what CBA is in place, the players (and owners) will loose a tonne of money.

This is what is so irksome to me. Both players and owners are being petty. Some players have said that they would not play if the cap were 200 million. Bettman has implied that he would not accept a luxury tax even if it were ridiculously high.

Both these views are disgusting. What does it matter if there is a cap at 200 million? It doesn't. What is the difference between a hard cap, and a luxury tax set at 1000%? nothing. Both sides are turning this into a pissing match instead of doing what's best for the fans, the game, and themselves. They want to appear tough and resiliant, but are ending up being stupid and spiteful to a lot of folks who are being hurt by this.

thanks for your intelligent post - a rarity round here - i just read the nhl proposal on another link and the owner's are willing to share 05 playoff revenue - you are indeed correct -

 

[txpd]

the player's are not dense - they've lost two third's of their wages already this year - there is no point giving into a cap now -

I think you are not listening to what brewer was saying. gretzky said the same thing. if the cba is not resolved to save this season, there will be no pressure in the off season to get a deal done and there will be no talks.

then we start all over again in mid september with the same bucket of stuff.
if they dont get it done now, you just about write off next season as well.
in fact it gets more difficult next season.

As i see it the only way this gets done is if the players can organize enough to get a vote on something. generally these players would be organized by the team player rep by team. by next season 75% of all of last year's nhl players will not have a contract and therefore no team. they are all solo contractors. with half or more of them in europe and 3/4 of them not tied to a team, how do they organize?

IMO its very possible that the end of the league is in sight.

 

[mr gib]

I think you are not listening to what brewer was saying. gretzky said the same thing. if the cba is not resolved to save this season, there will be no pressure in the off season to get a deal done and there will be no talks.

then we start all over again in mid september with the same bucket of stuff.
if they dont get it done now, you just about write off next season as well.
in fact it gets more difficult next season.

As i see it the only way this gets done is if the players can organize enough to get a vote on something. generally these players would be organized by the team player rep by team. by next season 75% of all of last year's nhl players will not have a contract and therefore no team. they are all solo contractors. with half or more of them in europe and 3/4 of them not tied to a team, how do they organize?

IMO its very possible that the end of the league is in sight.

i understand what you're saying however i think the logic is if they stay out the pressure is back on the owner's - see above too - cheers

 

[Levitate]

The players disgust me more and more each day. Let those morons sit for 2 or 3 years to think about it. I can deal with junior hockey for awhile

you're incredibly naive if you think the NHL can actually survive a 2-3 lockout

the NHL as we know it is completely dead if it shuts down for that long

 

[Digger12]

i understand what you're saying however i think the logic is if they stay out the pressure is back on the owner's - see above too - cheers

Yes, the economic pressure will start to hit the owners more than the players...but only for a couple of months. Then we're at September '05, and the players start missing paychecks all over again.

And rest assured, if the owners are forced to cancel this season and their beloved playoff revenue, expect this 'negotiation' to take a much different tone next year and however long it takes.

Right now NHL hockey is experiencing its own version of the Cuban Missile Crisis. One misstep, and EVERYONE loses.

 

[mr gib]

Yes, the economic pressure will start to hit the owners more than the players...but only for a couple of months. Then we're at September '05, and the players start missing paychecks all over again.

And rest assured, if the owners are forced to cancel this season and their beloved playoff revenue, expect this 'negotiation' to take a much different tone next year and however long it takes.

Right now NHL hockey is experiencing its own version of the Cuban Missile Crisis. One misstep, and EVERYONE loses.

no kidding - the deal is there!

 

[Jester]

the player's are not dense - they've lost two third's of their wages already this year - there is no point giving into a cap now -

other than to save the last third of their salary? it's still money...

the owners are also offering them playoff pay this year... more reason.

 

[hockeymistress]

other than to save the last third of their salary? it's still money...

the owners are also offering them playoff pay this year... more reason.

Maybe the "best conditioned athletes in the world" should take their demands for these high salaries to the professional sports teams that pay those salaries. It would be fun to have a hockey player attempt to go into football or baseball. How about basketball? They love superstars and big egos.

For a bunch of grown men so concerned about money an economics now, maybe they should have been considering the big picture when they were 15 years old and picking a "career."

H.

 

[AM]

when

According to all reports Edmonton made a profit last year with little to no revenue sharing and without playing a playoff game. The Oilers aren't going to be folded.

was the last time you talked to Cal?

Pull something else outa your butt.

 

[Sinurgy]

jeezus, the players aren't the ones being so dense here. im pretty distraught with all the animosity that's being show to the players here. sure, they're overpaid...but they're the ones being asked to make significant concessions to an untrusworthy group of owners who messed up the last CBA on their own (and in the process are hurting fans like me by assuming we'll come back after this lockout). get off your high horse fans...you're no better people than these players are. the owners and team management, on the other hand, consist of many manipulative, condescending, egotistical and vindictive individuals wanting payback against the players. now, im starting to believe a lot of fans here are following in the same suit. even good ole brian burke has been slamming the owners for their hard way of thinking. the owners are trying to build rome in one day rather than make it gradually like the NFL did with their cap system.

anyhow, ill be glad to see the season ended. the majority of fans are staunch supporters of the owners so they ought to suffer the consequences of egging the owners on to take down the PA. me, i'm looking forward to baseball for the first time in my life. im focusing on the super bowl. im sick of this lockout crap and i hope the owners pay dearly for it.

I agree with one thing you said and that is that I too will be glad to see the season ended. The players don't deserve to be playing hockey and making millions while doing it. I say pile the animosity on!!! The players are acting stupid and I'm laughing when I think about how many millions will be lost and how many careers will be destroyed all because of pigheadedness. They are acting like such ignorant children that people are actually backing owners, something most of us rarely would do. Now do I hate the players, of course not but are they bringing it all on themselves, a resounding YES!

 

[BAdvocate]

jeezus, the players aren't the ones being so dense here. im pretty distraught with all the animosity that's being show to the players here. sure, they're overpaid...but they're the ones being asked to make significant concessions to an untrusworthy group of owners who messed up the last CBA on their own (and in the process are hurting fans like me by assuming we'll come back after this lockout).

You are correct that the owners messed up the last CBA on their own.... Because they caved to the players demands.

 

[barnburner]

the player's are not dense - they've lost two third's of their wages already this year - there is no point giving into a cap now -

That logic can be applied both ways. The owners have lost 2/3d's of their
revenue already this year - why should they give in now?

There is no way the players are going to stick together thru the loss of a
2d season. If they don't take the cap now - they will end up doing it a year from now, and be in very poor bargaining position to get concessions in return.