Is this a joke?

[Madevilz]

http://tsn.ca/wha/news_story.asp?id=111279

it really is.

Click to read more...

 

[Wetcoaster]

http://tsn.ca/wha/news_story.asp?id=111279

it really is.

Slow news day.

 

[djhn579]

An interesting comment in there for those that wanted the players to start up their own league...


The release concluded by stating that, ''The WHA will make further announcements as things develop.'' In a telephone interview, Smith said his group is different from the previous owners of the WHA label because, ''The previous group did not have the capital required to move forward.''

http://tsn.ca/wha/news_story.asp?id=111279

 

[struckmatch]

Are union members even supporting this, or even caring about the development of the WHA? There's no way they will have more than 20 franchises, so a lot of union members will be without jobs, there is no way this league will generate enough revenue to pay these players an average salary of $1.3 million, if the owners of the teams of the WHA were smart, they'd impose a salary cap, or some form of cost certainty right from the get go.

Why would any union member who isn't a superstar support this? Only the stars will have jobs, and even the superstars themselves won't be compensated better by the WHA than they would by the NHL.

This must be a joke.

 

[X0ssbar]

"In the meantime, Smith said he has fielded calls from NHL players, including Dallas Stars captain Mike Modano. Other NHLers -- like Brett Hull, son of the first WHA star and current commissioner Bobby Hull, Jeremy Roenick, Chris Chelios and netminder Manny Legace -- already have indicated they might be interested in playing in the league."

"The league will operate with a soft cap that, depending on the number of franchises, will be in the $14 million range. If the WHA does implement a half-schedule this year, the cap would be about $5 million, Smith said.


Each team will be allowed one "marquee" player whose salary would be capped at $5 million (reduced accordingly for a half-season) and one sub-marquee player whose salary would be capped at half of that. The irony of a player rejecting a cap in the NHL and an average salary of at least $1.3 million to play under a cap system in a fledgling, low-budget professional league is not lost on Smith.

"It's not so much how we'll pay but how we'll explain it," Smith said.

For instance, players will be allowed to have a stake in ownership. Smith hopes netminder Ed Belfour, who was involved in the previous WHA's Dallas franchise, will again be involved. Teams will have an open-book policy, with designated player representatives who will have access to the books whenever they want, Smith said."

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/columns/story?id=1967012

So let me get this straight - players are willing to play in the WHA with a team salary cap of 14 million yet they are unwilling to play in the best league in the world for a proposed cap of 38 million? This has reached beyond the word of 'rediculous'.

First players move overseas to play for peanuts and non guranteed contracts and now the Modanos/Belfours/Hulls of the world are considering playing in the WHA which will have a cap! How can the NHLPA possibly justify this?

Meanwhile, if I'm an NHL owner and I am watching players play in the WHA under a capped system my posistion behind a cap only grows stronger. Why? Because players are playing under a cap now which means they will play under a cap later. To me this is a sign that Goodenow is NOT representing his membership and this is personal for him.

The WHA may be the best thing to happen to the NHL - if this league gets off the ground and a couple of name players decide to make the jump and play under a cap - I think you'll see a lot of internal conflict amongst NHLPA membership come to a head and the "association" will crumble. I think Goodenow's decision to allow the association's players to play in other pro leagues will ultimately be the decision that loses this battle for the NHLPA.

 

[Brent Burns Beard]

first off, i give the WHA nor a players league zero creditability. its stupid and full of holes.

however, this quote struck me ...

"It's not so much how we'll pay but how we'll explain it," Smith said.

If Bettmann would change his tough love act and stop trying to ram it down the players throats, they will open to accepting the NHL's position.

its not like what he is doing now is working. i dont care if he wins in the end, if he loses even 1 season of hockey to acheive it, it has NOT done his job.

dr

 

[futurcorerock]

The funnier joke is that TSN now has its own subheading for WHA articles. Its just as bad that a sports network would take them seriously.

 

[djhn579]

"In the meantime, Smith said he has fielded calls from NHL players, including Dallas Stars captain Mike Modano. Other NHLers -- like Brett Hull, son of the first WHA star and current commissioner Bobby Hull, Jeremy Roenick, Chris Chelios and netminder Manny Legace -- already have indicated they might be interested in playing in the league."

"The league will operate with a soft cap that, depending on the number of franchises, will be in the $14 million range. If the WHA does implement a half-schedule this year, the cap would be about $5 million, Smith said.


Each team will be allowed one "marquee" player whose salary would be capped at $5 million (reduced accordingly for a half-season) and one sub-marquee player whose salary would be capped at half of that. The irony of a player rejecting a cap in the NHL and an average salary of at least $1.3 million to play under a cap system in a fledgling, low-budget professional league is not lost on Smith.

"It's not so much how we'll pay but how we'll explain it," Smith said.

For instance, players will be allowed to have a stake in ownership. Smith hopes netminder Ed Belfour, who was involved in the previous WHA's Dallas franchise, will again be involved. Teams will have an open-book policy, with designated player representatives who will have access to the books whenever they want, Smith said."

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/columns/story?id=1967012

So let me get this straight - players are willing to play in the WHA with a team salary cap of 14 million yet they are unwilling to play in the best league in the world for a proposed cap of 38 million? This has reached beyond the word of 'rediculous'.

First players move overseas to play for peanuts and non guranteed contracts and now the Modanos/Belfours/Hulls of the world are considering playing in the WHA which will have a cap! How can the NHLPA possibly justify this?

Meanwhile, if I'm an NHL owner and I am watching players play in the WHA under a capped system my posistion behind a cap only grows stronger. Why? Because players are playing under a cap now which means they will play under a cap later. To me this is a sign that Goodenow is NOT representing his membership and this is personal for him.

The WHA may be the best thing to happen to the NHL - if this league gets off the ground and a couple of name players decide to make the jump and play under a cap - I think you'll see a lot of internal conflict amongst NHLPA membership come to a head and the "association" will crumble. I think Goodenow's decision to allow the association's players to play in other pro leagues will ultimately be the decision that loses this battle for the NHLPA.

How would that look at an impasse hearing when the board asks the NHLPA why they won't accept a cap, yet many of your players are playing in the WHA under a cap? I think that would put the NHLPA in a very hard to defend position...

 

[BLONG7]

How would that look at an impasse hearing when the board asks the NHLPA why they won't accept a cap, yet many of your players are playing in the WHA under a cap? I think that would put the NHLPA in a very hard to defend position...

Exactly!!! Not to mention they are running to Europe to play for even less...

 

[RangerBoy]

How would that look at an impasse hearing when the board asks the NHLPA why they won't accept a cap, yet many of your players are playing in the WHA under a cap? I think that would put the NHLPA in a very hard to defend position...

CAP? :lol

 

[FLYLine27*]

It would be better hockey then NHL replacments.

 

[CarlRacki]

It would be better hockey then NHL replacments.

Except when given a choice, how many top players are going to choose a league with a $14 million cap ($583,000 average salary) over one with a $38 million cap ($1.58 million per player).
My guess is only the criminally stupid chooses WHA.

 

[hfboardsuser]

Except when given a choice, how many top players are going to choose a league with a $14 million cap ($583,000 average salary) over one with a $38 million cap ($1.58 million per player).

Yeah, that's almost as unlikely as top players going to play in Europe for a fraction of what they'd make if there was an NHL season- with some claiming they'd stay there their whole lives if they had to.

 

[mr gib]

http://tsn.ca/wha/news_story.asp?id=111279

it really is.

- bring it on! -

 

[MePutPuckInNet]

Sid Crosby mentioned the new WHA the other day on Cold Pizza [ESPN2]. He seemed to feel it was an option for him next season if there's no NHL....just thought it was interesting...