Larry Brooks Column

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Terrier

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Just wanted to post Larry Brooks' column from Sunday's NY Post and get some reaction. I'm beginning to get frustrated with the owners because they won't at least try to expand on the PA's latest proposal. Heck, they ought to incorporate that warchest of theirs, ask the PA to expand that salary rollback and go from there. They're the ones who blew it in the first place by adding too many franchises in questionable markets.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/09122004/sports/30130.htm
 

djhn579

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That's funny. I like how the players can give their ultimatum (no hard cap OR link between salaries and revenues), and that's fine, but the owners give their ultimatum (some link between salaries and revenues), and that's bad.

I don't know what is preventing the owners from bringing in replacement players right now. Drop ticket prices and fans will come, enough to provide some kind of income at least. And once the lockout is over, have a line in the CBA saying that any player found to be harassing a player for crossing the strike line will be baned for life.

I also like how he makes it sound like these players will die for each other, when they get traded to new teams regularly and are always bickering with each other. The same players he says will stick together through a strike will try to take each others heads off once they are on the ice...
 

hockeytown9321

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djhn579 said:
That's funny. I like how the players can give their ultimatum (no hard cap OR link between salaries and revenues), and that's fine, but the owners give their ultimatum (some link between salaries and revenues), and that's bad.

I don't know what is preventing the owners from bringing in replacement players right now. Drop ticket prices and fans will come, enough to provide some kind of income at least. And once the lockout is over, have a line in the CBA saying that any player found to be harassing a player for crossing the strike line will be baned for life.

I also like how he makes it sound like these players will die for each other, when they get traded to new teams regularly and are always bickering with each other. The same players he says will stick together through a strike will try to take each others heads off once they are on the ice...


The owners ideal solution is a luxury tax. The players is to retain the status quo. Who's been willing to negotiate more?
 

fan mao rong

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djhn579 said:
I don't know what is preventing the owners from bringing in replacement players right now. ...
You know there might be some tactical and operational issues here that might prevent that. But legally, I think that might go. Impasse can be defined as 2 sides who have differing positions and no compromise is likely now or in the future. Well, then this is impass. I think a judge would agree. Unless they get a grandstander, like the girl who messed up Major League Baseball. But since this is Ice Hockey, a grandstander wouldn't garner that much attention to themselves.
 

Hasbro

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Larry Brooks: :joker: :lol :lol:

The other two times in recent history replacement players/scabs were used the strikes in question collapsed. The last NFL strike broke in a month when scabs came in.

Even at the reduced revenue of unsold tickets to see AHLers and ECHLs the owners will be getting revenue an paying these guys squat, people will want to keep their season tickets and more fans support ownership than players on this.
 

thinkwild

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Larry nails it again. Hate him for proposing trade runours all you want, if he can get the message out, there's a chance fans wont want a lockout.
 

pld459666

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actually

Hasbro said:
Larry Brooks: :joker: :lol :lol:

The other two times in recent history replacement players/scabs were used the strikes in question collapsed. The last NFL strike broke in a month when scabs came in.

Even at the reduced revenue of unsold tickets to see AHLers and ECHLs the owners will be getting revenue an paying these guys squat, people will want to keep their season tickets and more fans support ownership than players on this.


In the NFL's case, it wasn't a true matter of the strike collapsing, rather it was a combination of the players seeing things go on without them, and the NFL owners seeing some seriously bad football and 3/4 empty stadiums.

As for Baseball, in 1994 when they players went on strike, they actually never played replacement players in real games and the season was canceled so that's not a totally true statement either.

Additionally, you are correct, replacement players were called in due to the fact that currently contracted players went on strike, whereas in this situation the Owners have locked out the players and, I could be wrong, cannot hire replacement players, but could only try to coax players with contracts to come to work which will never happen.

The owners have 2 options, shut it down for a year and start over next September while unilaterally imposing a cap, voiding all contracts making everyone in the NHLPA a UFA and then going out and signing players to contracts that would fit under the league imposed cap

or

negotiate a contract that is going to be fair for all parties which in my opinion doesn't include a cap. And get some NHL games started.


Personally, and I wouldn't know how to go about choosing which teams get the ax, but I would scale the league back by 4-6 teams.

The talent pool is so diluted and it breeds mediocrity. Coaches no longer coach to win, they coach not to lose and it has created a boring product.

Additionally I would love to bring back some identity to the game.

2 Conferences, Campbell and Wales, 4 Divisions, Patrick, Adams, Norris and Smythe. Bring back the old divisional playoff format.

There was an attachment and pride for the Division that your team played in, the styles differences were evident and the rivalries that were borne out of the divisional playoff format was something that hasn't been duplicated.

Bettman NBA'ized the NHL and it's really put a damper on things in my opinion.
 

I in the Eye

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Hasbro said:
Larry Brooks: :joker: :lol :lol:

The other two times in recent history replacement players/scabs were used the strikes in question collapsed. The last NFL strike broke in a month when scabs came in.

Even at the reduced revenue of unsold tickets to see AHLers and ECHLs the owners will be getting revenue an paying these guys squat, people will want to keep their season tickets and more fans support ownership than players on this.

My buddies and I have already committed on our Canuck tickets for the year - I think... The Canucks contacted my buddy about our tickets - we agreed to a game package amongst ourselves, and I gave my buddy the money for my tickets - and I assume that he got the tickets... If the Canucks gave me a discount on the ticket package (perhaps the same or a little more than it would cost per ticket when compared to Giants games) - I'd be all for it... With Canuck luck, this will be the year we win the Stanley Cup - with our team and the league full of scabs :joker: (there's a Bertuzzi joke here somewhere)...

Either the Canucks full of scabs or the Giants - I'm going to get my Vancouver hockey this year one way or another... If I had a choice between the two, I'm supporting the Canucks ownership and the NHL with my entertainment $... I'd put my $ where my mouth is... I bet most people who go to NHL hockey games regularly (at least once every couple of weeks) would... I wouldn't spend the same high price per ticket, but I would spend money to see Canucks hockey next season...
 

GKJ

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hockeytown9321 said:
The owners ideal solution is a luxury tax. The players is to retain the status quo. Who's been willing to negotiate more?

Wait, wasn't it the players who just offered a luxury tax and the owners said 'come back when you're ready to talk $31M salary cap'? That's not trying to reatin the staus quo, that's willing to make concessions, something the owners are completely unwilling to do.
 

Street Hawk

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Not significant enough...

go kim johnsson said:
Wait, wasn't it the players who just offered a luxury tax and the owners said 'come back when you're ready to talk $31M salary cap'? That's not trying to reatin the staus quo, that's willing to make concessions, something the owners are completely unwilling to do.

Well, given the threshold the PA offered was 50 million dollars, that's not much of a dent into team payrolls. Also, I haven't heard what the tax rates would be for going over? If it's 10 to 20% only, that won't do much.

I guess the Owners could've countered that with a 31 million dollar threshold and a 100% tax, which the players would have rejected.
 

oilers_guy_eddie

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go kim johnsson said:
Wait, wasn't it the players who just offered a luxury tax and the owners said 'come back when you're ready to talk $31M salary cap'? That's not trying to reatin the staus quo, that's willing to make concessions, something the owners are completely unwilling to do.
Didn't the NHLPA's proposal start with a 10% tax at $40 million and rise by 5% for each $10 million over that? That's ridiculous-- that'd be $2.5 million on a $60 million payroll. Gee, wonder why the league didn't jump at that...
 

Schlep Rock

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oilers_guy_eddie said:
Didn't the NHLPA's proposal start with a 10% tax at $40 million and rise by 5% for each $10 million over that? That's ridiculous-- that'd be $2.5 million on a $60 million payroll. Gee, wonder why the league didn't jump at that...

Actually I thought I read somewhere it was 50% starting at $40 million rising 5% for every $10 million.

So if you spend $50 million you are looking at a tax of over $5 million (a.k.a. a first line player).
 

Terrier

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pld459666 said:
In the NFL's case, it wasn't a true matter of the strike collapsing, rather it was a combination of the players seeing things go on without them, and the NFL owners seeing some seriously bad football and 3/4 empty stadiums.

As for Baseball, in 1994 when they players went on strike, they actually never played replacement players in real games and the season was canceled so that's not a totally true statement either.

Additionally, you are correct, replacement players were called in due to the fact that currently contracted players went on strike, whereas in this situation the Owners have locked out the players and, I could be wrong, cannot hire replacement players, but could only try to coax players with contracts to come to work which will never happen.

The owners have 2 options, shut it down for a year and start over next September while unilaterally imposing a cap, voiding all contracts making everyone in the NHLPA a UFA and then going out and signing players to contracts that would fit under the league imposed cap

or

negotiate a contract that is going to be fair for all parties which in my opinion doesn't include a cap. And get some NHL games started.


Personally, and I wouldn't know how to go about choosing which teams get the ax, but I would scale the league back by 4-6 teams.

The talent pool is so diluted and it breeds mediocrity. Coaches no longer coach to win, they coach not to lose and it has created a boring product.

Additionally I would love to bring back some identity to the game.

2 Conferences, Campbell and Wales, 4 Divisions, Patrick, Adams, Norris and Smythe. Bring back the old divisional playoff format.

There was an attachment and pride for the Division that your team played in, the styles differences were evident and the rivalries that were borne out of the divisional playoff format was something that hasn't been duplicated.

Bettman NBA'ized the NHL and it's really put a damper on things in my opinion.


Take a look back at 1996. The NHL had 26 teams. The product was decent, including some great playoff series like the first clash between Colorado and Detroit. Even the Blackhawks were filling their arena. When they stretched the league to 30 teams, then it became hopelessly diluted(along with the Bruins season-ticket package I owned back then). Visits by Nashville and Atlanta meant fewer visits by Philly and Detroit. Ugh!!
 

hockeytown9321

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go kim johnsson said:
Wait, wasn't it the players who just offered a luxury tax and the owners said 'come back when you're ready to talk $31M salary cap'? That's not trying to reatin the staus quo, that's willing to make concessions, something the owners are completely unwilling to do.

D'oh, yes meant to day cap. Hopefully they get something done soon because I can't type this much everyday.
 

hockeytown9321

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Terrier said:
Take a look back at 1996. The NHL had 26 teams. The product was decent, including some great playoff series like the first clash between Colorado and Detroit. Even the Blackhawks were filling their arena. When they stretched the league to 30 teams, then it became hopelessly diluted(along with the Bruins season-ticket package I owned back then). Visits by Nashville and Atlanta meant fewer visits by Philly and Detroit. Ugh!!

And you wanted to see Detroit and Philly because they were excellent teams. Like I've always said, the league needs teams like that to draw casual fans, especially in the non-traditional markets. A cap makes sustaining a good-great team next to impossible.
 
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