NHPLA's huge mistake on replacement players

Status
Not open for further replies.

RLC

Registered User
Aug 7, 2004
622
0
Montreal
So you think nobody will pay to see replacement players ! YOU had better thing again.

THe current NHLPA players are now thinking that hey are the best players and that's it. That the game will be down to AHL standard with replacement players.

Well, this is the way I see it.
1st- some of the AHL players are already "ready for prime time" in the NHL and would make NHL standards easily.

2nd- Lots of players just missed being drafted over the years but can still play at a high level, as the best example I can think of is the World Championships. Each country puts a team on the ice with maybe 30-40% nhl players. Now if you have seen the standard of play these days in the World CHampionships, it's realy exciting to watch, and half the players are currently not part of the NHLPA. These players are earning what? 100-300,000 euros ( maybe). So here come the NHL and with offers to pay these guys an average of 800,000. or maybe 2.5 - 4 times what they earn right now. You bet that they will jump at the chance.

3rd- at least 200 of the current 700 players in the NHLPA would crose the line as for the other 500, you just wait until they see european players come over to take replacement player jobs to fill in the gaps. WOW !

4th- add to all this , new rule changes to get a quicker,faster, more scoring better looking product on the ice. ( perhaps with shootout's)

5th- Every year this replacement player league exists is yet another year of new rookies and new draftings, so in a matter of what 2-4 years 90% of the holdouts of the NHLPA no longer are needed anyway.

6th- 90% of all hockey players don't realy have a second career all ready to go to once his hockey carreer is over. Most are counting on investing some of their money in a business and to have their "name" bring in sales. losing half of their NHL playing years in an extended 2-3 lockout would be devastating to their personal wealth plans. The owners can go through a 5 year lockout and make all the lost money back in the 5 years after the lockout. Some of the players would have retired to the cayman islands but will have to settle for "balconville" and trying to convince kids arround the appartment block that they used to play hockey in the NHL.
 

IslesRule

Registered User
Feb 27, 2002
309
0
Visit site
I agree with you on every point except the number of players that will cross. You said 200 of 700, I think it will likely be 500-600, making the impact much less.

Lets hope that there will be an impasse declared and we can see Hockey in the fall. I for one will go see the replacements, the same cant be said for this current group.
 

Pavel

Registered User
Mar 1, 2004
2,592
0
Houston
The longer this goes the more I think the NHL's intent was to break this union. It almost seems like the owners (not all) we're ready to throw away the season so they could declare impasse and institute at cap at a number in the low 30's. To act like talks could be revived if the PA would accept a cap around 45M, only to have it flame out seems a bit odd in a multi-billion dollar industry.
 

Jarqui

Registered User
Jul 8, 2003
1,966
83
Visit site
Pavel said:
The longer this goes the more I think the NHL's intent was to break this union. It almost seems like the owners (not all) we're ready to throw away the season so they could declare impasse and institute at cap at a number in the low 30's. To act like talks could be revived if the PA would accept a cap around 45M, only to have it flame out seems a bit odd in a multi-billion dollar industry.

If you think what has happened to date has been a mess, just wait until they get to impasse. Neither side would find the legal mess in impasse appealing. It is very high risk and could be very costly.

The owners want a system to control payroll costs and the players don't. Both parties have made some concessions.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad

-->