Replacement players can't shake the stigma

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RangerBoy

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This fall, 700 fringe hockey players may face the same thorny choice: cross the picket line and play, or support locked-out NHL stars. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has vowed to open training camps next fall, hinting that replacements might wear the sweaters. When Bettman scans sports labor history, he sees little hazard in hiring backup players.

Major League Baseball paid $5,000 bonuses to help entice Cockrell and other minor-leaguers to stand in for spring-training games in 1995, then saw the strike crumble hours before opening day. The NFL, torn by a strike in 1987, enlisted replacements for three regular-season games. The fans showed up. The strike ended. And the league got what it wanted: a salary cap.

Many NHL fans ache to return to the arena, whether to root for Colorado's Chris Gratton or for Josh Gratton - Chris' cousin and a center for the minor-league Trenton Titans. Josh Gratton has said he would have "no problem" skating as a replacement.


http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~84~2754429,00.html

Very good article on replacement players
 

X8oD

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Despite all the people who think nobody will pay to see replacement players, history proves otherwise.

Infact, it hink people will pay, BECAUSE they are replacement players. Something about this country that just loves to stick it to rich people who want more "or else"
 

ArtG

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Feb 9, 2004
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the only problem I see with this is that if people weren't coming out before to see the real players (in the US markets) then why would they come out to see replacements?

In Canada, I think fans will definitely still pack the arenas.... especially cuz most are on the owners' side.
 

shakes

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ArtG said:
the only problem I see with this is that if people weren't coming out before to see the real players (in the US markets) then why would they come out to see replacements?

In Canada, I think fans will definitely still pack the arenas.... especially cuz most are on the owners' side.

Well then how does that help the league then, if the majority of the franchises don't have any fans in the building? I thought this lockout was all about them?

As well.. that article seems to portray MLBPA as giving in. The cap's like 100 million or something?!? I'm sure the NHLPA would go for a 100 million salary cap too.
 

pei fan

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Let's not forget in the discussion 2 ways of having replacement players,with or without an impasse.My unerstanding is that without an impasse the PA players
can't cross if they wanted to.
ALSO-I agree that the hard-core traditional cities especially the Canadian cities
would support their teams with replacement players but don't count out the
others wholly.Remember,most of these teams count on corporate season
ticketholders and they are their any way to support the team in the city
and you probably don't have to guess whether they support the owners or the
PA.
 

X0ssbar

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To the key to whether or not people will come watch replacements is ticket prices. If the owners slash ticket prices - they will come.
 

misterjaggers

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chiavsfan said:
Bill Mueller of the Boston Red Sox made himself a pretty good living after being a replacement player. In fact, a batting title, and a World Series ring later, he is still doing pretty well. And he is NOT a member of the PA
Kevin Millar, the team's fireplug, doesn't seem to be having any problems either.
 

Hoss

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chiavsfan said:
Bill Mueller of the Boston Red Sox made himself a pretty good living after being a replacement player. In fact, a batting title, and a World Series ring later, he is still doing pretty well. And he is NOT a member of the PA

Baseball is not as reliant on team play as hockey, loner players can still thrive in an environment which focuses on individual play. A similar arguement can be made for posistions like QB replacement players in the NFL.

Too much is made of the success of a few individiual replacement players, I think the real success of most of the replacement players was an opportunity to play in the bigs before they went on to successful lives as car salesmen, personal trainers etc. The chances of turning up a real diamond in the rough that somehow got missed is remote at best.
 

DJmastamind

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I've said it all along, I'll be the first one lined up to buy tickets.....AT A REDUCED PRICE!!!! That is the key, ticket prices need to be reduced, discounts on merchandise, etc. I think the NHLPA will crumble.
 

Tuggy

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DJmastamind said:
I've said it all along, I'll be the first one lined up to buy tickets.....AT A REDUCED PRICE!!!! That is the key, ticket prices need to be reduced, discounts on merchandise, etc. I think the NHLPA will crumble.

And there is no doubt in my mind that (if replacement players are in fact used) the NHL will drop prices all around. They would have no choice.
 

misterjaggers

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Hoss said:
Baseball is not as reliant on team play as hockey, loner players can still thrive in an environment which focuses on individual play. A similar arguement can be made for posistions like QB replacement players in the NFL...
Quarterbacks don't rely on their teammates? And what about Lawrence Taylor?
 

dakota

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Tuggy said:
And there is no doubt in my mind that (if replacement players are in fact used) the NHL will drop prices all around. They would have no choice.

maybe then some fans will actually be able to afford to goto the games that could not before... it could be a good situation..
 

chiavsfan

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Baseball is the same way...a guy can come in and hit tons of home runs (Sammy Sosa) but if the team dosen't drive in more than his runs...the TEAM dosen't win. A team can score 10 runs, but 9 errors and walks by a pitcher means the team will usually give up more and lose. Baseball is indeed a team sport.

I can say the NHL is an individual sport too...the Ducks 2 years ago weren't out of the first round if not for JS Gigure. Kippers was INTEGRAL in the Flames run. Irbe for Carolina...Beezer for Florida...
 

Beukeboom Fan

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X8oD said:
Despite all the people who think nobody will pay to see replacement players, history proves otherwise.

Infact, it hink people will pay, BECAUSE they are replacement players. Something about this country that just loves to stick it to rich people who want more "or else"

IF the NHL can use replacement players - the issue then becomes how long the PA can keep it's members in line.

Can you imagine guys like Yashin, Holik, or Marchant not crossing the picket lines? I would bet that most any player with a valid contract would cross and play, at which point the hole thing comes apart from the PA perspective.

I bet that a guy like Marchant would make more playing that one year on his current contract than he would the entire rest of his life outside the NHL. I just don't see how the PA keeps any bit of solidarity if guys like Brown and Barnaby decide they want to make the $1.7MM per year under the contracts the Hawks signed them too last summer.
 

GKJ

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chiavsfan said:
Bill Mueller of the Boston Red Sox made himself a pretty good living after being a replacement player. In fact, a batting title, and a World Series ring later, he is still doing pretty well. And he is NOT a member of the PA


That would be Kevin Millar, not Bill Mueller who was a replacement player.
 

FLYLine27*

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Nov 9, 2004
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LoL he sees LITTLE Hazard in bringing in replacments. Hahahah. Good luck trying to sell out 1/2 of a building in the US...good luck trying to sell 3000 tickets to half the buildings in the US. Ticket prices are only going to drop what..10-20%? People are dreaming if they think they are going to be getting 50% ticket prices. Dreaming!
 

likea

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actually, the people in small market cities might support the replacements better than they did their NHL team last year.

why, because it would help make hockey competitive again. the owners would win the strike in a week or 2 of fans went to the arenas and the players realized they were SOL.

I am a Pittsburgh Penguins fan and I will go to or buy tickets to every game they have at mellon arena with replacement players
 

X8oD

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FLYLine4LIFE said:
LoL he sees LITTLE Hazard in bringing in replacments. Hahahah. Good luck trying to sell out 1/2 of a building in the US...good luck trying to sell 3000 tickets to half the buildings in the US. Ticket prices are only going to drop what..10-20%? People are dreaming if they think they are going to be getting 50% ticket prices. Dreaming!

one of my majjor pet peaves on forums.

People who jump into a thread already at least 2 pages in, dont bother replying to anybody else, or even attempt to dispute or back up the article... And just start making fun of things.
 

Beukeboom Fan

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FLYLine4LIFE said:
LoL he sees LITTLE Hazard in bringing in replacments. Hahahah. Good luck trying to sell out 1/2 of a building in the US...good luck trying to sell 3000 tickets to half the buildings in the US. Ticket prices are only going to drop what..10-20%? People are dreaming if they think they are going to be getting 50% ticket prices. Dreaming!

How many games do you think there would be before guys players start crossing the picket-lines? Look at Jagr. He'd be back in a New York minute. Hell, he left home to make $2.5M in Russia. How long do you think it'd take him to come back and play for his $11M paycheck?

I'd be shocked if we were looking at even a month of games with replacement players. There would be a slew of guys whose only alternative is to take a 80% paycut and play in Europe.

The owners could VERY, VERY easily cut ticket prices by 50+% and take a financial beating for a relatively short period of time. They KNOW that all it's going to take is for maybe half of the 200 guys that are currently under contract to cross the picket lines, and the PA will likely fold like a house of cards. (BTW, I'm not anti-player in this whole stupid dispute - that's just how I see Bettman evaluating his current position.)
 

AlexGodynyuk

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Feb 3, 2005
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Beukeboom Fan said:
How many games do you think there would be before guys players start crossing the picket-lines? Look at Jagr. He'd be back in a New York minute. Hell, he left home to make $2.5M in Russia. How long do you think it'd take him to come back and play for his $11M paycheck?

I'd be shocked if we were looking at even a month of games with replacement players. There would be a slew of guys whose only alternative is to take a 80% paycut and play in Europe.

The owners could VERY, VERY easily cut ticket prices by 50+% and take a financial beating for a relatively short period of time. They KNOW that all it's going to take is for maybe half of the 200 guys that are currently under contract to cross the picket lines, and the PA will likely fold like a house of cards. (BTW, I'm not anti-player in this whole stupid dispute - that's just how I see Bettman evaluating his current position.)
Your logic is flawed. Teams would be shooting themselves if they cut ticket prices by 50% AND expected players to come back.
If they cut ticket prices, they cut them for the year. Otherwise what do you tell season ticket holders "Well, we'll charge you $3,000 for your ticket but if player X comes back it goes up to $4,000 and if player Y comes back it's up to $4,500).
You can't set sliding ticket prices during a season.
 

Mess

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X8oD said:
Despite all the people who think nobody will pay to see replacement players, history proves otherwise.

Infact, it hink people will pay, BECAUSE they are replacement players. Something about this country that just loves to stick it to rich people who want more "or else"
By rich I am sure you are referring to the Billionaire Owners and not the Millionaire Players .... Right ??
 
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