Too good to be true? Report that NHL might start Jan 24th

[Taxman]

Rumor of plans in works

From Rob Simpson
This info came from Rob Simpson of Maple Leaf America...he was on a Talk Show in Philly last night. This goes along with alot of what I've been hearing.


- He has three unnamed sources: a "high up" Leafs exec, a player rep, and a current player, who is a Hall of Fame lock, who wouldn't play again if the season was cancelled;

- The NHLPA reps are meeting via conference call by the end of the week;

- The players will offer that player salaries take up 56% of league revenues and will not call this a cap. They'll find a way to spin it so as not to lose face. The league would be expected to try to argue it down to 54%. (Note from me: Quickie math based on the numbers from the NHL has player salaries that take up 56% of revenues equaling about a $37 mil cap).

- They would need to agree on one party to conduct end of the year audits and Simpson brought up Bill Wirtz's shuffling of numbers and concealing revenues by putting certain parts (ie, concessions) under the name of a different company and not the Hawks;

- He says the season will start January 24th and that some teams already have plans for a seven-day minicamp in the works. The season would be 48 games (provided the league could start up by the 24th), with intraconference only play, with the Cup Final wrapping up by the third week of June;

- The players are apparently buckling because they've lost $800 million this season already (Note from me: This number seemed awfully high to me, but again, number crunching using the basic numbers given by the NHL actually prove the $800 mil in lost salary to be correct);

- He pointed out that if this drags into the summer and then "next season," the NHLPA would likely be dissolved, and keeping the union together is a motivating factor for players;

- Again, he says that this will NOT be called a cap. It will be considered a form of cost-certainty. But it'll pretty much be a cap; and

- He "quoted" the unnamed Leafs exec, who has supposedly said, "It will get done."

Click to read more...

 

[FLYLine27*]

I hate posts like this(no to offend you Tax...its still someones duty to post all news and rumors about the lockout)....just gets hope up. Im not going to belive it.

 

[Twine Seeking Missle]

this type of stuff makes me so angry. Eklund should keep his mouth shut until he knows something FOR SURE. In his last post he said the nhlpa would submit a proposal on dec 28th. It is now jan 5th... enough said

 

[Johnnybegood13]

this type of stuff makes me so angry. Eklund should keep his mouth shut until he knows something FOR SURE. In his last post he said the nhlpa would submit a proposal on dec 28th. It is now jan 5th... enough said

To be fair...how do we actually know they didn't

 

[Twine Seeking Missle]

To be fair...how do we actually know they didn't

unless you were being sarcastic lol... im sure TSN or ESPN would have gotten hold of such information by now.

 

[MmmBacon]

Isn't a $37 million cap actually lower than the owners' last proposal? That hardly seems like a realistic expectation for a counter-offer from the players.

 

[Go Flames Go*]

There will not be NHL hockey unless the players are ready to accept the fact they are the problem in the game.

This site is bogus last time is stated the players are ready to give in for the good of the game what we got was one of the worst proposals by the NHLPA.

 

[GirardIsStupid]

one of the worst proposals by the NHLPA? is that you bill wirtz?

 

[Go Flames Go*]

one of the worst proposals by the NHLPA? is that you bill wirtz?

What kind of ******** proposal has a luxury tax at $45 million and 20% on the dollar and call that a significant consession? It was terrible and not meanigful at all. If they wanted to be serious they would of been talking percentages of the payrolls ranges system.

 

[bleedgreen]

not sure they can even figure out the specifics of a cost certainty system this late in the game. i hope your right, but im not holding my breath.

 

[RangerBoy]

Isn't a $37 million cap actually lower than the owners' last proposal? That hardly seems like a realistic expectation for a counter-offer from the players.

Actually the NHL's last offer was a $34.6-38.6 million salary range which is linked to a team's revenue.However,$2 million of the salary range would have been set aside for benefits(whatever that means)

The NHLPA has never proposed any type of cap and refuses to discuss it.If they offer a cap in a new proposal,it's game over

 

[Charge_Seven]

What kind of ******** proposal has a luxury tax at $45 million and 20% on the dollar and call that a significant consession? It was terrible and not meanigful at all. If they wanted to be serious they would of been talking percentages of the payrolls ranges system.

If you think the palyers last offer was terrible, I do not even know why I am going to bother to reply to you. However, I will. In the wonderful world of "negotiations" people take previous offers, and change them to better them. What the players did was open up the floor for the owners to tweak their numbers (if the owners weren't going to make an offer, someone had to do it). Nobody thought that offer was goig to get a deal done, however it was supposed to get the ball rolling the way the players wanted it rolling.

I also take issue with your claim that the players need to accept that they are the problem, since the OWNERS HAVE ALREADY FREAKING WELL SAID IT WAS THEIR FREAKING FAULT*. But hey, what do the owners know eh? They have no idea prior to signing contracts, or prior to making any moves at all that they can't keep doing it, but they keep on doing it.

* Here's the link to the acceptance of blame.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/teams/news_story.asp?ID=108345&hubName=nhl-flyers

Here's the actual quote:

"They're blaming us for getting where we are and we're assuming full responsibility for that. But they're not agreeing with our cure for it."

-Snider, in regards to the players blaming the owners for the problems.

Do your homework next time.

 

[swflyers8*]

Anything Eklund says = Never true.

 

[eye]

We can only hope.

 

[GKJ]

Hmmm...some people are talking as if the owners would accept this proposal...?

 

[Seachd]

This guy has been saying stuff like this for months now. Yet we still have no hockey. Almost makes me not want to believe him this time.

 

[Digger12]

In his last post he said the nhlpa would submit a proposal on dec 28th. It is now jan 5th... enough said

Actually, he didn't.

They are going to come back with a counter proposal, that may hit around December 28th.

Like any good weasel, he left himself with a bit of wiggle room.

As for whether or not he's full of it, I would tend to agree. However, I do believe that there will be a season. Call me hopelessly naive, maybe I am.

 

[chara]

It has to.

If not, it'll be January 2007. That's when the owners pretty much get a clean slate to start over with less than 100 players under contract. Past mistakes erased.

BTW, am I happy about this? Absolutely not. I love the game immensely and I'm no fan of the owners. However, this is just simple mathematics. Short term pain. Long term financial gain. This is a reality that the NHLPA must be immensely aware of.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

It has to.

If not, it'll be January 2007. That's when the owners pretty much get a clean slate to start over with less than 100 players under contract. Past mistakes erased.

BTW, am I happy about this? Absolutely not. I love the game immensely and I'm no fan of the owners. However, this is just simple mathematics. Short term pain. Long term financial gain. This is a reality that the NHLPA must be immensely aware of.

Never thought of it that way. And yes the gun really is at the head of the players. They lose two years of relatively short careers while boatloads of kids become draft eligible and rising to potentially take their jobs every year. Some will never play again even if this ended tomorrow. The owners? Some losses I suppose, but perhaps none. They get some cost certainty and their franchise values, which have to be in the relative toilet right now, maybe double. Not bad for losing a year and a half of hockey. Add in any growth at all and they gain even more. It seems that the owners can not lose by holding firm until they get the Cap that they want.

Baseball owners, take notice. This is the way to get your balls out of the hands of the players.

 

[romain_jaime]

According to Alfredsson this is false:

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?id=110261

A few quotes:

Alfredsson: No union offer coming

1/6/2005

The NHLPA is not preparing another last minute offer and the union is prepared to "lose the season"

"We're not working on anything ... we're not going to do anything to change our offer," Alfredsson tells the newspaper.

"We thought we made them an offer that they could work with. What we found out in that meeting was they have a one-track mind. (Gary Bettman) is stuck on one thing and we're not going to play under a cap system."

"We're willing to lose the season if that's what it takes. We're prepared for it."

 

[dunwoody_joe]

Who cares anymore!

I'm tired of the debates about the nuances of who proposed what. I want hockey back yesterday. These clowns are killing the game.

If they kill the season, it will be a disgrace. If it harms next season it might be the end of the NHL/NHLPA as we know it. We might be watching hockey from Russia pretty soon.

 

[romain_jaime]

I have to be completely honest with you all, if the NHL never gets this fixed with the NHLPA I could care less !

I am a very serious and avid hockey fan, and if Europe becomes "the" place to play hockey it really doesn't matter to me as long as it has the best hockey players playing the best sport on earth.

 

[chara]

According to Alfredsson this is false:

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?id=110261

A few quotes:

Alfredsson: No union offer coming

1/6/2005

The NHLPA is not preparing another last minute offer and the union is prepared to "lose the season"

"We're not working on anything ... we're not going to do anything to change our offer," Alfredsson tells the newspaper.

"We thought we made them an offer that they could work with. What we found out in that meeting was they have a one-track mind. (Gary Bettman) is stuck on one thing and we're not going to play under a cap system."

"We're willing to lose the season if that's what it takes. We're prepared for it."

Enjoy the next two seasons in Sweden, Alfie. Stay strong. The Sens will need you at your best in 2006-07.

 

[X0ssbar]

According to Alfredsson this is false:

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?id=110261

A few quotes:

Alfredsson: No union offer coming

1/6/2005

The NHLPA is not preparing another last minute offer and the union is prepared to "lose the season"

"We're not working on anything ... we're not going to do anything to change our offer," Alfredsson tells the newspaper.

"We thought we made them an offer that they could work with. What we found out in that meeting was they have a one-track mind. (Gary Bettman) is stuck on one thing and we're not going to play under a cap system."

"We're willing to lose the season if that's what it takes. We're prepared for it."

Whatcha waiting on Alfie - if your so certain the season will be cancelled I'm sure you can catch a flight over to Sweden in the next few days..???

..more rhetoric..

 

[Benji Frank]

In the article it says teams are quietly getting ready for a minicamp....

Just for fun, i did a search of each CDN teams website. The Calgary Flames posted up in their employment opportunites on 01/03/05 for parking lot attendants for the 04/05 season. Seems kind of odd to start looking for people if they know in about 10 days, the season's going to be cancelled.

I don't know. This whole lockout thing just seems like it was all pre-planned. Everything seems to happen on or around the same day (14) & there doesn't seem to be any signs of desparation on either sides part even though at stake is a $2 Billion Plus industry..... I guess I'll find out soon enough probably the 14th , but it really seems like they planned all along to cancel half a season ... the non-profitable half; then they get a contract signed and move on with life... Goodenow and Betman probably had a skeletal deal and timeline worked out a couple of years ago!!!