FlyersFan10*
Guest
This lockout should be over right now. Bettman just doesn't get it. The players union will never trust him. Ever. He's proven his inability to capitalize on the popularity of the sport in the U.S. When the first lockout took place, the New York Rangers had just won the Stanley Cup. The final was some of the best hockey we had seen in years. Ratings were high, interest was high and salaries weren't going through the roof. Yet, Bettman in all his infinite wisdom decided that a lockout was the way to go because things were getting out of hand. What happened? Hockey lost all it's momentum and any chance of getting that lucrative TV deal fell through. Bettman in his infinite wisdom once again thought that by expanding into non-traditional hockey markets, the league could generate interest in the game and the league would make money. Once again, Gary's infinite wisdom was proved wrong. On top of that, the new deal that owners negotiated with the players was one in which the players benefitted greatly. Remember, it was the owners who went to the union with the "final offer" as per Harry Sinden. How could Goodenow and the union not refuse the offer the owners put forward. And now, owners are crying poor because they negotiated their own bad deal and that they want the players to accept a salary cap so that owners can prevent themselves from making bad deals? Please. What I'll say in closing is this. If the owners want the lockout to be over and get games going again, it would take two central figures to get talks going. Those figures are Lemieux and Gretzky. Bettman and the rest of the negotiating committee know this. However, they refuse to ask Gretz and Lemieux be a part of the negotiating process. Do you think Goodenow would try to discredit Gretz and Lemieux to the union? I don't think Bob would simply because it would be career suicide. I think Gretz, Lemieux, and Goodenow could hammer out an agreement and get things looked after. However, Bettman and his ego seem to be the thing that is preventing this from happening. I don't know, but I think Gary's main M.O. is to break the union. What a dolt. What a complete and utter dolt.
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