Who would cross first?

[SuperUnknown]

I say the guys who cross are those who truly love the game. (Who amongst us would not play for free if we had the chance?) And when they are asked about crossing the lines all they have to do is respond "Hey, I'm goin ' to play some hockey..."

How about just saying: "Hockey is a business, I need this year's income". This would certainly be in line with what the players have been saying these past few years.

The only thing that I wish is that the lockout is long enough so that Damphousse retires without playing again. That would be a relief.

 

[Zoo]

Lemieux and I believe Gretzky would come out of retirement to help fill the arena and sell the game. I'd like to see alot of former nhl players make a come back too.

Adam Graves
Randy McKay
Ken Daneyko
Pat Lafontine
Adam Oates
Ray Bourque

I can keep going on and on. I feel alot of the old heads will see the game is in trouble and will come back to help the NHL and line there wallet too.

First high profile player to cross will be ...

Jeremy Roenick

 

[Hasbro]

Scott Mellanby

I predict it will be someone near the end of his carreer.

Agree with that, someone who has a year left and wants a retirement nest egg.

 

[Bring Back Bucky]

Mike Modano. It was shortly after his comments alot of guys starting chirping the same tune & as a result, guys like Linden got the dialog going more frequently. Modano, more then most comes across to me as a guy who realizes this game's been good to him & so have the owners in Minnesota/Dallas ...

Plus his poor pooch must be pretty near anemic at this stage!!!

Thanks for the concern, Benji, but rest assured that Anastasia-Priscilla is being well fed. Seems the good citizens of Dallas have banded together to help a key member of their r citizenry in his hard times. I understand that she is eating nothing but prime cuts of Texas beef, and rumor has it special ribbons and bows have been flown in from New York as a gift from Larry Brooks.

 

[Jarqui]

End of career guys..ie Gary Roberts, 3rd and 4th liners and the European guys who have work permits/visas. Your looking at 350 players at least. Then you'll have a big name go across like Joe Montana did during the 1987 NFLPA lockout then the floodgates will open. My prediction is a Modano, Roenick, Forsberg, Sakic, Yzerman, Lemieux, Shanahan, Esche, Primeau, and Sundin.

Money talks and Goodenow's BS will walk... Buh Bye NHLPA :lol

It's going to be better watching this then a game 7 sudden death Stanley Cup final ! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm not sure Roberts will but JR likes a cap and a bunch don't seem to appreciate him saying that so ...

 

[thinkwild]

Here's a question. Which big market team, out of the playoff hunt at the trade deadline, will have their fans clamoring for their underpaid bums to be dumped and the real players brought back so they have a chance.

 

[txomisc]

it will go something like this
Jeremy Roenick and his buddy Mike Modano will be playing golf together. One of them will say "huh, I'll cross if you cross."
the other will say "Well, I'll cross if you cross" this will go on for awhile until its settled that they will both cross, thus opening the floodgates.

 

[pei fan]

it will go something like this
Jeremy Roenick and his buddy Mike Modano will be playing golf together. One of them will say "huh, I'll cross if you cross."
the other will say "Well, I'll cross if you cross" this will go on for awhile until its settled that they will both cross, thus opening the floodgates.

And if their agents say they won't represent them I can guess a few choice words
Roenick will tell his agent.

 

[Buffaloed]

Rob Ray

Ray's been skating regularly at the Amherst Pepsi Center with the other local out of work NHL'ers. He's keeping in shape for a guy deemed retired by the NHLPA. It's notable that despite his anti-union stance there doesn't appear to be any friction between him and the pro-union guys on or off the ice.

 

[chara]

Once a few high profile guys cross, the flood gates will open.

There will be guys who will nod in agreement at an NHLPA meeting but silently are hurting. Can you blame them for crossing? The average career of an NHL player is 4 years at an average salary of $1.3M. To lose another year of income for what: a union that has already sold them down the river on a steep salary rollback and then a cap.

Watch the guys earning less than $1M. A lot of them are fringe NHLers -- number 5 or 6 d-men, 3rd and 4th liners, backup goalies, reserves, etc. Most of them realize they will eventually be replaced by prospects. Most of them have careers less than 4 years. For example, 2 years making 300-500K is a lot to lose.

A guy like Ottawa Sens number 6 d-man Brian Pothier who will earn around 400K. He must realize that in 2 years he will probably lose his job to prospect Andrej Meszaros. There are a lot of guys in the same boat.

 

[GKJ]

Mario Lemieux I know for sure will. I mean he is the part owner after all. I wonder if Gretzky would make a come back and play as well. I mean how else does Pitsburgh and Pheonix fill out an arena using scabs.

Lemieux would come back, I highly doubt Wayne would come back and tarnish his legacy by playing with replacement players...

 

[chara]

Commodore. But let's hope Lemieux plays because it just wouldn't seem right to look back into the history books 20 years from now and see Lonny Bohonas as a Hart Trophy winner.

Why not Commodore. As it stands now, Commodore is a number 6 d-man, a depth guy. This year he had a job. Next year he might not with hot prospect Dion Phaneuf sure to earn a spot on the Flames blueline.

There are a lot of quality NHLers who know their role and also realize that their NHL careers are very short lived. That said, 2-3 years making the new proposed league minimum 300K a season is a lot to lose.

 

[DuklaNation]

My top three are:

1) Yashin
2) Jagr
3) Modano

 

[Vladi K]

My top three are:

1) Yashin
2) Jagr
3) Modano

Just out of curiosity, are there any sources to check how much Yashin, Jagr, et al are making in Russia right now?

 

[DuklaNation]

Just out of curiosity, are there any sources to check how much Yashin, Jagr, et al are making in Russia right now?

Dunno. But say its $1-$2M (before taxes) thats still a lot less than their NHL salary.

 

[Vladi K]

Dunno. But say its $1-$2M (before taxes) thats still a lot less than their NHL salary.

But a whole lot more than they would get as replacement players

Also, I believe (correct me if I am wrong) that many NHL players who went to play in Russia got contracts that pay taxes for them, in other words, $1mil contract is precisely what they get... oh and don't forget, that $1 mil in Russia is a much more significant number than $1 mil in US...

 

[Chili]

Mike Milbury...then he'd trade himself to the Bruins.

 

[oil slick]

But a whole lot more than they would get as replacement players

I don't know about that... I would think hacks would be payed pennies, but stars would still be paid good coin.

Also, I believe (correct me if I am wrong) that many NHL players who went to play in Russia got contracts that pay taxes for them, in other words, $1mil contract is precisely what they get...

OK - so they'll get 1.5 million or something. Still a lot less than they would get here, even after 24% rollback.

oh and don't forget, that $1 mil in Russia is a much more significant number than $1 mil in US...

Irrelivent IMO. These players don't care how much milk costs at the local supermarket. They care about building a nest egg so they never have to work again.Considering they'll be saving 90% of their earnings eather way, it is almost irrelivent what their cost of living is in the country they are playing.

With the exception of a few players paid by Abramovich or whoever, NHL stars will be saving a hell of a lot more NHL coin than Russian coin IMO.

 

[DuklaNation]

But a whole lot more than they would get as replacement players

Also, I believe (correct me if I am wrong) that many NHL players who went to play in Russia got contracts that pay taxes for them, in other words, $1mil contract is precisely what they get... oh and don't forget, that $1 mil in Russia is a much more significant number than $1 mil in US...

Yashin must have at least 2 years left at around $9M per. Where'd you like to live and play? Russia or the US? I've been to Russia and have no desire to return ever.

 

[Vladi K]

I don't know about that... I would think hacks would be payed pennies, but stars would still be paid good coin.

Perhaps, but the replacement star players won't be paid the same as they were last year either for two reasons - one, it would make little sense to the owners and two, most importantly, it would completely defeat the owners' argument in the labor dispute...

OK - so they'll get 1.5 million or something. Still a lot less than they would get here, even after 24% rollback.

The rollback has nothing to do with it. We are talking replacement here. Obviously neither you nor I know what would a replacement player be paid, but it would seem quite logical that it would be much lower than NHL's average (before the rollback) and therefore even paying more to star players who cross the proverbial line, it would not be all that much.. same $1-2, I would guess, (and that's before taxes!!).

Irrelivent IMO. These players don't care how much milk costs at the local supermarket. They care about building a nest egg so they never have to work again.Considering they'll be saving 90% of their earnings eather way, it is almost irrelivent what their cost of living is in the country they are playing.

I was not talking about prices on milk either.

With the exception of a few players paid by Abramovich or whoever, NHL stars will be saving a hell of a lot more NHL coin than Russian coin IMO.

If my memory serves me right, Ovechkin was signed to a contract at about $2mil a year ago... and it was not from a team owned by Abramovich or someone of the same ilk...

 

[Vladi K]

Yashin must have at least 2 years left at around $9M per. Where'd you like to live and play? Russia or the US? I've been to Russia and have no desire to return ever.

Yashin has (I think) 6 years left on his contract. However, as a replacement player no one will pay him $9 mil a year.

Now, where you and I would like ot live and play is one thing, where a person making $2 mil a year, tax free in Russia or $9 mil before taxes in US would prefer? I don't know...

 

[dakota]

Yashin has (I think) 6 years left on his contract. However, as a replacement player no one will pay him $9 mil a year.

Now, where you and I would like ot live and play is one thing, where a person making $2 mil a year, tax free in Russia or $9 mil before taxes in US would prefer? I don't know...

ya but I think if you cross the line... you would still be under your old contract so Yashin would get his 9 million per... my understanding is the owners dont mind paying out the current 288 players with contracts their owed money... no one is suggesting they want that money back... what the owners want is a better system in place so that the 480 players without contracts dont see their salaries get out of whack based on mistakes in the past CBA...

bottom line if Yashin crossed the line he would get his 9 million per season... which is a pretty good incentive to cross the line imo, dont you think?

 

[oil slick]

Perhaps, but the replacement star players won't be paid the same as they were last year either for two reasons - one, it would make little sense to the owners and two, most importantly, it would completely defeat the owners' argument in the labor dispute...


The rollback has nothing to do with it. We are talking replacement here. Obviously neither you nor I know what would a replacement player be paid, but it would seem quite logical that it would be much lower than NHL's average (before the rollback) and therefore even paying more to star players who cross the proverbial line, it would not be all that much.. same $1-2, I would guess, (and that's before taxes!!).



I was not talking about prices on milk either.


If my memory serves me right, Ovechkin was signed to a contract at about $2mil a year ago... and it was not from a team owned by Abramovich or someone of the same ilk...

OK - I guess we can summarize our differences by two points.

a) You think star players that cross the picket line will be paid like a replacement player. I disagree... I think that management will be more than happy to give stars a decent wage (say 1/2 to 3/4 of their present salary) to attract more fans, and as an incentive for other players to break ranks. Think about it... if you were Pronger, would you break ranks to play for 1 million? Hell no. Would you break ranks to play for 5 million? Maybe.

b)You think there is a big market for multi-million dollar contracts in Russia. I just don't think Russia has the arenas/fans to compete.

 

[MacDaddy TLC*]

This could be interesting. There are a lot of Unrestricted Free Agents. My guess is that one of Toronto, The Rangers, Philadelphia, or Detroit make a big splash and sign one.

 

[Vic Rattlehead*]

On "Off the Record", they had Turco, Hurme, Staios, and Harvey. I forgot which one, but someone said if a player were to cross, he would never be in the NHLPA ever again.