TonySCV
Golden
1. It's the holidays.
2. I'm a betting man
3. The players aren't stupid, and they know when they're fighting a losing battle.
It's a fact that the holidays do bring out the sympathetic side of people. Just look at all the criminals who beg to have their cases heard by a jury around the holidays. Not coincidentally, December is also the month that a deal has to get done in for hockey to survive this season.
Yes, it's a gamble to have an optimistic view, but I also think it's a realistic view. Owners have had it, that point is clear. What's also clear is that the players have NOTHING to gain by holding out. They'll lose salary, they'll lose out contractually (the available pool of $$ gets smaller as time goes on, not larger), and conceding early allows them the leverage to negotiate some of the other CBA items in their favor.
Electing Arturs Irbe to the NHLPA Executive Committee notwithstanding, players aren't stupid. Most of these guys have enough business sense to realize that it's time to move on. The players fought the fight, although not a good fight, mind you.
While the NHL owners are buffoons for allowing this mess to happen in the first place and not addressing it back in 1994, the players get equal flak for thinking negotiating tactics from 1994 would work in 2004. Otherwise they wouldn't have allowed the NHL to turn the players on each other by pointing out that perhaps it wasn't the smartest idea to do an across the board 24% pay cut as opposed to the weighted approach that the NHL proposed.
We all know the bottom line is all about the almighty dollar, which is why I'm certain the players are not going to allow this season to drift away - it's financial suicide if they do.
Like all major sports, this one is also run primarily by money and greed, so for those of you holding out for a season to be saved, there is plenty of hope left indeed.
If the players get a deal done within 2 weeks there will still be time for them to visit their local Lexus dealer to take advantage of the December to Remember sales event. The sale will end on January 3rd, 2005. Coincidence? I think not.
- T
2. I'm a betting man
3. The players aren't stupid, and they know when they're fighting a losing battle.
It's a fact that the holidays do bring out the sympathetic side of people. Just look at all the criminals who beg to have their cases heard by a jury around the holidays. Not coincidentally, December is also the month that a deal has to get done in for hockey to survive this season.
Yes, it's a gamble to have an optimistic view, but I also think it's a realistic view. Owners have had it, that point is clear. What's also clear is that the players have NOTHING to gain by holding out. They'll lose salary, they'll lose out contractually (the available pool of $$ gets smaller as time goes on, not larger), and conceding early allows them the leverage to negotiate some of the other CBA items in their favor.
Electing Arturs Irbe to the NHLPA Executive Committee notwithstanding, players aren't stupid. Most of these guys have enough business sense to realize that it's time to move on. The players fought the fight, although not a good fight, mind you.
While the NHL owners are buffoons for allowing this mess to happen in the first place and not addressing it back in 1994, the players get equal flak for thinking negotiating tactics from 1994 would work in 2004. Otherwise they wouldn't have allowed the NHL to turn the players on each other by pointing out that perhaps it wasn't the smartest idea to do an across the board 24% pay cut as opposed to the weighted approach that the NHL proposed.
We all know the bottom line is all about the almighty dollar, which is why I'm certain the players are not going to allow this season to drift away - it's financial suicide if they do.
Like all major sports, this one is also run primarily by money and greed, so for those of you holding out for a season to be saved, there is plenty of hope left indeed.
If the players get a deal done within 2 weeks there will still be time for them to visit their local Lexus dealer to take advantage of the December to Remember sales event. The sale will end on January 3rd, 2005. Coincidence? I think not.
- T