A Good Flying Bird*
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me2 said:What players demands are these? There will NEVER be a cap. Can't think of too many other demands made by the players.
Then you need to do some thinking excercises. Because there are hundreds of potential demands the players could make.
The biggest, of course, being Unrestricted Free Agency at any age.
Of course, the players recognize that things needs to change, which is why they've offered concessions.
Bettman, however, refuses to negotiate.
This guy presided over clutchandgrab hockey, which ruined the game's tempo and entertainment value.
He presided over huge salary increases.
He's let US interest in the game dwindle back to zero.
He overexpanded and looked the other way while owners foolishly spent one-time-only revenues on salaries.
He virtually eliminated fighting, despite the fact that fighting remains popular with those who actually pay money to attend games.
He refused to address the salary issue in the last CBA, even though he saw where salaries were going.
And then he embarked in a game of chicken with NHLers - guys who don't usually back down from a challenge.
And yet, people believe the words that come out of the mouth of this snivelling rat?
Good Lord.
Assume that the owners and Bettman are on the right track. Assume that a $31M cap is what the league needs.
Bettman is still Pejorative Slured if he thinks he can win anywhere near that in one bargainning agreement.
He should take the players' proposal, get a bigger salary reduction, and work on a stringent luxury tax.
Work on that for 3 or 4 years. See if it makes a difference.
If it's not good enough, demand more in 3 or 4 years.
Don't shut down the game and destroy what little interest Americans have in the league.
Whatever your thoughts are, you gotta admit that Bettman has been a failure as NHL Commissioner.