Pepper said:
If you think NHLPA's bargaining power increases in the future you're really living in a dream world. Every hour they keep prolonging the inevitable from happening, the less money they are going to get. Owners have used 40M of their 300M warchest and they have billions of more dollars if needed.
They can just sit back and watch NHLPA implode next summer.
Forget about money for a second on think about POWER ..
This one big POWER struggle ..by 2 sides ..
Divide the calander year in HALF ..
During the Regular season the
OWNERS hold all the
power as that is when
PLAYERS get paid ..
During the Playoffs and Offseason the
PLAYERS hold the
power as that is when the
OWNERS get paid ...
So the power is currently on the side of the Players ... because techically we are in the offseason now due to the lost season ..
So since there is no Hockey most of the damage is already done Revenue wise to this point ..That can't be reversed or changed because that is now history.. Fans can't stay away if there is nothing to stay away from ..
Players really don't care about Revenue .. The NHL has guaranteed contracts .. The players do not care where the owners get the money from to pay them .. Every two weeks without fail (unless you have a work stoppage) the players get paid during the regular season .. It could come from the Fans, Tv Deals , Owners War Chest, owners own pockets .. They just don't care bottom line .. They are legally required to get paid ... The owners are concerned where the money will come from.. and are tired of it coming out of their own pockets .. That is why we have a lockout ..
But the players also know that the owners will need to put a competitive team on the ice to sell its product or lose more money as a result .. Fold ,move , go Bankrupt etc . .SO the players know the owners will have to spend and its the owners responsibility to grow the game and make sure the money is coming from some where to cover costs ..
Players see this as idle threats about Revenue .. it does up it goes down and it doesn't affect them directly ..
Its similar to a parent telling its kid .. Eat all your veggies or no Cake for you for desert .. Sure the kid may not get Cake that day, but eventually he knows again in the future he will get his cake and eat it too..