Goodenow has advised players not to

[likea]

According to a report in the Toronto Sun, NHLPA Executive Director Bob Goodenow has advised players not to count on NHL hockey this season or next.



The paper goes on on to say that Goodenow has, through an audio message on the association's website, told players that they should take any contracts that might be available in Europe either now or for next season.

http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?ID=111325&hubName=nhl

Click to read more...

 

[NHLFanSince2020]

He doesn't appraise situations realistically.
He doesn't thoroughly review proposals.
He doesn't give counter proposals.
He doesn't give interviews.
He doesn't allow the players to talk.
He doesn't allow the players to vote.

He's useless.

The players should have wised up long ago.
He's a useless POS (that means Pal Of Steve's, he has a friend named Steve).

 

[FLYLine27*]

Me being one of the most pro-player posters here...after reading this im thinking of stop supporting the players. Or maybe its just 2 late. Im going to sleep.

 

[misterjaggers]

I suppose it could be a bluff.

 

[jpsharkfan]

It really shows that Goodenow has no real concept of the problems facing the game and is now only trying to save face. Reading the article made me mad, and then I realized that this is more than likely nothing more than an attempt to get the Owners to cave or back off of their position.
What a shame that the NHLPA has yet to figure out that every time they do something like this or really even open their mouths the sway public opinion in favor of the League.

Bob, keep telling the players to hold out, and then explain to them how there will be nothing for them when they return. The players want what they consider their fair share of the pie and yet the PA fails to realize that the pie is shrinking every day. They longer the NHL is out of action the less pie there will be to divide. How much more money are the Players willing to lose?

I have always believed hockey players were very brave, and yet we constantly hear that the vast majority of players are willing to accept a cap and get back to playing but no one is brave enough to start the revolt.

 

[no13matssundin]

http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?ID=111325&hubName=nhl

If this report is true, and the rumor that there was a secret ballot from the players that said that most were in favour of a cap is true, than this could be Goodenow seeing the writing on the wall in lieu of an upcoming NHL proposal to the players.

Either way, Id say this could hail the end of Goodenow @ the helm of the players association... if a majority of players are willing to take a cap, & Goodenow rejects a upcoming plan of the NHL's against the wishes of his constituency, you can bet he'll be turfed.

Heres to hoping Stan Fischer is actually right on SOMETHING.

 

[hockeyfan125]

Bob Goodenow is a ****ing ****** bag. Seriously. I would rather spend a week playing whatever the **** Gary Bettman likes to play with him, then talk to this moron for two seconds. Goodenow is all that is wrong with the NHL, and I hope to god he gets canned.

 

[RangerBoy]

It's a Bruce Garrioch story

BOB Goodenow has delivered a grim message to members of the NHL Players Association: Don't count on any hockey this season, and maybe next year as well. Sources told the Sun yesterday the union's executive director posted an audio message on the NHLPA's website -- The Source -- which told players they should accept any job opportunities in Europe immediately.

And to put an exclamation point on the matter, sources say Goodenow also told the players to take any contracts in Europe that may be available next year because it appears the lockout is going to drag on.

Eric Lindros is quoted in the article.He was at the Roger Neilson charity event last night

The PA did a terrific job of brainwashing the players into believing the 24% rollback was the perfect solution when it really was just a P.R. stunt and a band-aid

Former NHLer Kay Whitmore also attended the event.He seems to be one of few reasonable people from the PA side

"The only way someone is going to win is if both sides find a compromise, sit down right now and get a deal done," said Whitmore. "If that happens, then maybe both sides would truly be happy with what's happened.

"But the players' chances of winning don't improve the longer this goes. The deadline for the players to get their best deal is right now. I'm sure if this year is lost, it will be a bit of a shock."

That quote is the bottomline issue

http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/OttawaSun/Sports/2005/01/15/899142-sun.html

The former NHLers I have heard are more reasonable to what needs to be done here

 

[Russian Fan]

He doesn't appraise situations realistically.
He doesn't thoroughly review proposals.
He doesn't give counter proposals.
He doesn't give interviews.
He doesn't allow the players to talk.
He doesn't allow the players to vote.

He's useless.

The players should have wised up long ago.
He's a useless POS (that means Pal Of Steve's, he has a friend named Steve).

The same can be said about Gary Bettman you know. Both guy are in control of their side.

The only way it can work is that an owner & an influent player sit together & talk about it.

 

[iagreewithidiots]

Everyone has to quit calling these guys a union.

They are a players association. An association of players out to squeeze every dime possible. Im not saying that to be critical its the truth.

They arent fighting for a fair wage. They arent fighting for better benefits. They arent fighting for safer working conditions. They shouldnt be accepting other positions in their field of work. They dont engage in real collective bargaining. They arent a union.

 

[RangerBoy]

My advice to the NHLPA.Make sure you have a warm coat.Some places in Sweden,Finland and Russia only see a few hours of sunlight per day.Enjoy

 

[BLONG7]

Bob Goodenow is a ****ing ****** bag. Seriously. I would rather spend a week playing whatever the **** Gary Bettman likes to play with him, then talk to this moron for two seconds. Goodenow is all that is wrong with the NHL, and I hope to god he gets canned.

I like you're thinking here, in fact you might be too kind...In the end I hope Knob Goodenow gets what's comin'...

 

[04' hockey]

easy solution

Open the training camp doors next Sept. for ANY players to ice a TEAM.....we'll ALL be surprised who wants to play hockey, earn a living.

 

[BLONG7]

Open the training camp doors next Sept. for ANY players to ice a TEAM.....we'll ALL be surprised who wants to play hockey, earn a living.

Hopefully that is what will happen, then these guys will realize that the AVG salary of 1.3M isn't so bad...

 

[Bruwinz37]

Goodenow should realize that if that happens he loses and he is out of a job.

This guy is an absolute joke. He is not looking out for the best interests of the NHLPA. He is out to win and nothing else. If the league is gone for two years there will be 10 teams that wont be back when things get going again. Hundreds of "union" jobs would be lost. Anyone who supports this bozo is an absolute moron.

 

[BLONG7]

Goodenow should realize that if that happens he loses and he is out of a job.

This guy is an absolute joke. He is not looking out for the best interests of the NHLPA. He is out to win and nothing else. If the league is gone for two years there will be 10 teams that wont be back when things get going again. Hundreds of "union" jobs would be lost. Anyone who supports this bozo is an absolute moron.

There is about 60-80 morons who do support him and the rest are not morons but are scared to speak out because Goodenow knows the Soprano's and the Gotti's....

 

[MacDaddy TLC*]

The same can be said about Gary Bettman you know. Both guy are in control of their side.

Not true at all. Gary Bettman is carrying out the mandatge put forth by his employers, the NHL board of Governors. I would wager that he has the support of at least 75% of that board.

Who is Bob Goodenow answering to? Who's agenda is he pushing ahead with? Is he listening to the Mike Commodores and Pierre Dagenais?

 

[RangerBoy]

But it's not about who's right and who's wrong any more. It's about who has more to lose, and that is clearly the players. That's why the union should be more open to discussions either of a salary cap or a similar system that would give players an average salary of $1.3 million and get the game back on the ice.

Players can convince themselves that they will make back the money lost in this lockout by playing longer, but that's simply not true. These days everyone plays as long as he possibly can, anyway. That timetable doesn't change because of a lost season.

When the two sides do get together, the players' salaries will be tied to the league's revenues in some fashion. If the game's appeal suffers as a result of an extended absence that frankly is not even noticed by most sports fans in this country, revenues decrease accordingly. Players will suffer more than the owners who will have lower costs due to lower salaries.

The NHL Players Association should recognize – like, in the next 24 hours or so – that being morally right (if that's what they are) in a losing fight that will cost players a year-and-a-half in salaries is not in the players' best interests.

The players can be the good guys in this fight. They can fold their hand, accept what the owners have offered with modest improvements in things like rookie salaries, arbitration, maybe elevate the owners' offer of 54 percent of the revenues a few percentage points. And then can continue to play for millions of dollars here rather than for a few hundred thousand dollars in Europe as they have shown a willingness to do.

There is a point in negotiations where you can win by losing. With a season on the line, in the next few days, that's exactly where the players stand.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/hockey/stars/stories/011505dnspocowlishaw.ae3c0.html

 

[Cole Caulifield]

Goodenow should realize that if that happens he loses and he is out of a job.

This guy is an absolute joke. He is not looking out for the best interests of the NHLPA. He is out to win and nothing else. If the league is gone for two years there will be 10 teams that wont be back when things get going again. Hundreds of "union" jobs would be lost. Anyone who supports this bozo is an absolute moron.

I think that this is a scare tactic and a pretty desperate one. I think Goodenow has been given the mandate to sign the best deal possible and get hockey going again.

Goodenow is not a fool, he knows that the longer this drags on, the harder it's going to be for teams to be profitable thus the players to be paid as much as they were. I'm sure he doesn't want to be remembered as the guy who made the NHL go down the crapper and made the players lifes more difficult for years and to be remembered as the guy who had it all and threw it away.

I don't want to consider the alternative that a guy who has shown he's been really good at what he does for the last 10-15 years can all of a sudden go completely dumb and stupid.

I say it's a negotiating ploy.

 

[Cole Caulifield]

Not true at all. Gary Bettman is carrying out the mandatge put forth by his employers, the NHL board of Governors. I would wager that he has the support of at least 75% of that board.

Who is Bob Goodenow answering to? Who's agenda is he pushing ahead with? Is he listening to the Mike Commodores and Pierre Dagenais?

Yes he is. That's his job. He's a professional. He's not getting carried away by emotions. That's what fans do, not guys like Bettman and Goodenow.

He's been consistently good at what he does for the past 10-15 years. He was not born yesterday. He knows what he has to do and you better believe that he knows the pulse of the bulk of the players intentions. He's there for the players and not for the game of hockey. But at the same time, the two are intrinsecally tied together and I'm sure he's aware of that.

It all depends on what was the mandate that was given to him by the players.

If it's never accept a cap, I don't think you can blame him for playing hardball. It's not his decision.

If it's to negotiate the best possible deal without missing the season, then everything is still going as planned. There's still some time left to negotiate, and Goodenow is doing everything he can to hold the ship tight and try to put pressure on the owners. He hasn't got much leverage left. If he was given the mandate not to miss a full season, then this one will go down at the last possible minute, sometime in the next week or so.

 

[SENSible1*]

It's a ploy and obviously a bluff.

Unfortunately, it means that the only way for the NHL to prove it won't cave in is to cancel the season. When they do, you'll either hear Bob singing a different tune or looking for a new job, as the players will NOT risk a second lost season.

Too bad for them that Goodenow misread the situation so badly and has done a terrible job of adapting his thinking to the current climate when it has become obvious to everyone else that the owners would not blink this time.

 

[Steve L*]

If it's to negotiate the best possible deal without missing the season, then everything is still going as planned.

I disagree, if he wanted the best deal possible, it would have been sorted before the season started and the players wouldnt have lost a cent in lost wages.

Its an ego thing, he doesnt want to be seen as a guy who accepted a cap.

 

[eye]

Maybe Newsguyone will finally start to understand that there is only one thing preventing an agreement, Bob Goodenow's stubborn pride and EGO. GoodEGOnow doesn't give a s""" aobut common sense or the good of the NHL and the thousands of employees that count on the NHL being played. Newsguyone, are you starting to see it yet?

 

[CarlRacki]

Yes he is. That's his job. He's a professional. He's not getting carried away by emotions. That's what fans do, not guys like Bettman and Goodenow.

He's been consistently good at what he does for the past 10-15 years. He was not born yesterday. He knows what he has to do and you better believe that he knows the pulse of the bulk of the players intentions. He's there for the players and not for the game of hockey. But at the same time, the two are intrinsecally tied together and I'm sure he's aware of that.

It all depends on what was the mandate that was given to him by the players.

If it's never accept a cap, I don't think you can blame him for playing hardball. It's not his decision.

If it's to negotiate the best possible deal without missing the season, then everything is still going as planned. There's still some time left to negotiate, and Goodenow is doing everything he can to hold the ship tight and try to put pressure on the owners. He hasn't got much leverage left. If he was given the mandate not to miss a full season, then this one will go down at the last possible minute, sometime in the next week or so.

I agree that it's very likely a ploy, but don't discount emotion in this dispute. Fact is, while Goodenow is likely a very business-like fellow, the people he ultimately answers to - i.e. the players - are not. As the comments of many players over the past four months indicate, they are very much acting on emotion and that's a very dangerous thing. Their stubborness is going to cost them a season, a ton of money, in some cases a career and no doubt lots and lots of fans.
The idea that hockey players are more fan-friendly, accessible, grounded and regular Joe than professonal athletes from other sports is taking a big hit, IMO. Most of these guys don't know how good they've got it, but I suspect over the next eight months they're going to find out. Unfortunately, by then it may be too late to recover all their good fortune.

 

[oilers_guy_eddie]

I think that this is a scare tactic and a pretty desperate one. I think Goodenow has been given the mandate to sign the best deal possible and get hockey going again.

Goodenow is not a fool, he knows that the longer this drags on, the harder it's going to be for teams to be profitable thus the players to be paid as much as they were. I'm sure he doesn't want to be remembered as the guy who made the NHL go down the crapper and made the players lifes more difficult for years and to be remembered as the guy who had it all and threw it away.

I don't want to consider the alternative that a guy who has shown he's been really good at what he does for the last 10-15 years can all of a sudden go completely dumb and stupid.

I say it's a negotiating ploy.

I agree. I don't think Goodenow or the players have ever really given up their belief that the owners would be the first to blink, and that's all I'm reading into this latest.