KHL Contraction Part I (Mod Warning - Post #15)

[Urbanskog]

If only had they won that one match, the situation would be entirely different now.

 

[SoundAndFury]

If only had they won that one match, the situation would be entirely different now.

Or would it? An outside pressure to continue would probably be bigger. Willingness to continue however.. I'm not too sure.

 

[punchonico99]

Do you guys think Lev players are gonna stay in the KHL (I'm mostly talking about the Czechs 'cause I'm sure guys like Thornberg and Maenpaa will stay). That team was very good and it would be a lost for the league if these guys don't come back.

 

[Vicente]

Do you guys think Lev players are gonna stay in the KHL (I'm mostly talking about the Czechs 'cause I'm sure guys like Thornberg and Maenpaa will stay). That team was very good and it would be a lost for the league if these guys don't come back.

Where else should they go? There is no chance these players are the same money in other Euro leagues and they will have no chance of making a NHL roster.

 

[Vicente]

I don't understand why people could actually be shocked or wonder about the current situation. It was clear from the begin that Lev Prague was not a money maker but a project that would lose many millions every year. Who could have thought investors would end this?! ...

 

[loppa*]

Looks like Lev is done....that sux

Is that certain or?

edit/add: Here, http://www.khl.hr/hr/khl/sok-u-pragu-lev-odustao-od-khl-a , it says that it is not certain and that something more will be known on Monday?

 

[loppa*]

I don't understand why people could actually be shocked or wonder about the current situation. It was clear from the begin that Lev Prague was not a money maker but a project that would lose many millions every year. Who could have thought investors would end this?! ...

Hockey in general in the area is a money losing project. So that should not be a surprise.

Lev was really working on something. They had over 100,000 on their facebook page, it was really doing some good stuff...

 

[QnebO]

At least Helsinki is trying to do it based on net sales and sponsorship, not on donations. This is where you end up if you aren't self self sufficient.. I hope other teams learn it by now.

In Russia, they don't know how to do business could be generalized. They just stopped being communists little ago, so..

 

[Jussi]

At least Helsinki is trying to do it based on net sales and sponsorship, not on donations. This is where you end up if you aren't self self sufficient.. I hope other teams learn it by now.

In Russia, they don't know how to do business could be generalized. They just stopped being communists little ago, so..

Most of the budget is coming from Russian sponsors, not from actual Finnish sponsors.

 

[Martian]

this is why KHL will never equal NHL

 

[maclean]

If only had they won that one match, the situation would be entirely different now.

one game away from winning the cup is pretty close, if that didn't make the difference then I actually find it hard to imagine that winning would have. if there was ever a situation to give it one more year this would have been it, but maybe it was bleeding more money than could be sustained, maybe the impact of the crisis/sanctions hit the owners more, I never really did understand who finances the team.
of course I think it also would have been sad if they cut back spending so much that the team started to suck, which was probably the impending scenario otherwise.

 

[maclean]

this is why KHL will never equal NHL

Probably shouldn't forget that lots of teams have been moved in the NHL because of not being viable, or for example run by the league for a few years. It's not the same as a team fizzing out after two years but we shouldn't idealise the NHL - which has had much longer to establish relative stability.

 

[GX]

Riga now?

I wouldn't call it "great uncertainty" yet, but something is not going as expected. Board promised some activity during June, so let's see. They have trouble finding sponsors, and needless to say, there haven't been any new signings.

Still, the topic of folding hasn't been risen. Most likely it just means Riga will have an even smaller budget than usual, that's it.

 

[QnebO]

Most of the budget is coming from Russian sponsors, not from actual Finnish sponsors.

From who? Are you talking from your ass? Owners money is not sponsoring. It's equity. You can't say you are aiming for zero result, like Jokerit, if you are using equity. Based on all info about Jokerit, they aren't using equity or are minimalizing the use. That means in other words they're actually having a business model and they're trying to even be borderline profitable at first.

 

[EbencoyE]

Good. Now let's hope the rest of the non-Russian teams go under as well so the KHL will stop trying to create some kind of super league.

Europe has many great leagues and requires only a champions league to bring them together which it now has. there's no need for one unified league for the whole continent. KHL has always been mostly Russian anyway, just keep it Russian

 

[SoundAndFury]

Good. Now let's hope the rest of the non-Russian teams go under as well so the KHL will stop trying to create some kind of super league.

Europe has many great leagues and requires only a champions league to bring them together which it now has. there's no need for one unified league for the whole continent. KHL has always been mostly Russian anyway, just keep it Russian

Why? It would be great to have "some kind of super league". NA has many leagues too, what does it need some kind of super league like the NHL for?

It's just too bad that the Russian influence on the league is humongous beeeg at the moment, the idea itself is (was?) still great though.

 

[BlueBratislava]

I wonder where are those people who went crazy on me, when I said something negative about Lev. We in Slovakia know what Lev is about, now the Czechs got to find out. Trust me, I had no reason to say something negative about Lev, because they were Czech or anything of that sort. The way the club was run since their time in Poprad is just wrong, and I hope that they won't pack up, move to a different place and fool the locals there, start a ""new"" project with the same old people and the Russians from KHL will look the other way and act like it's OK. Some people here are talking about KHL being a bust and a wrong project. I am certainly against that statement, because the KHL needs a "filter-period" when the situation will crystalize and the budgets and salaries won't be as unrealistic...all it needs is time. One thing that the KHL needs for sure is European influence in business and media practice and weaker ones from the hockey Europe need Russian influence in hockey quality. The sooner the people behind the league realize that, the better. The KHL is a Russian political project and Russian politics are not exactly what you call likeable right now. I am an optimist and I hope the hardships will only make the league stronger in the future

 

[punchonico99]

I wonder where are those people who went crazy on me, when I said something negative about Lev. We in Slovakia know what Lev is about, now the Czechs got to find out. Trust me, I had no reason to say something negative about Lev, because they were Czech or anything of that sort. The way the club was run since their time in Poprad is just wrong, and I hope that they won't pack up, move to a different place and fool the locals there, start a ""new"" project with the same old people and the Russians from KHL will look the other way and act like it's OK. Some people here are talking about KHL being a bust and a wrong project. I am certainly against that statement, because the KHL needs a "filter-period" when the situation will crystalize and the budgets and salaries won't be as unrealistic...all it needs is time. One thing that the KHL needs for sure is European influence in business and media practice and weaker ones from the hockey Europe need Russian influence in hockey quality. The sooner the people behind the league realize that, the better. The KHL is a Russian political project and Russian politics are not exactly what you call likeable right now. I am an optimist and I hope the hardships will only make the league stronger in the future

Woah... You could not be more right.

 

[loppa*]

Not home at the moment, so I can't hear this, but it seems relevant? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qxg9TBfec2c&feature=youtu.be

 

[SoundAndFury]

Not home at the moment, so I can't hear this, but it seems relevant? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qxg9TBfec2c&feature=youtu.be

It doesn't really say anything.

 

[alce*]

what a shame

definitely not a good sign for the khl. lev was one of the most important part of khl expanssion but it also seems that many teams are in trouble. spartak and lev folded, donbass is on hold due to political situation, atlant, novokuznjeck, amur and few others have serious financial issues.

competeing with the nhl that has almost 4 bln $ income was serious risk and now with possibilty of escalation of the ukrainian crisis the goverment obviously decided that money is needed somewhere else.

Why is it "not a good sign"? Au contraire, it's a very good sign. KHL is getting rid from franchises that couldn't self support themselves. We've discussed this possibility several times already, Russian sponsors wouldn't support foreign teams indefinitely. Teams should find internal sponsors or die. Lev was the first, but will not be the last. It's possible that all current foreign teams will go after them.

 

[obskyr]

 

[alko]

There were rumors last summer that the Russian owners wanted the team to show signs of economic sustainability and success or they'd pull out their backing. I guess that happened now.

I dont think that this is possible in KHL. At least, when we speak about profit, or at least no red numbers.
If they had this idea, then it was from beginning ridiculous project.

 

[Alessandro Seren Rosso]

Why is it "not a good sign"? Au contraire, it's a very good sign. KHL is getting rid from franchises that couldn't self support themselves. We've discussed this possibility several times already, Russian sponsors wouldn't support foreign teams indefinitely. Teams should find internal sponsors or die. Lev was the first, but will not be the last. It's possible that all current foreign teams will go after them.

Agreed. It's a good sign actually. The league doesn't need teams who bleed money out and so on. Having Lev, Spartak go is a good thing. It sucks because both were, for a reason or another, great teams, but what can you do? The league needs stability, and getting rid of teams without financial stability is a good thing.

 

[Alessandro Seren Rosso]

NHL must be an even bushier league since 15 teams left for financial reasons