Modano worries over union's future

[X0ssbar]

"The NHLPA might be in shambles if the NHL lockout goes into next season, Dallas Stars forward Mike Modano told the National Post.
"It's going to be tough to come back in October and say that we're going to stay tough and stand firm. You're going to have guys who are saying, 'What are we doing?'" said Modano, who is losing $9-million (all figures in US) by not playing this season. "You're going to have guys chomping at the bit to get a deal done."
Locked out players currently receive $5,000 to $10,000 a month from the union. Modano believes that if the owners' stance is as strong as he believes, then the cancellation of another season is a strong possibility.
"I think it has come to the point now where the owners are willing to sacrifice a year or two to fix the game for 10 or 15 years down the road," he said."

Uhhh, Mike - where have you been? This fight has always been about fixing the game for the long term in the owner's minds. Sorry to break the news to ya fellah - but getting you back on the ice for the remainder of your career is not priority #1 in this mess.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/hearsay.jsp

Click to read more...

 

[Optimist*]

So if the Modano's of the world arent in this fight and the guys making 800k don't lose anything in the NHL deal, who is Goodenow fighting for?

 

[Lanny MacDonald*]

Mike's dog must be eating the furniture. Mike needs a pay check to get the pooch some food.

 

[misterjaggers]

I think Mike, who has been the subject of ridicule for his dog comment, just rehabilitated his image.

Of course, Bob and his rich player cronies won't approve so a retraction statement should follow in the next couple days...

 

[Classic Devil]

"The NHLPA might be in shambles if the NHL lockout goes into next season, Dallas Stars forward Mike Modano told the National Post.
"It's going to be tough to come back in October and say that we're going to stay tough and stand firm. You're going to have guys who are saying, 'What are we doing?'" said Modano, who is losing $9-million (all figures in US) by not playing this season. "You're going to have guys chomping at the bit to get a deal done."
Locked out players currently receive $5,000 to $10,000 a month from the union. Modano believes that if the owners' stance is as strong as he believes, then the cancellation of another season is a strong possibility.
"I think it has come to the point now where the owners are willing to sacrifice a year or two to fix the game for 10 or 15 years down the road," he said."

Uhhh, Mike - where have you been? This fight has always been about fixing the game for the long term in the owner's minds. Sorry to break the news to ya fellah - but getting you back on the ice for the remainder of your career is not priority #1 in this mess.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/hearsay.jsp

Then why not just give in, Mike?

 

[Lanny MacDonald*]

I think Mike, who has been the subject of ridicule for his dog comment, just rehabilitated his image.
QUOTE]

No, I don't think so. As long as Mike Modano is an NHL player he will be "dogged" by his comments. As a matter of fact every time Modano shows his face in Phoenix I will be there with a dog colar and leash to remind Mike how assinine he has been. And if the Coyotes were smart they would mock him as well, to help support the local SPCA. A great promotion would be "Help feed Mike Modano's dog". Bring a bag of dog food and you get a 50% off voucher for mechandise at the rink. All food gets donated to the local shelters.

 

[Pepper]

The NHLPA is starting to break, this is just another sign of the inevitable.

 

[Schlep Rock]

I don't think we're going to be reading retractions but many more "Modano comments" over the next few days.

 

[tantalum]

oooh look at the cracks forming in the unions resolve. The difference in this crack compared to others is this is a big name front line player. Not a 4th liner, not a young kid, not a #6 D-man, not a recently retired player but honest to goodness big name. A much harder crack to fill.

 

[eye]

"The NHLPA might be in shambles if the NHL lockout goes into next season, Dallas Stars forward Mike Modano told the National Post.
"It's going to be tough to come back in October and say that we're going to stay tough and stand firm. You're going to have guys who are saying, 'What are we doing?'" said Modano, who is losing $9-million (all figures in US) by not playing this season. "You're going to have guys chomping at the bit to get a deal done."
Locked out players currently receive $5,000 to $10,000 a month from the union. Modano believes that if the owners' stance is as strong as he believes, then the cancellation of another season is a strong possibility.
"I think it has come to the point now where the owners are willing to sacrifice a year or two to fix the game for 10 or 15 years down the road," he said."

Uhhh, Mike - where have you been? This fight has always been about fixing the game for the long term in the owner's minds. Sorry to break the news to ya fellah - but getting you back on the ice for the remainder of your career is not priority #1 in this mess.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/hearsay.jsp

Knowingly or perhaps unknowingly Modano may have just salvaged part of this season by speaking out. The NHLPA will have no choice now but to make the most out of what is left of their bargaining chips. Thank you Mike Modano for having to guts to say what most if not all other players are actually thinking.

 

[Digger12]

I don't think we're going to be reading retractions but many more "Modano comments" over the next few days.

I'd agree, there is a possibility. Modano's comments are significant because to my knowledge it's the first to come from the "top end" that's anything other than militant.

We'll see how soon it comes out that he was misquoted.

 

[RangerBoy]

Wasn't Modano the player who lost significant money in the stock market?So much so that it affected his play last season

 

[Egil]

The players need to switch their goal from preserving the gravy train in the future by sacrificing now (there first proposal), to preserving the gravy train for a year or two and then getting the cost certainty.

Simply put, if the players tak away the rollback, and then propose a cap that starts at 68% of league revenue, then decreases 4% a year until it hits 56%, the owners would, IMHO, bite. This then becomes an easy deal to sell to the players (as they no longer have to take a 24% salary cut), while giving the owners cost certainty.

The Owners primary goal is the future, and I suspect they would be willing to take a year or two of losses to get that future cost certainty in place.

 

[Slats432]

I think that all player agents should go to their players and say this:

"This whole thing sucks. The owners suck. Bettman sucks, and we should all wish evil things on them.

Now that we have got that out of the way, the best deal we are going to get is now. Merchandising for the NHL is down 80%. The revenues of the business if we don't get hockey back playing are going to drop to a fraction of the $2.2 billion we have now. To me that means that going from $1.8 million average won't be going to $1.3 average. It might be $1.0 average or $0.7 average salary. I don't honestly believe that the owners are going to change their stance, so we have one option. Negotiating the best possible deal right now. Have two franchise players per team not in the cap...and cap the rest. Have players drafted by that team only counting 66% to the cap....let's get as much as we can now....because honest to God....it is only going to get worse."

 

[Lanny MacDonald*]

Knowingly or perhaps unknowingly Modano may have just salvaged part of this season by speaking out. The NHLPA will have no choice now but to make the most out of what is left of their bargaining chips. Thank you Mike Modano for having to guts to say what most if not all other players are actually thinking.

What Modano says has zero bearing. The NHLPA does not care what its membership says, otherwise Greedenow would have passed a gag order to prevent these outbursts. The NHLPA will continue to grind away until the season is lost. Then they will re-evaluate their position. Then reality will set in. Then the real whining will begin.

 

[eye]

What Modano says has zero bearing. The NHLPA does not care what its membership says, otherwise Greedenow would have passed a gag order to prevent these outbursts. The NHLPA will continue to grind away until the season is lost. Then they will re-evaluate their position. Then reality will set in. Then the real whining will begin.

One of the first times I have to disagree with you. Modano and Danenais comments will have a greater impact than many realize. Watch for many others to speak out now against Goodenow's informal or perhaps better described as a quiet gag order against his players. Peer pressure amongst players is incredible so I give the players that do speak the truth a great deal of my respect and gratitude. Others will now follow.

 

[Benji Frank]

Although I haven't found a link anywhere, another poster mentioned Giguere said on a radio show that the players were waiting for the owners to panic and it didn't look like that was going to happen so there'd be hockey in February. Modano here appears to be saying much the same thing ... not the February hockey thing, but that the owners have gotten their point across ... these are two name players......

If the owners had any desire to settle this thing, they'd send an offer over to Bobby G. simular to what they had sent earlier with some slight modifications on the rollback, arbitration, etc. Put it on their nhl.com website for all players and fans to review like the players did their december offer on nhlpa. Tell the players they got a week to accept it or counter something worthwhile (simular to buying a house!!!) or reject it. I think there'll be pressure on Bob at this stage to accept or counter something very worthwhile........... they don't need to say what'll happen in a week, but you, me and everyone else knows that puts us into late January making it an awfully thin margin for a shortened season.......

 

[StickShift]

Atleast someone is saying something about the situation.

 

[jpsharkfan]

Originally Posted by eye
Knowingly or perhaps unknowingly Modano may have just salvaged part of this season by speaking out. The NHLPA will have no choice now but to make the most out of what is left of their bargaining chips. Thank you Mike Modano for having to guts to say what most if not all other players are actually thinking.

Originally Posted by Iconoclast
What Modano says has zero bearing. The NHLPA does not care what its membership says, otherwise Greedenow would have passed a gag order to prevent these outbursts. The NHLPA will continue to grind away until the season is lost. Then they will re-evaluate their position. Then reality will set in. Then the real whining will begin.

I have to agree with eye. One big ticket player coming forth and willing to speak what has been rumored to be the feelings of so many will open the flood gates. I am certainly no fan of Modano's and yet he has earned my respect for having the guts to speak out to the press.
I do not believe he will come back with the "my words were taken out of context" garbage. At least I hope not. I believe that this will start a trend of other high profile players making the same kind of comment, which will than(fingers crossed) lead to some kind of resolution this week.

 

[PanthersRule96]

Modano is the first of many bigger name players IMO. When he says this, he basically is saying that the whole lockout is stupid and the PA is gonna lose eventually so might as well give in now.

Something probably will happen in the next week or so.

But maybe Modano just wants to get out there and strutt RBK equipment that he's signed with after being Mr. Easton for so long. NOT.

This could be the opening of the floodgates.

 

[gerbilanium]

In the 1987 NFL players strike when the replacement players were introduced immediately 15% of real players crossed the picket line including Joe Montana. Has anyone heard of any players threatening, berating Montana for that move.

 

[Steve L*]

So does this mean Modano wont receive any future lockout payments from the NHLPA?

 

[RangerBoy]

Modano is the first of many bigger name players IMO. When he says this, he basically is saying that the whole lockout is stupid and the PA is gonna lose eventually so might as well give in now.

Something probably will happen in the next week or so.

But maybe Modano just wants to get out there and strutt RBK equipment that he's signed with after being Mr. Easton for so long. NOT.

This could be the opening of the floodgates.

Someone should contact Jaromir Jagr and Alexei Yashin

 

[RangerBoy]

So does this mean Modano wont receive any future lockout payments from the NHLPA?

$10,000

 

[kenabnrmal]

Keeping in mind that I am far, FAR from a Modano fan...the guy makes one stupid statement early on in this thing, likely in jest and taken out of context and all the other things that the media likes to do with anyone's quotes, and he still can't live it down to some of you by making one of the more sensible and smart comments we have heard from anyone actually involved in this mess. At least eye has the right outlook on things, instead of blind player-hatred.