Prominent NFL writer's take on NHL Lockout

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Roots73

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May 10, 2004
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Found this interesting. Here's a take from NFL SI writer Peter King with his brief thoughts on the NHL lockout...

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/20...mqb4/index.html

I will miss the NHL. I know I'm in the vast minority, but I love the hockey playoffs -- went to game 7 of Mighty Ducks-Devils and got emotional at it, and I like to see the pucks three or four times a season. Here's where I find fault in the negotiations: How can you be Bob Goodenow, the head of the players association, and say for months and months you won't accept a salary cap and it's non-negotiable, and then, hours before the league is going to hold a news conference canceling the season, say you'll accept it? How can Goodenow not have seen the solidarity of the owners, the way Gene Upshaw saw the solidarity of the football owners 13 years ago? Say what you want about how Upshaw is too easy on the owners in the NFL. All I know is football teams split $85 million per year (the 2005 cap figure) for 53 players and everybody is happy. And in hockey, with no appreciable TV money to think of, the players association doesn't think it's fair to have almost an exactly equal per-player cost, with a $42.5-million cap number for half the number of players. Odd to me. Think of that: The NHLPA won't take a cap of half what the NFL's cap is -- even though its roster size is half what the NFL roster is. I do think the one demand the league fell down on was the floor; it's unfair to have one team be able to spend significantly less than the cap. The league should have been able to force its teams to have a floor close to the $42.5 million.


I know that the PA supporters will cry the "apple to oranges" argument but a sports business is a sports business. If the PA can't wake up to this reality that the NHL is not up to par with the NBA or the NFL for revenues and yet ask for the same levels in salary, then their fate is sealed. There might not be hockey for awhile, but when it does come back it won't be with the current PA administration, unless they make drastic changes.
 

Ar-too

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That's all I've been trying to say all along. I understand the players' point, that doesn't mean it's a point worth arguing. They can say all they want about trying to get a fair deal, etc., but it doesn't resonate with fans because you're talking about them going from making millions of dollars.... to making millions of dollars.

I don't hate the players for this, they just have to understand why so few people are coming to their defense.
 

txomisc

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Roots73 said:
Found this interesting. Here's a take from NFL SI writer Peter King with his brief thoughts on the NHL lockout...

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/20...mqb4/index.html




I know that the PA supporters will cry the "apple to oranges" argument but a sports business is a sports business. If the PA can't wake up to this reality that the NHL is not up to par with the NBA or the NFL for revenues and yet ask for the same levels in salary, then their fate is sealed. There might not be hockey for awhile, but when it does come back it won't be with the current PA administration, unless they make drastic changes.
The nhl wants a cap in the amount roughly half of that of the NFL, for roughly half as many players despite not having a good tv deal. If you compare the two leagues, the NHL offer is pretty damn generous.
 

Ar-too

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txomisc said:
The nhl wants a cap in the amount roughly half of that of the NFL, for roughly half as many players despite not having a good tv deal. If you compare the two leagues, the NHL offer is pretty damn generous.

To compare apples to apples though, you have to consider the fact that the NHL makes quite a bit more money at the gate than the NFL. The disparity in terms of revenue is quite sever though, when TV money is thrown into the mix.
 

MLH

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s3por2d said:
To compare apples to apples though, you have to consider the fact that the NHL makes quite a bit more money at the gate than the NFL. The disparity in terms of revenue is quite sever though, when TV money is thrown into the mix.

The NFL makes more money at the gate than the NHL.
 

txomisc

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s3por2d said:
To compare apples to apples though, you have to consider the fact that the NHL makes quite a bit more money at the gate than the NFL. The disparity in terms of revenue is quite sever though, when TV money is thrown into the mix.
Yep but you also have to add in that the NHL spends more money on travel and hotels, what with like 4 times as many road games per team.
 

MLH

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txomisc said:
Yep but you also have to add in that the NHL spends more money on travel and hotels, what with like 4 times as many road games per team.

It's a much more expensive sport all around. The fact that they were offered $42.5 is crazy. The fact that the PA turned it down is even crazier.

BTW, here's the numbers on the gate: The NFL sold 17,270,486 tickets last year with an average ticket price of $52.95 for a total of $914,472,233.70 while the NHL sold 19,854,841 tickets with the average ticket price of $44.22 for a total of $877,981,069.02.

Now, I'm not sure if that includes the Heritage game etc, but the point remains.
 

Jaded-Fan

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s3por2d said:
That's all I've been trying to say all along. I understand the players' point, that doesn't mean it's a point worth arguing. They can say all they want about trying to get a fair deal, etc., but it doesn't resonate with fans because you're talking about them going from making millions of dollars.... to making millions of dollars.

I don't hate the players for this, they just have to understand why so few people are coming to their defense.


I do not think that the amount that players make is that much of a factor for most fans. NFL players make a ton and are not disliked. MLB players have had better support from the fans than owners in the past.

I think that the reason most fans are in the owners corner is that they want to root for a team with a chance to compete year in year out and not have that chance be skewed by $$$. Rightly or wrongly they feel that the owners proposals dovetail with those wants, players side does not.

For that matter, I do not think that the average fan cares nearly as much, for instance, about the steroid issue in sports as the media thinks they do. Bottom line is what I said above. Players want to make millions, kill themselves with steroids, etc etc, the average fan has an interest but it pales compared to the desire to clean up the sport competition wise.
 

Other Dave

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Jaded-Fan said:
I think that the reason most fans are in the owners corner is that they want to root for a team with a chance to compete year in year out and not have that chance be skewed by $$$.

The desire to have a league where every team can compete every year is misguided. The Sens were fun to root for when they were the worst team in the history of the league, and they were fun to root for when they were the season's best. Thanks to the draft and restricted free agency, what goes around comes around, and yesterdays dogs (see Devils and Red Wings) become tomorrow's gods.

The only way we can have a league in which everyone can compete every year is to have a league where the best teams are broken up every year and are distributed to the worst. Sounds like hockey hell to me.
 

Scoogs

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s3por2d said:
To compare apples to apples though, you have to consider the fact that the NHL makes quite a bit more money at the gate than the NFL. The disparity in terms of revenue is quite sever though, when TV money is thrown into the mix.

:lol:
 

CarlRacki

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MLH said:
The NFL makes more money at the gate than the NHL.

That is correct.

NHL $43.57 avg. ticket x 20.33 million tickets sold = $886 million

NFL $52.95 avg. ticket x 17.08 million tickets sold = $904 million*

* = 2003 figures.
 

Jaded-Fan

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Other Dave said:
The desire to have a league where every team can compete every year is misguided. The Sens were fun to root for when they were the worst team in the history of the league, and they were fun to root for when they were the season's best. Thanks to the draft and restricted free agency, what goes around comes around, and yesterdays dogs (see Devils and Red Wings) become tomorrow's gods.

The only way we can have a league in which everyone can compete every year is to have a league where the best teams are broken up every year and are distributed to the worst. Sounds like hockey hell to me.

You misread my intent, or more likely I did not speak clearly enough. I apologize. What I am saying is, like in the NFL, teams in almost any city feel that they can 'compete' based on front office decisions, not $$ paid to players. Many teams succeed or fail in the NFL for instance, but because of front office failures, who they sign, who they do not, coaching, etc. That is how sports should be.
 

CarlRacki

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Other Dave said:
The only way we can have a league in which everyone can compete every year is to have a league where the best teams are broken up every year and are distributed to the worst. Sounds like hockey hell to me.

Paul Tagliabue and Bill Belichick would disagree.
 

Ar-too

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CarlRacki said:
That is correct.

NHL $43.57 avg. ticket x 20.33 million tickets sold = $886 million

NFL $52.95 avg. ticket x 17.08 million tickets sold = $904 million*

* = 2003 figures.

I stand corrected. So the numbers are worse for the NHL than I thought....
 

CarlRacki

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s3por2d said:
I stand corrected. So the numbers are worse for the NHL than I thought....

In fairness, NFL players do seem a little underpaid given the numbers (though that will likely change in the next CBA). That said, the NFLPA has traded short-term riches for labor peace and a long-term partnership with ownership that has made both very rich and the league wildly successful. Is it a wonder the NHL wants to follow the NFL model?
 

OntCanuck

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I think that there should be a drug policy in the NHL under the next CBA. Of all the big league sports I think hockey should have the most focus. With how big players are in these modern times I don't think any of them should be on the juice. A sport that has as much contact as hockey and allows fighting should have it. While watching my fight tape from the past couple years during the lock out I've noticed a few players who seemed to get a noticable amount bigger in one or two years. The last thing I want to happen is have the mainstream media get a hold on something bad and giving this league an even bigger bush league image if that's possible.
 

jcpenny

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CarlRacki said:
In fairness, NFL players do seem a little underpaid given the numbers (though that will likely change in the next CBA). That said, the NFLPA has traded short-term riches for labor peace and a long-term partnership with ownership that has made both very rich and the league wildly successful. Is it a wonder the NHL wants to follow the NFL model?
They arent underpaid. In the NFL you have to EARN your pay. Ask guys like Garcia, Ryan Leaf, Terry Glenn, Akili Smith and the list goes on. You can justify your salary? Bye bye. That's why the NFL is so great.
 

HF2002

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Other Dave said:
The desire to have a league where every team can compete every year is misguided. The Sens were fun to root for when they were the worst team in the history of the league, and they were fun to root for when they were the season's best. Thanks to the draft and restricted free agency, what goes around comes around, and yesterdays dogs (see Devils and Red Wings) become tomorrow's gods.

The only way we can have a league in which everyone can compete every year is to have a league where the best teams are broken up every year and are distributed to the worst. Sounds like hockey hell to me.
As a Sens fan since day 1 (modern era that is) I agree with you. The Sens were horrible. I mean horrible, and I know you know.

I'm sure you'll recall the game when they were still at the Civic Center and down by a goal with time running out. They pulled the goalie, scored a goal and it was like winning the Cup. They had just made an unlikely comeback after being down by many goals. The goal was immediately waived off because the Sens had 2 too many players on the ice! They had eight skaters on five and were lucky to have scored at all. Talk about embarassing!

The fun part was watching the team build and get to the point they're at now. What a difference 10 years makes! There's a different kind of enjoyment in watching the draft when your team has the first pick. It great to watch the young players develop and evaluate where the team is headed, make the playoffs for the first time in years, develop into a team that should make the playoffs every year, and ultimately become a contender for the Cup

A cap is needed, IMO, but there also needs to be some mechanism that allows for teams to be the "have's" and the "have not's" on the ice. What that is I have no idea. But it would royally stink if your favourite team is near the top for a few years and never wins, yet still gets dismantled because of the cap.
 

PecaFan

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Roots73 said:
Found this interesting. Here's a take from NFL SI writer Peter King with his brief thoughts on the NHL lockout...

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/20...mqb4/index.html
Think of that: The NHLPA won't take a cap of half what the NFL's cap is -- even though its roster size is half what the NFL roster is.

Very nice. The entire stupidity of the NHLPA boiled down into one sentence. They won't accept a cap equivalent to the NFL, despite the NHL having only a fraction of the revenue.
 

PeterSidorkiewicz

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I have to agree with my fellow Sens fans, theres nothing better than watching your team be simply atrocious and evolve into a top calibre team. It was so fun to watch the evolution of the team as a whole. That is definitely one thing that perturbs me about the NFL is you can really squeeze a 6 year rebuilding plan into like a year.
 

jcpenny

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PeterSidorkiewicz said:
I have to agree with my fellow Sens fans, theres nothing better than watching your team be simply atrocious and evolve into a top calibre team. It was so fun to watch the evolution of the team as a whole. That is definitely one thing that perturbs me about the NFL is you can really squeeze a 6 year rebuilding plan into like a year.
Maybe but in the NFL the draft is more important than in the NHL. Even a 7th rounder can find himself playing and starting in his first year. Thats why so many players get waived.
 

PeterSidorkiewicz

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You'd be surprised at how many good NHL players are drafted late. We all know the NHL draft is a huge crap shoot. Alfredsson was a 6th round pick. I think the NHL draft is one of the most important drafts because thats how you get your core players together to build chemistry and win the Stanley Cup. Devils, Avs, Red Wings. Most of the core players are drafted by that team or the players are traded for early on in their careers.
 
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