News Article: Report: NHL helps Senators recoup pay after team's major cuts

L'Aveuglette

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Jan 8, 2007
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BankStreetParade

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Jan 22, 2013
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There's 17 teams who have cut pay for all front office staff and are starting to make decisions about layoffs. Why is this any different? Given the circumstances, why should any inactive coaches get full salary right now?
 

L'Aveuglette

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Jan 8, 2007
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Montreal
There's 17 teams who have cut pay for all front office staff and are starting to make decisions about layoffs. Why is this any different? Given the circumstances, why should any inactive coaches get full salary right now?

50% pay cut versus 20% for some and others have gotten back pay from their owners. These things are not the same. If it was exactly the same this wouldn't be news.
 

Knave

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Mar 6, 2007
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No this is good. Very good.

Hopefully Melnyk is forced to sell.

Normally I'd agree but I'm not so sure the market is hot for buying sports teams when we'll need to wait a year at bare minimum before crowds can come back.

Alot of uncertainty and as awful as Melnyk's financial position is... I'm just not sure a sale now could happen or would result in better ownership.
 
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TheDebater

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Mar 10, 2016
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Normally I'd agree but I'm not so sure the market is hot for buying sports teams when we'll need to wait a year at bare minimum before crowds can come back.

Alot of uncertainty and as awful as Melnyk's financial position is... I'm just not sure a sale now could happen or would result in better ownership.

The NHL could easily afford to take over until a new owner is ready to step in.
 

Spartachat

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Aug 2, 2016
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There's 17 teams who have cut pay for all front office staff and are starting to make decisions about layoffs. Why is this any different? Given the circumstances, why should any inactive coaches get full salary right now?

From what I understood, the coaches of the other team volunteered to cut their salaries, so they the the didn't have to let go other staff. In the case of the Sens, Melnyk just cut their salaries without their permission. Coaches have contracts too. For example, The Leafs can't just cut Babcock's remaining contract to zero, even though I am sure they want to.
 

DueDiligence

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Nov 16, 2013
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Normally I'd agree but I'm not so sure the market is hot for buying sports teams when we'll need to wait a year at bare minimum before crowds can come back.

Alot of uncertainty and as awful as Melnyk's financial position is... I'm just not sure a sale now could happen or would result in better ownership.
The thing is the price for the team should also be lower than it was 6 months ago. The lower price will offset the lower revenue over the next year to some extent. And everyone likes a deal , even billionaires, so they could look at Ottawa as a situation too good to pass up.
 
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BankStreetParade

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Jan 22, 2013
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From what I understood, the coaches of the other team volunteered to cut their salaries, so they the the didn't have to let go other staff. In the case of the Sens, Melnyk just cut their salaries without their permission. Coaches have contracts too. For example, The Leafs can't just cut Babcock's remaining contract to zero, even though I am sure they want to.
I can't imagine there aren't 'force majeure' clauses in all those contracts. At the end of the day, what's happening isn't any more the fault of the coaches than it is the owners which begs the legal argument of what are they entitled to in circumstances like this?

I would argue, like many other employers across the country did during closures, that if you are unable to perform your duties you should expect a reduction in your pay or to be furloughed until your job can be performed again.

Babcock is a different thing altogether as he was dismissed and under those clauses in coaching contracts they must pay the full remaining salary until the completion of term or pay the difference if he goes to another team.
 

Nac Mac Feegle

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Jun 10, 2011
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That is true.

Euge keeps his building out of spite.

Very doubtful this happens though.

We do have a (temporary) solution for that:

TD_Place_Arena_-_Interior.JPG
 
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Nac Mac Feegle

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Jun 10, 2011
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League wouldn’t allow that in these modern times. Minimum standards.

Yeah, they would. Did you see where the Islanders have been playing lately? woof

If worst comes to worst and the NHL somehow takes control of the team and Eugene holds onto the arena, the league could easily use the Civic Centre for a few years while the Flats get off the ground. They know Quebec is a smaller market than Ottawa, and Houston isn't going anywhere. But it would definitely take some juggling...and someone putting hot coals under the feet of the mayor and the NCC.
 

milkbag

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Jul 31, 2018
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The thing is the price for the team should also be lower than it was 6 months ago. The lower price will offset the lower revenue over the next year to some extent. And everyone likes a deal , even billionaires, so they could look at Ottawa as a situation too good to pass up.

Plus you have the prospect of Lebreton flats, prime real estate right in the downtown core of the Nation's Capital, being handed to you on a silver platter too. Development of that area will take a few years yet, and covid hasn't impacted the construction industry almost at all. It'd still be a gamble, but one that im sure someone out there is willing to take.
 

TheDebater

Peace be upon you
Mar 10, 2016
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That might not be in Ottawa though.

I highly doubt the league would think the solution is to move the Ottawa Senators. Like it or not, this team had a history, it is the capital of Canada which is a country synonymous with hockey.

The city has a huge fanbase that is constantly growing and we have proven that we can more than fill the arena on a regular basis when the on ice team is not trash and the owner is not making the fans his enemies.

If there is guaranteed stable ownership, and a new arena, I am very confident they would make an exception and allow the team to play in a smaller arena or, maybe even, temporarily play their home games in another city with a bigger arena capacity until the new Ottawa arena gets built.
 

Micklebot

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Apr 27, 2010
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There's 17 teams who have cut pay for all front office staff and are starting to make decisions about layoffs. Why is this any different? Given the circumstances, why should any inactive coaches get full salary right now?
Thats a good question. Ask yourself why the coaches of other teams haven't appealed to the league to step in and you might find the answer.

Some potential possibilities;
1. Other cuts are nowhere near as big so other team's staff are more accepting.
2. Perhaps the other cuts were negotiated with the staff, or volentary rather than unilaterally imposed.
3. Melnyk is an easy target so similar situations with other teams is swept under the rug.
 

AchtzehnBaby

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Mar 28, 2013
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Thats a good question. Ask yourself why the coaches of other teams haven't appealed to the league to step in and you might find the answer.

Some potential possibilities;
1. Other cuts are nowhere near as big so other team's staff are more accepting.
2. Perhaps the other cuts were negotiated with the staff, or volentary rather than unilaterally imposed.
3. Melnyk is an easy target so similar situations with other teams is swept under the rug.

I think the real answer is in the Sportsnet article...

When camps restarted, the coaching staff pay should have returned to normal, The Euge didn't. It was pretty easy to see this was terribly wrong... but El Cheapo thought he could get away with it. He didn't

I just hope that DJ isn't too sour with the organization to keep a grudge.

Secondly, 99% sure that Boro is leaving because of the owner.

Shit ain't getting better.

Corporations across all industries cut staff, cut pay or reduced work days to keep staff employed. If you haven't felt any of this consider yourself lucky.

Not sure what's different between other teams, but Leafs still kept there stable with full pay. Gotta keep Mitch and Auston fit. Are they working as many hours as they would in regular times? Maybe more as it's one on one via video screen?
 
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Micklebot

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Apr 27, 2010
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I think the real answer is in the Sportsnet article...

When camps restarted, the coaching staff pay should have returned to normal, The Euge didn't. It was pretty easy to see this was terribly wrong... but El Cheapo thought he could get away with it. He didn't

Corporations across all industries cut staff, cut pay or reduced work days to keep staff employed.

Not sure what's different between other teams, but Leafs still kept there stable with full pay. Gotta keep Mitch and Auston fit. Are they working as many hours as they would in regular times? Maybe more as it's one on one via video screen?

The force majeure clauses team were able to use to impose pay cuts likely were unenforceable once return to play happened, even if our team was not in the playoffs.
 

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