Russ Conway Article -- How Dare You

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Greschner4

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John Flyers Fan said:

Stopped reading after the cliche "the players are the product."

False. The players wearing the brand names of the teams, with the attendant goodwill in those names as built up over the decades, are the product. And the brand names are the more important asset.

The "Toronto Maple Leafs" brand is worth more than any current Leaf or all current Leafs combined. Same for "Detroit Red Wings," "Philadelphia Flyers," etc.

Every time one of these things hits sports, a group of star players get together and talk about barnstorming games. And in the NHL lockout this year there actually were such games. Nobody ever goes to them. It's happened time and time again.

Why? Because the players aren't skating for the valuable brands.
 

CGG

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Bettman's complete unwillingness to get away from his "cost certainty" salary cap is unacceptable. Nothing is certain in this world.


Russ Conway is the best writer in hockey today.
 

Jaded-Fan

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Add another NHLPA apologist to the very small list. That article was a joke. To quote that 24% gimmick giveback as the cure for the bleeding of cash by the clubs shows what a big market apologist that hack writer is.

If he had been even slightly more balanced in his criticism he would have maintained a shred of credibility. As it is I want my 3 minutes back for having wasted the time reading this.
 

CarlRacki

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With all due respect to Mr. Conway, this column is more hissy fit than thoughtful analysis.
 

John Flyers Fan

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Greschner4 said:
Stopped reading after the cliche "the players are the product."

False. The players wearing the brand names of the teams, with the attendant goodwill in those names as built up over the decades, are the product. And the brand names are the more important asset.

The "Toronto Maple Leafs" brand is worth more than any current Leaf or all current Leafs combined. Same for "Detroit Red Wings," "Philadelphia Flyers," etc.

Every time one of these things hits sports, a group of star players get together and talk about barnstorming games. And in the NHL lockout this year there actually were such games. Nobody ever goes to them. It's happened time and time again.

Why? Because the players aren't skating for the valuable brands.


They're both important.

I'd gladly pay $50 to go watch the players at the World Champs, Olympics, or World Cup .... and I'm sure as hell not going to pay $50 to watch the Phantoms in the Calder Cup playoffs.

It's not just the jersey. It's what tha jersey is supposed to represent, and that is the best hockey in the world. If the NHL resumes without the best hockey players in the world ..... that brand loses value in a real hurry.
 

s7ark

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Jaded-Fan said:
Add another NHLPA apologist to the very small list. That article was a joke. To quote that 24% gimmick giveback as the cure for the bleeding of cash by the clubs shows what a big market apologist that hack writer is.

If he had been even slightly more balanced in his criticism he would have maintained a shred of credibility. As it is I want my 3 minutes back for having wasted the time reading this.

Agreed. I feel stupider for having read that.
 

ResidentAlien*

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CarlRacki said:
With all due respect to Mr. Conway, this column is more hissy fit than thoughtful analysis.
I think it was supposed to be more hissy fit then anything, Idaknow, kinda sums up how a lot of people feel.

I could careless to read one more "thoughtful analsys" honestly (anal being the operative portion of that word)
The title of the article should have been your first clue
 

CGG

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Jaded-Fan said:
Add another NHLPA apologist to the very small list. That article was a joke. To quote that 24% gimmick giveback as the cure for the bleeding of cash by the clubs shows what a big market apologist that hack writer is.

If he had been even slightly more balanced in his criticism he would have maintained a shred of credibility. As it is I want my 3 minutes back for having wasted the time reading this.

I can guarantee Jaded-Fan is much more of a hack than Russ Conway, a well respected investigative journalist. This guy knows more about hockey and the current situation than most other people could ever dream of. I don't care if you agree with someone, but to dismiss the guy's credibility because he doesn't share the exact same view as you is atrocious. Do some research on the guy. He knows his stuff. At least he has the guts to question King Bettman's actions and motives.
 

mooseOAK*

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I find it amazing that so many people think that the NHLPA's one and only proposal was the perfect one that addressed the goals of both sides.
 

Greschner4

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John Flyers Fan said:
They're both important.

I'd gladly pay $50 to go watch the players at the World Champs, Olympics, or World Cup .... and I'm sure as hell not going to pay $50 to watch the Phantoms in the Calder Cup playoffs.

It's not just the jersey. It's what tha jersey is supposed to represent, and that is the best hockey in the world. If the NHL resumes without the best hockey players in the world ..... that brand loses value in a real hurry.

You're rooting for valuable brands -- much more valuable than the Phantoms -- at the World Champs, Olympics and World Cup.

On point 2, maybe. The NHL didn't have the best hockey players in the world before about 1990. And its pretty obvious that just because the league is now the best players from everywhere, people aren't willing to pay the higher amounts of money they're being asked to pay. Nor are they any more willing to invest time watching it on TV.

Maybe the high price/high salary/best player all in one league model just won't work for hockey. The owners sure seem to think so.
 

Lanny MacDonald*

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Well that was an extremely poorly written article. That was akin to a parent berating a coach for having the audacity to not play his child during the big game. That is an article the author "should be ashamed of".
 

CGG

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mooseOAK said:
I find it amazing that so many people think that the NHLPA's one and only proposal was the perfect one that addressed the goals of both sides.

I haven't heard anyone call it perfect. What the article points out is that the PA proposal got the salaries pretty damn close to where the league wants them, that's a fact. And that the luxury tax wasn't steep enough, which we're all aware of.

Now, Bettman decided it wasn't good enough, so he used some make-believe numbers to "prove" it wouldn't work, saying salaries would rise 12% each year even though under the last two years of the old system, the year over year increase was somewhere around 2.5%. He also used 3% as an annual increase in revenue. Plus, owners would have to refrain from being and employing idiots. So no deal.
 

Greschner4

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gc2005 said:
I haven't heard anyone call it perfect. What the article points out is that the PA proposal got the salaries pretty damn close to where the league wants them, that's a fact. And that the luxury tax wasn't steep enough, which we're all aware of.

Now, Bettman decided it wasn't good enough, so he used some make-believe numbers to "prove" it wouldn't work, saying salaries would rise 12% each year even though under the last two years of the old system, the year over year increase was somewhere around 2.5%. He also used 3% as an annual increase in revenue. Plus, owners would have to refrain from being and employing idiots. So no deal.

The PA sure thinks it was close to perfect. When it got rejected they acted like a girl who put on her best lipstick, best perfume, and most sexy outfit and still couldn't get the guy to touch her.
 

Trottier

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The tally so far:

One thread.

Seventeen posts (this being the 18th).

Two anti-NHLPA posters (Jaded, Greshner) who have actually addressed anything in the article, as opposed to attacking the messenger. :)
 

CantHaveTkachev

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gc2005 said:
I can guarantee Jaded-Fan is much more of a hack than Russ Conway, a well respected investigative journalist. This guy knows more about hockey and the current situation than most other people could ever dream of. I don't care if you agree with someone, but to dismiss the guy's credibility because he doesn't share the exact same view as you is atrocious. Do some research on the guy. He knows his stuff. At least he has the guts to question King Bettman's actions and motives.

tell me why this guy's a well-respected jouralist? just because he happends to question Bettman's motive's?

since when does that Dec. 9th proposal form the PA solve the NHL's problems?

waste of time to read this garbage
 

CGG

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Greschner4 said:
The PA sure thinks it was close to perfect. When it got rejected they acted like a girl who put on her best lipstick, best perfume, and most sexy outfit and still couldn't get the guy to touch her.

Kinda sums up the NHL's reaction every time they put out a proposal the PA wouldn't touch, don't you think?
 

Greschner4

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Trottier said:
The tally so far:

One thread.

Seventeen posts (this being the 18th).

Two anti-NHLPA posters (Jaded, Greshner) who have actually addressed anything in the article, as opposed to attacking the messenger. :)

I spent about a hundred words attacking the cliche that the players are the product -- Conway's words.
 

CGG

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e-townchamps said:
tell me why this guy's a well-respected jouralist? just because he happends to question Bettman's motive's?

since when does that Dec. 9th proposal form the PA solve the NHL's problems?

waste of time to read this garbage

Clearly you don't know who Russ Conway is, so go ahead and hate the guy out of spite because, although critical of both Bettman and Goodenow, he seems to have a PA leaning. He was well-respected long before this lockout and will continue to be so after it's over.

Btw, he never said it solved the NHL's problems, he says it got the salaries to where the league wanted them.
 

Greschner4

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gc2005 said:
Kinda sums up the NHL's reaction every time they put out a proposal the PA wouldn't touch, don't you think?

Bettman and Daly don't act like a bunch of scorned, rejected women.

I can't believe the PA is still this emotional about their December 9 proposal and the league's response.
 

Trottier

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Greschner4 said:
I spent about a hundred words attacking the cliche that the players are the product -- Conway's words.

Which is why I cited you as one of the two exceptions. I acknowledged that you are dealing with substance; few are.

Did you not understand that?
 
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