Strachan sets Alberta straight

[Canadian Time]

http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/TorontoSun/Sports/2005/03/08/953616-sun.html

Interesting article from Strachan today, it's hard to argue some of his points.

Here's one

Unfortunately, anyone who suggests that the Flames and Oilers should be a little more self-sufficient encounters a barrage of ad hominem arguments. Even if you used to live in Calgary, would go back there in a heartbeat, and think Alberta is the best province in the entire country in which to reside, it matters not. No one from outside of Alberta, it seems, is allowed to call the Oilers and Flames what they really are -- the league's biggest whiners.

And another

The Oilers say that if there were a level financial playing field, they'd be right on top. Was it a shortage of money that made them pay a washed-up Adam Oates almost $2 million US? Was it a cash crunch that got them to draft Steve Kelly ahead of Jarome Iginla who was playing in their very city?

Click to read more...

 

[Brent Burns Beard]

Iginla never played in their "very" city, unless you count his midget hockey days. It is well known that the player the fans coveted was Shane Doan, they were chanting his name at the draft.

If only EDM had more money, they wouldnt have been such crap drafters. Say, what ever happened to Jason Bonsignore, Joel Hulbig, Michel Riesen, Michael Henrich, and Alexei Mikhonov. Damn, if not for the lack of money !

Lol.

DR

 

[The Maltais Falcon]

Al Strachan couldn't set a ruler straight.

 

[ArizonaGreenTea]

As for the Flames' inability to compete because of money woes, two names: Jean-Sebastien Giguere and Martin St. Louis.

As objective as I consider myself, how could a team with a budget below 40 million a season keep the league's Art Ross winner and the league's Rocket Richard winner? Also why would us Flames fans whine about dropping Giguere when we have Kipprusoff?

Though I don't think the article applies to me. I was more pissed off about missing a season of hockey than I ever was about my Flames not preforming.

Does Strachan ever make a sensical argument?

 

[tantalum]

So the Oilers and Flames made some mistakes? So what. It isn't proof of anything. What the story should be was that unlike the big money teams the flames, Oilers and friends had a heck of lot of trouble getting out of that trouble thanks to escalating salaries etc.

A cap doesn't guarantee a competitive Flames or oilers franchise and no one says it will but it will perhaps guarantee an even playing field. It will allow the oilers to get the same caliber of player that the leafs can afford etc etc etc. Who knows if those mistakes are made again it may hurt them even more under a cap system but that's the whole point...bad management is what should lead to poorer teams not lower revenues.

 

[se7en*]

Wow, is he a poster here? I can think of at least 4 others on this forum who are just as hopelessly dense.

 

[gerbilanium]

Well if Alberta wasn't 'propping up' the rest of Canada through transfer payments on things that actually matter, like health care, roads, etc. then maybe they could throw some bucks at a hockey team.

And what's with this notion that the Ontario teachers pension fund would not absolutely love being able to pocket millions more because the perpetually stoopid management there will not be able to blow their wad at every turn.

 

[ScottyBowman]

God bless Strachan. He's telling the truth. The Oilers and the Flames are a bunch of whiners. Waaaah I can't afford to sign anyone Waaah we are losing money Waaah Waaaah. Just get rid of one of the teams and let the whole area cheer for one team. I'm sure the whining won't stop though.

 

[likea]

one of the dumbest articles I have read during the lockout

 

[ladybugblue]

So the Oilers and Flames made some mistakes? So what. It isn't proof of anything. What the story should be was that unlike the big money teams the flames, Oilers and friends had a heck of lot of trouble getting out of that trouble thanks to escalating salaries etc.

A cap doesn't guarantee a competitive Flames or oilers franchise and no one says it will but it will perhaps guarantee an even playing field. It will allow the oilers to get the same caliber of player that the leafs can afford etc etc etc. Who knows if those mistakes are made again it may hurt them even more under a cap system but that's the whole point...bad management is what should lead to poorer teams not lower revenues.

I completely agree. I have an Oiler jersey and never put a current player on the back because all of the players I liked came and went too quickly....Cujo, Guerin, Weight, Marchant, Arnott, Comrie...and when you have to put up with that year after year and are being told you are the farm team for all of the other teams it pisses you off. Again maybe there are mistakes made, but they also didn't draft all of those players...except Arnott and Comrie. I am sure the same could be said about many other teams. This isn't about who drafted well...is it can you keep your good players that have turned out to be good players for your team?

Honestly I think Edmonton and Calgary could have competed with Detroit, Colorado and Toronto if the salary cap was around $45 million...it would have made the difference between small market $15 million ($30 million on the low end) and large market instead of $50 million. That is when the drafting and smart trades would have been a difference maker. It is not to say that everything should be equal but teams like Edmonton and Calgary do not have the populations that Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto have and they pay out everything in US dollar but take everything in Canadian. Not sure of the solution but to blame Edmonton (5 time Stanley cup winner) and Calgary (1 time Stanley cup winner) and to think that Toronto is more important (how long since last Stanley cup not in my lifetime), Vancouver (never won) and Montreal (exception this franchise deserves all acolades) is premature.

How about instead of blaming NHL, owners, players they just start writing about both sides making concessions because at this point the blame game is very unoriginal and laugable. Both sides are to blame and they should be forced to meet three days a week until and deal is done. No excuses, no complaints just get back to work...many others that depend on the NHL for jobs are losing out (and they don't make millions).

 

[gerbilanium]

God bless Strachan. He's telling the truth. The Oilers and the Flames are a bunch of whiners. Waaaah I can't afford to sign anyone Waaah we are losing money Waaah Waaaah. Just get rid of one of the teams and let the whole area cheer for one team. I'm sure the whining won't stop though.

Nice sentiment but it's not going to happen, there will be a cap and you guys will no longer be able to trade for leading scorers at the trade deadline. Doesn't matter if it's wrong or right, YOU WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO DO IT AGAIN.

I bet it just sucks realizing that although 4 teams make a lot of money 26 others are going to stop it. Sounds like the whining is coming from you realizing your buying days are over. I love it.

Alberta does know how it feels to be the leafs, we rake in the money, hear the whining from the rest of Canada, but the difference is, WE SHARE THE MONEY.

 

[Boozers]

God bless Strachan. He's telling the truth. The Oilers and the Flames are a bunch of whiners. Waaaah I can't afford to sign anyone Waaah we are losing money Waaah Waaaah. Just get rid of one of the teams and let the whole area cheer for one team. I'm sure the whining won't stop though.

We lost our star players because we couldnt afford them I remember Weight, Guerin, Joesph to name a few u dont what the hell ur talking about why should u, ur in DETROIT. Strachan and your point of thinking can go straight in the ground

 

[ladybugblue]

Nice sentiment but it's not going to happen, there will be a cap and you guys will no longer be able to trade for leading scorers at the trade deadline. Doesn't matter if it's wrong or right, YOU WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO DO IT AGAIN.

I bet it just sucks realizing that although 4 teams make a lot of money 26 others are going to stop it. Sounds like the whining is coming from you realizing your buying days are over. I love it.

Alberta does know how it feels to be the leafs, we rake in the money, hear the whining from the rest of Canada, but the difference is, WE SHARE THE MONEY.

:lol So true.

 

[copperandblue]

I don't know what is more ludicrous, that Strachan seems to still believe that the NHL is a major league sport that generates revenue and commands the same attention as the NFL or the hypocracy of suggesting that the teams deserve to be supported by revenues generated outside of the league...

All I can say is thank god he isn't the guy in charge of creating the business model that the NHL will follow.

 

[oil slick]

I bet it just sucks realizing that although 4 teams make a lot of money 26 others are going to stop it. Sounds like the whining is coming from you realizing your buying days are over. I love it.

That's exactly right. All of this talk about the leafs leaving the league; all the complaining from Strachan; all the ludicrouse ideas about the original six leaving and forming their own league. It all comes from the a feeling that you're fate dictated too by 26 whining teams. The same powerless feeling that Oiler fans got when due to financial reasons they traded away or lost to UFA Gretzky and Messier and Weight and Geurin and Hamrlik and Cujo.

At least you are making me realize how agrivating our whining was. So please stop... it really won't do any good.

 

[Roughneck]

But the NFL doesn't revolve around Green Bay. It revolves around the big-market teams and Green Bay finds a way to compete successfully without whining.

Perhaps if Al thought about how Green Bay is able to do this, he wouldn't have written such a stupid article.

If only the Flames and Oilers would follow their example.

Yeah, too bad they can't. How does this man have a job?

 

[CGG]

Honest question, why does it seem that Flames and Oilers fans are more obsessed with getting a salary cap to "level the playing field" than they are about getting some revenue sharing? Wouldn't revenue sharing help them a little bit more?

Say what you want, but the Oilers had a payroll in the low $30's last season and by all accounts are barely scraping by. If they can't afford the $40 or $42.5 million salary caps that were proposed, then why insist on it instead of pushing for revenue sharing?

Even if Detroit has to chop their payroll to get under a salary cap, they're still miles ahead of the Oilers since the Red Wings can actually draft decent players, so a cap won't make the Oilers instant contenders.

Sure, Doug Weight wouldn't have signed a $7, $8, or $9 million contract with a salary cap in place, maybe only $5 million, which still would have been too much for the Oilers to afford. Teams that actually can afford a $40 million cap will still have an advantage over the Oilers without actual revenue sharing.

 

[Charge_Seven]

Well if Alberta wasn't 'propping up' the rest of Canada through transfer payments on things that actually matter, like health care, roads, etc. then maybe they could throw some bucks at a hockey team.

And what's with this notion that the Ontario teachers pension fund would not absolutely love being able to pocket millions more because the perpetually stoopid management there will not be able to blow their wad at every turn.

God if only there was someone as "perpetually stoopid" as the Leafs management...

 

[Bauer83]

Honest question, why does it seem that Flames and Oilers fans are more obsessed with getting a salary cap to "level the playing field" than they are about getting some revenue sharing? Wouldn't revenue sharing help them a little bit more?

Say what you want, but the Oilers had a payroll in the low $30's last season and by all accounts are barely scraping by. If they can't afford the $40 or $42.5 million salary caps that were proposed, then why insist on it instead of pushing for revenue sharing?

Even if Detroit has to chop their payroll to get under a salary cap, they're still miles ahead of the Oilers since the Red Wings can actually draft decent players, so a cap won't make the Oilers instant contenders.

Sure, Doug Weight wouldn't have signed a $7, $8, or $9 million contract with a salary cap in place, maybe only $5 million, which still would have been too much for the Oilers to afford. Teams that actually can afford a $40 million cap will still have an advantage over the Oilers without actual revenue sharing.

Would have to say your wrong and your right here... Everyone assumes that we want a salary cap, and that is because we want a level playing field. But honestly, nobody here cares what kind of financial system is instilled, except it must allow both of our teams to stay. All I care is doug weight no longer has to leave Edmonton. All I care is when Petr Nedved considers signing here, we don't get worried about 300K a year more, as hurting our team. Don't get me wrong, we have made mistakes at the draft table and let go players that shouldn't have been let go, but we have lost players that wanted to stay for money. So whether it be revenue sharing or salary cap, myself as an Edmontonian don't care how it happens, it just needs to happen. And the owners don't want to share revenue, so a salary cap it must be.

 

[Bauer83]

Sure, Doug Weight wouldn't have signed a $7, $8, or $9 million contract with a salary cap in place, maybe only $5 million, which still would have been too much for the Oilers to afford. Teams that actually can afford a $40 million cap will still have an advantage over the Oilers without actual revenue sharing.

just for your info... we almost worked out a deal to sign weight for 5 million at the time. However, it was rumoured that the PA asked him to check elsewhere as his value was much more. I am pretty for sure that is what happened, and with news about the players/agent site, I am now for sure this to be true. We might have only gotten him for 2 years at 5 million, then had to let him go. But the next year we would have made it past the first round if weight/comrie were our top two centres, instead of just rookie comrie.

 

[Slats432]

Because of the disdain of many people for Al Strachan, and the acrimony with which the large market and small market posters seem to be starting in this thread, I am putting it on double watch.

Let's talk about the issues, not each other and be polite.(I don't want to wield the Wand of Moderating Destruction.)

Thanks.

 

[ladybugblue]

Honest question, why does it seem that Flames and Oilers fans are more obsessed with getting a salary cap to "level the playing field" than they are about getting some revenue sharing? Wouldn't revenue sharing help them a little bit more?

Say what you want, but the Oilers had a payroll in the low $30's last season and by all accounts are barely scraping by. If they can't afford the $40 or $42.5 million salary caps that were proposed, then why insist on it instead of pushing for revenue sharing?

Even if Detroit has to chop their payroll to get under a salary cap, they're still miles ahead of the Oilers since the Red Wings can actually draft decent players, so a cap won't make the Oilers instant contenders.

Sure, Doug Weight wouldn't have signed a $7, $8, or $9 million contract with a salary cap in place, maybe only $5 million, which still would have been too much for the Oilers to afford. Teams that actually can afford a $40 million cap will still have an advantage over the Oilers without actual revenue sharing.

Problem with that is Detroit has not drafted a good player in a while...the best two players were Zetterburg and Datsyuk and both are still fairly uncertain in terms of their impact in the league (neither has played really well in the playoffs where it counts).

Also Doug Weight did sign in Edmonton for $5 million a year for a couple of years at least...they lost him when he wanted more than $5 million a year.

 

[se7en*]

They offered Weight $6 million. Unheard of, here.

I had a good laugh about Alberta having to support the rest of these hoser provinces. So true.

 

[CGG]

just for your info... we almost worked out a deal to sign weight for 5 million at the time. However, it was rumoured that the PA asked him to check elsewhere as his value was much more. I am pretty for sure that is what happened, and with news about the players/agent site, I am now for sure this to be true. We might have only gotten him for 2 years at 5 million, then had to let him go. But the next year we would have made it past the first round if weight/comrie were our top two centres, instead of just rookie comrie.

What you said might in fact be correct, for all I know. However, Doug Weight was 30 when he left Edmonton for St Louis. He was an RFA, not UFA. The website only tracks offers made for UFA's. I don't doubt the union would have been upset with Weight for accepting $5 million, but he had to get traded to St Louis first before he could sign a contract, which in retrospect was horribly overpriced.

Now I seem to be the only person in the world who remembers this, but around the same time the revelation about the player/agent website came out, didn't the league actually admit to having a very similar offer-tracking system? It's completely voluntary, but GM's updated info whenever they offered free agents money. The union filed a grievance about it, but that was denied. Am I the only one who remembers this? Did it come to me in a dream? Am I losing it?

 

[ScottyBowman]

Doug Weight has been a huge bust in St. Louis. Oiler fans should be happy that they didn't sign him to some ridiculous amount.