WHA could end up helping the NHL devide NHLPA membership

[mr gib]

I think you're hoping your hatred for players extends to absolutely everyone out there, who will feel some sort of personal vendetta to "screw the players" by thumbing your nose at anything they might be involved in and blindly supporting the current batch of NHL owners and whatever they're up to.

If the WHA gets their stuff together, they have a pretty good chance. If there are replacements next year in the NHL, at least fans can choose between (some of) the best players in the world in the WHA and low-rate minor league scrubs in the NHL. If that scenario holds for the full season, I can't think too many people would be THAT dedicated to the owners to continue paying big money to see crap hockey players in the NHL instead of watching good palyers in the WHA.

Your claims of WHA players not being welcome back in the NHL is also ridiculous. You won't see all 30 NHL teams take a pass on 150 of the best players in the world just because they once played in a rival league.

wow - i'm not alone

 

[ResidentAlien*]

it's a long shot for sure - but if bettman keeps going the way he is who knows - wasn't that interview with tiger awesome?

Tiger's always great, gotta love that guy!
I still don't know about the whole replacement player thing coming to fruition tho, even Burke said last night on Russell's show he believes the best course for the league to be the "Black hole", have to say I agree.

On to the hatred on this board for the players, I just don't get it. I lay blame at both partys feet. Anyone who can't see that that they're are both at fault for not only getting us in this mess but also keepping us here, is blind.

 

[PecaFan]

by the way orca bay will not stand in the way of a team at gm place here in vancouver - $ is $

Oh yeah, Orca Bay and friends all got rich by being stupid. There is no way in hell they'll let another team and league use their stadium. That's slicing your own throat.

 

[Timmy]

Oh yeah, Orca Bay and friends all got rich by being stupid. There is no way in hell they'll let another team and league use their stadium. That's slicing your own throat.

Not gonna happen.

And the Giants have exclusive rights to the Pacific Colliseum.

The Kerrisdale Arena is available, however, and has seating capacity of 200. :lol

 

[PecaFan]

Yup. And of course they could play in the Agrodome, where the smell of what the PA and WHA are shoveling is already present.

 

[Timmy]

Yup. And of course they could play in the Agrodome, where the smell of what the PA and WHA are shoveling is already present.

I guess it would be like living in Chilliwack (cow country).

You get used to the smell after awhile.

 

[Tawnos]

Oh yeah, Orca Bay and friends all got rich by being stupid. There is no way in hell they'll let another team and league use their stadium. That's slicing your own throat.

Explain this one to me. Exactly how is Orca Bay hurting themselves by allowing 2 teams to use their building? If this is even an option, then there's no way there's an exclusive binding agreement between the owner of the building and the Canucks. They're allowed to do whatever they want with the building. What are the Canucks going to say "fine, we won't play there if you're going to let the WHA in." That leaves the Canucks without a building to play in. Sorry, but Orca Bay has all the power there.

As has already been said, the WHA does not plan to have a cap. Also, their plan is for 10 teams, not 8. Ricky Smith is an Ontario-based lumber mogul, not BC. And money doesn't seem to be an issue with this group. Reportedly they're going to offer Crosby $7mil. I pass no judgements on that.

Cities I've seen listed for possible WHA teams:

Quebec City, Hamilton, Indianapolis, New Orleans, Dallas, Las Vegas, Seattle, Portland, Vancouver. Atlantic City has been mentioned....

 

[Timmy]

Explain this one to me. Exactly how is Orca Bay hurting themselves by allowing 2 teams to use their building? If this is even an option, then there's no way there's an exclusive binding agreement between the owner of the building and the Canucks. They're allowed to do whatever they want with the building. What are the Canucks going to say "fine, we won't play there if you're going to let the WHA in." That leaves the Canucks without a building to play in. Sorry, but Orca Bay has all the power there.

As has already been said, the WHA does not plan to have a cap. Also, their plan is for 10 teams, not 8. Ricky Smith is an Ontario-based lumber mogul, not BC. And money doesn't seem to be an issue with this group. Reportedly they're going to offer Crosby $7mil. I pass no judgements on that.

Cities I've seen listed for possible WHA teams:

Quebec City, Hamilton, Indianapolis, New Orleans, Dallas, Las Vegas, Seattle, Portland, Vancouver. Atlantic City has been mentioned....

Orca Bay owns the Canucks and GM place. By allowing another rival league to play in their own building reduces the value of Orca's franchise and income potential from their team.

It reduces they're bargaining position in the lockout by giving their employees a different venue in which to ply their trade, and therefore have less inclination to come to an agreement in regards to a new CBA.

It is rolling out the welcome mat to a direct competitor.

I really don't think Orca would do this, but I've been wrong before.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

sometime explain to me how the WHA is going to be a better alternative to the NHL when most of the cities they're considering dont have NHL teams??

 

[eye]

I think you're hoping your hatred for players extends to absolutely everyone out there, who will feel some sort of personal vendetta to "screw the players" by thumbing your nose at anything they might be involved in and blindly supporting the current batch of NHL owners and whatever they're up to.

If the WHA gets their stuff together, they have a pretty good chance. If there are replacements next year in the NHL, at least fans can choose between (some of) the best players in the world in the WHA and low-rate minor league scrubs in the NHL. If that scenario holds for the full season, I can't think too many people would be THAT dedicated to the owners to continue paying big money to see crap hockey players in the NHL instead of watching good palyers in the WHA.

Your claims of WHA players not being welcome back in the NHL is also ridiculous. You won't see all 30 NHL teams take a pass on 150 of the best players in the world just because they once played in a rival league.

One more time. I do not hate the players. Like most fans, I don't understand how they couldn't read the financial climate in the NHL or how they could allow their leader to cost them over 1.5 billion in salaries. Players should know better. Owners are mostly in it for business reasons and most fans count on the players to provide continuity from the past to the present and into the future. All they have done is create unemployment, displace other hockey players from earning a living and alienated many fans like myself in the process. Every poll supports what I have said. About 80% or more blame the players. Do you really think this same 80% are going to turn around and buy tickets to support the players after all of this.

 

[YellHockey*]

Like most fans, I don't understand how they couldn't read the financial climate in the NHL

I don't understand how anyone can read the financial climate of the NHL considering no one has access to the complete financial records for the NHL.

If the financial climate is as bad as the NHL claims it is, why won't they completely open up the books instead of hiring fluff reports like the one by Arthur Levitt?

 

[Timmy]

One more time. I do not hate the players. Like most fans, I don't understand how they couldn't read the financial climate in the NHL or how they could allow their leader to cost them over 1.5 billion in salaries. Players should know better. Owners are mostly in it for business reasons and most fans count on the players to provide continuity from the past to the present and into the future. All they have done is create unemployment, displace other hockey players from earning a living and alienated many fans like myself in the process. Every poll supports what I have said. About 80% or more blame the players. Do you really think this same 80% are going to turn around and buy tickets to support the players after all of this.

The WHA is hoping that enough of the 20% who do support them will come out and watch.

The problem is, though, that investors are going to be funding a league in which the players are only playing in order to get better conditions in another (rival) league. Therefore, they're going to have to make their profits pretty much up front, rather than have a five-year business plan in which they can afford to lose money for a couple of years before they gain momentum.

 

[WHARF1940]

sometime explain to me how the WHA is going to be a better alternative to the NHL when most of the cities they're considering dont have NHL teams??

my point exactly. How are pissed off NHL fans (the people that they are targeting supposedly) supposed to support this league if we can't get there. They are going into minor markets mostly. They'll clean up in winnepeg and Quebec, especially if they name the teams correctly , but in the other areas, they'll have to drum up new support, just as if the NHL had expanded there. look at Atlantic City. The boardwalk bullies are being pulled for lack of support. Who is gonna support the WHA there? I'd love to support this league, but I'm on Long Island, and the only rumored NY team I've heard of would be up in Albany, only about 6 hrs away!!

 

[Tawnos]

Orca Bay owns the Canucks and GM place. By allowing another rival league to play in their own building reduces the value of Orca's franchise and income potential from their team.

It reduces they're bargaining position in the lockout by giving their employees a different venue in which to ply their trade, and therefore have less inclination to come to an agreement in regards to a new CBA.

It is rolling out the welcome mat to a direct competitor.

I really don't think Orca would do this, but I've been wrong before.

Hmm, well from this thread I was under the impression that Orca Bay owned the building and not the team. I wouldn't have even asked that question otherwise. On the other hand, between NHL replacement revenue and WHA revenue, Orca would probably be the only NHL ownership group making close to what they made before the lockout. Who knows.

Wharf, the Boardwalk Bullies are being moved because they were bought by a group from California. I don't know the specifics of it, so I'm not going to say anything more than that. The group could have very well considered leaving it there if it was profitable. I don't know.

 

[Tawnos]

Crosby wants to play in the NHL and compete for the Stanley Cup with the players he grew up watching, not for a scruffy questionable WHA league.

I just was thinking about this by the way. Crosby does want to compete for the Stanley Cup, but likely only if the Stanley Cup is a representation of the best league in the world. Replacement players competing for the Cup is probably not his idea of what the Cup represents and therefore he may not be jonesing to play for it as much as you think.

 

[me2]

As has already been said, the WHA does not plan to have a cap. Also, their plan is for 10 teams, not 8. Ricky Smith is an Ontario-based lumber mogul, not BC. And money doesn't seem to be an issue with this group. Reportedly they're going to offer Crosby $7mil. I pass no judgements on that.

Good for Crosby, I hope he's smart enough to ask for his cash up front because the WHA might not last long enough to pay him otherwise. And after he's finished with the WHA and there is always the NHL rookie cap to look forward to.

 

[Paisano*]

No surprise, that. The players today are like bloodhounds:

"Arf? What's that? It's... It's... YES! It's MONEY!! Money, Money, Money, Money! Oooh.... [pant] [pant] [pant]..."

classic!!

 

[Hunter74]

I don't understand how anyone can read the financial climate of the NHL considering no one has access to the complete financial records for the NHL.

If the financial climate is as bad as the NHL claims it is, why won't they completely open up the books instead of hiring fluff reports like the one by Arthur Levitt?

If the PA is so positive that the leagues numbers are all wrong why dont they audit them. The NHL has said publically over and over come and look at the books if you dont beleive them. Bring in some forensic auditors and do your worst. Instead the PA gives roll backs that just so happen to be the amount of money the lying Owners said they had lost.

If the NHL wont open the books completly then they should have a good case for the whole not "bargaining in good faith" junk.

I would support the players if they would show me some type of evidense why they are right. Not just tell me what they think is right. But of course the PA doesn't give a sh*t about fan support anyhow. Unless of course it comes down to them trying to draw some in there new league. :lol

 

[Brewleaguer]

IF the WHA gets off the ground and signs enough NHL players for the 8 teams they claim will start in October what happens to the remaining unsigned NHL vets? The WHA and Europe will insist on full season commitments next year plus NHL players will be expected to walk the picket lines. The WHA could prove to become the NHL's best weapon to devide the PA.

Do you think that more fans will support the WHA with NHL players or the NHL with a combination of temporary players and NHL players that cross the line?

I can't see fans paying good money to support the players that most of us feel have let us down so my vote is for the NHL.

I think the NHL will start over again and take the necessary 3-5 years to rebuild the league with players that share their vision of how to grow the game and make it competitive for all 30 teams.

One scenario that I have been reading is this, the league is considering several possible replacement options, the most likely involves using only those players who are not members of the NHLPA; who are not on NHL reserve lists; and whose draft rights are not owned by NHL clubs.
So if this holds true the NHL would end up being the ones forcing the dismantling of the union and spreading it around the globe. So the current rank and file we'll spread across all 3 entities. Choose your league you care to watch.
Since I feel Bettman has ruined the league in many ways.... I'll go with the WHA until Bettman is gone.