If you love NHL Hockey...

[Yeziknoradio]

Keeping on mind, it's still early yet, here's the story so far...a lockout is possible.
Report: NHL proposes reduced revenue share, 5-year contract max for players in CBA talks
Source: http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nh...11-revenue-cut-5-contract-030641230--nhl.html

 

[stationless listener]

Lockout is on since last week. Already, NBC Sports is having some tough decisions to make.

http://www.adweek.com/news/television/nhl-puck-stops-here-143940

 

[FreddyE1977]

It's gonna be a long one. Donald Fehr has a chip on his shoulder and something to prove ever since
being run off as head of the Baseball Players Union.

 

[Yeziknoradio]

Long yes, but has there ever been a time when a strike or lockout lasted beyond a single season?
NBC & others will just have to ride it out and accept that by September/October 2013 everything will magically be all better again and it will be business as usual.

 

[FreddyE1977]

The players are being pretty stupid in my view as there are at least half a dozen franchises
(mostly in the southern U.S.) that would likely not survive a work stoppage of more than one season.
Don Fehr could end up putting hundreds of his members permanently out of work.

 

[KTU_Fan]

Not true actually. And the NHL has been making more money since the lockout yet the owners still want the players to take a paycut.

 

[sandiegoinexile]

The players are being pretty stupid in my view as there are at least half a dozen franchises
(mostly in the southern U.S.) that would likely not survive a work stoppage of more than one season.
Don Fehr could end up putting hundreds of his members permanently out of work.

The owners have locked out the players. The players are not on strike.

I haven't studied all the details, yet as I understand it, the agreement reached after the last lockout gave the players more than 50% of the revenues. Since then, overall league revenues have skyrocketed. The owners now want the players to receive less than 45% of the revenue. The argument is that the smaller percentage of the larger revenue pie is comparable to the large slice of the smaller pie. The players feel that they deserve the same percentage slice. I think both sides have a point.

Would you be happy if your employer paid you 55% of the revenue, then partly due to your hard work, the revenues were up 33%, your pay was cut to 45% ? Then again, its mostly a wash as the smaller percent of a larger whole might actually be better than a larger slice of a smaller pie.

There are countless other issues, from league size, per-team revenue, salary cap, and the like. Most of the good players will find work in Europe.

 

[Robnoxious]

The NHL has a crisis where they take 2 steps forward only to fall 5 steps back. Outside of Canada and the O6 and the New England States corridor teams, the NHL has an extremely fringe following. It will never surpass the NBA in popularity even though I feel it's a better product. NHL needs to take a long hard look at the MLB strike in the early 90's and it's fallout because they are travelling that road. For a league that's a solid 4th at best overall they really can not stand to lose any more foothold they have carved out.

NHL fans might be the most loyal in all of sport but even they will begin to wane interest if the NHL continues these catfights and bickering season after season.

 

[quadraphonic]

They should have just went with replacement refs. That was a shrewd move by the NFL owners to get that much free pub.

 

[FreddyE1977]

Most of the good players will find work in Europe.

The rumor that Sid Crosby might seek work in the KHL has people apoplectic around here.
Despite the Russian reputation for high-skill hockey that league has apparently stuffed their
rosters with goons in order to sell tickets.