2004/2005 NHL Offseason

[DSJ™]

EEK!      

Oilers Issue Warning to NHL
Josh Pringle
Wednesday, January 26, 2005

The chairman of the Edmonton Oilers says he'll recommend the NHL suspend the franchise if the lockout ends without a salary cap.

Cal Nichols' comments come as the NHL and the Players' Association gathers in Toronto to resume contract talks.

The league has been demanding players agree to what it calls "cost certainty" and Nichols says if it backs down, that will be the death of the N-H-L in Edmonton.

Nichols says if there's no salary cap he'd recommend the franchise be suspended, or moved.

The league says it will have no new proposal to make today, as some had expected.

The two sides meet in Chicago and Toronto last week.

[Jesse James]

Biloxi Mississippi, I think we've finally found you a team.   

[Jeff]

Another secret, hush-hush meeting today?

 

When are they finally going to just give in and cancel the dang season?  The idea of a 24-game regular season does not excite me.  The idea that you could end up playing more games in the playoffs (28) than the reg season is just stupid.

Jeff

[Morgbug]

Apparently it excites many of the US owners though, Nashville for example.  Those owners (apparently) feel it is worthwhile to have the shortened season to maintain/rebuild the profile of the league, especially in less popular markets.  The appeal of playoffs also looms for those owners, because they tend to get much better attendance (I think that says something all by itself) for playoff games than for regular season games. 

There is still a cap (apparently) in the latest owners offer, so don't expect much. 

I have to admit, I'm getting quite a kick out of guys willing to displace other players and play for less money, yet they are supposedly a unified union (really, what union do you know that scabs at other jobs?) and steadfastly refuse a cap.  You refuse a cap that would lower your pay to $5 million a year, but you'll play for minor hockey in Detroit for less than $200 grand??  Explain that logic to me again, please. 

Sorry, I'm stubborn.  I hope the owners stick to it and break the union.  Lots of players mentioned that they'd go to the WHA to play for less (that league, had it flown would have had a $10 million cap per team).  So again, if you're willing to take that cap, why not an NHL cap? 

So if it's a two year lockout, how many of the upper-echelon players will actually have a career left starting in 2006?

[DSJ™]

Well at least something of Hockey is going on around here. There making a movie here called Waking Up Walter, the Walter Gretzky Story



DEKING OUT THE ROLE OF THE GREAT ONE: Kris Holden-Ried, left, portrays Wayne Gretzky in a TV movie about the the hockey legend's father.

[Jeff]

So if it's a two year lockout, how many of the upper-echelon players will actually have a career left starting in 2006?

I have to imagine that a 2-year lockout would cause a few guys to lose a step, especially some of those who aren't what they used to be physically (Lindros, Roenick, Yzerman, Hull, etc).

Jeff

[Holographic Elvis]

So if it's a two year lockout, how many of the upper-echelon players will actually have a career left starting in 2006?

I have to imagine that a 2-year lockout would cause a few guys to lose a step, especially some of those who aren't what they used to be physically (Lindros, Roenick, Yzerman, Hull, etc).

Jeff

Lose a step?  Try retired.  Yzerman, Messier and many others will be gone period.

[Morgbug]

Exactly my point, good sir.   Belfour, Hasek, who can name some others?  Roenick should, but too many knocks in the head have made him really silly.

Now I don't know how many of those names are part of the PA stubborness but the rumours are that a relatively minor proportion of the players are being this steadfast.  That happens to be the upper echelon players, both in talent and in income.  While I admire their stubborness and loyalty, I still think their foolish.  If they don't, perhaps they'd care to join me at work for a while and live on my salary. 

[Jesse James]

Lindros

What?  Did he turn into Jello at this point?    (I can't stand him, sorry)

I dunno...  High School Hockey's taking some steam here now that the Steelers are done...  Pitt Basketball's all we got till Spring Training, and I hate baseball so that nixes much for sports for me till Steelers kick in again...

They've been playing Pens highlight games.  I was heading out and caught that they were airing Lemieux's first game the other night, I think...  That or it was just a highlight for part of some show, but it was a long-ass highlight.

Oh well. 

[Morgbug]

Heatley may be deported?  Picked up the link from the spawn.com board and noticed my opinion is more than a little different from the majority there.  I don't think Heatley should be treated any different than I would if I were to go down to Minnesota, rent a car, get Scott or Jim or Jeff in the passenger seat and slam into a concrete wall killing them because I lost control due to a dumbass decision to go super fast.  What do you think?

[Jeff]

I don't think Heatley should be treated any different than I would if I were to go down to Minnesota, rent a car, get Scott or Jim or Jeff in the passenger seat and slam into a concrete wall killing them because I lost control due to a dumbass decision to go super fast. What do you think?

Geez, that's a tought one.  I don't think that he should get any special treatment just because he is an NHL All-Star, but aren't there more important criminals they can track down and deport?

It'll be awful tough for him to lose his whole NHL career over one bad decision... but then again the other guy lost his life because of one bad decision.   


As for lock-out update, the NHLPA had this to say:

NEWARK, NJ (February 2, 2005): At the conclusion of Wednesday's meeting in Newark, National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) Senior Director Ted Saskin released the following statement:
"The League today presented a written proposal with minor variations of concepts that were presented orally by the NHL last Thursday. We told the League last week and again today that their multi-layered salary cap proposals were not the basis for an agreement.

Given the status of negotiations, the NHLPA suggested that the parties meet again tomorrow with Bob Goodenow and Gary Bettman joining the meeting."

Here's I'll translate for you...

"The League today presented a written proposal with minor variations of concepts that were presented orally by the NHL last Thursday an offer that was basically the same old crap.  We told the League last week and again today that their multi-layered salary cap proposals were not the basis for an agreement they can stick their salary cap where the sun don't shine.

Given the status of negotiationsTo finally end this pain for the year, the NHLPA suggested that the parties meet again tomorrow with Bob Goodenow and Gary Bettman joining the meeting."

 

Yeah, it's looking real good now with Bettman and Goodenow being brought back in.   

Jeff

[CHEWIE]

I've got faith that Brett Hull will keep playing a while... he's got one hell of a shot still.  If nothing else, keep the guy on the power play.  One timer!  Goal!



 

[Morgbug]

True dat about Hull, he can put the puck in the net.  I think he was born in Winnipeg. 

Jeff, yup, so long as that cap word remains in there, there will be no discussions of any relevance.  The cynic in me says this is just public relations to give the appearance of trying to work it out before they cancel the season.  I think some US owners may want to go on, but traditional hockey markets are just looking at it as damage control before going golfing.

[Holographic Elvis]

It's so lame how the players are getting blasted completely when they've actually attempted to negotiate, they've made offers AND big concessions.  The league has taken each 1 and wiped their ass with it and said, "Cap."  Now the league waits til FEBRUARY ****** 2nd to make an offer (and clearly that offer was only to save face) and the players are blasted for not accepting it.  The offer was a joke. 

[Morgbug]

NO argument about the joke side of things, I agree.  It has nothing to do with the owners really wanting a season.  Just making pretty for the media.