NHL Lockout?

[RichardGraham]

Hi Folks,

This is an off-topic post (ice hockey), so I am open to being slammed for it. However, it's my site, so I should be able to get away with it... [img]/wtimages/icons/wink.gif[/img]

What are people's thoughts on the potential lockout in the NHL. Right now, the word I'm hearing is that the owners want a salary cap and the players say they won't budge, and the collective bargaining agreement is up this September. Is that what you guys are hearing?

Can and will a lockout be avoided?

What will the result of a lockout be on the future of the NHL? Of hockey in general?

Would there be a potential harmful effect on inline hockey? (Back on topic!) [img]/wtimages/icons/smile.gif[/img]

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

[NLane]

I'm not close enough to anything to hear but I have always believed that some actors, athletes, CEOs and owners are overpaid. I've hated to see teams have to relocate for bigger arenas so they can pay players/owners. The common man can't possibly see all the home games of a team he wants to support because of pricing. A lockout hurt baseball and will hurt hockey. The ratings (TV) for the Cup games this past week have been horrible. Commercial time should be really cheap next time. I'm hoping inline hockey will take off but I was told that all the other levels of pro hockey will still be playing. Maybe we'll see some of the higher level players playing "for the love of the game" and maybe to keep in playing shape. I think I remember a time when Mark Mess. played before his contract was finalized one year. Don't see much of that anymore.

[SpeedDemon]

First, the NHL needs to get out of cities like Nashville, Tampa Bay, Atlanta. Expanding into those places was one of the worst things a struggling league could have done. They bring virtually nothing to the table, and you waste your superstar players in cities which don't even care. No one but the die hard hockey fans knew who Jarome Iginla, Martin St. Louis, Brad Richards before this year. The only reason casual fans may recognize Dany Heatley is because he was in a car accident. Put franchises in cities which care about hockey, so they will build a large following for the team and the superstars that play. The Devils made no money on their most recent Cup-winning season! Is that any sort of business plan that makes sense?

Secondly, this Cup finals could very well have cost the NHL an extra season of play. Ratings are at an all time low. What kind of sponsorship and TV contract can the NHL expect the next playing year, going out like this? I don't expect to see the NHL back for 2 years.

I'm just disgusted with the entire situation. I honestly feel we're watching the end of the league as we know it. But hopefully I'm wrong.

As far as inline hockey is concerned ... I don't think it will have any bearing one way or the other. The minor pro ice leagues will still exist along with the WHA and that will still take precedence over all.

[jndlpr]

Well I am able to see both sides of this. Hockey as a sport is hurting in a great way. The owners dont want to have to pay more than what they make on a season. You have to understand that if you want to make alot of money buying a team pro football is the way to go. Certain cities need not have hockey teams, we should send them back to Canada or at least the northern states where people actually care about hockey. I think that pro hockey will die if a player lockout happens. Only the die hards wil stay around, myself included,but the average fans will not come back. This is what happened to the Major League Baseball, and it will happen in hockey also.

[JohnHockey1798]

The players and the NHL can not afford a lockout. Like Marty Brodeur said you will loose teams if you have a long lockout. I like hockey and always will but the TV coverage sucks and the marketing sucks. The NHL needs to find a way to make people watch games and go to games. When you only show regional games it areas without teams or only certain teams on national coverage people get tired of seeing the same teams over and over. If the league wants to get better control of players salarys make all their contracts incentive laden, instead of paying some of them rediculous contracts. Make them earn their money. If you do not play to your full potential and not as a selfish player you will make more money. I hope the lockout doesn't happen but most likely it will. THis is my opinion and you can bash it if you want. I feel cutting the season by 10 games is a good idea.

John

Toga!! Toga!!

[rt12]

www.worldhockeyassociation.net

[PREDFAN27]

Hey SpeedDemon, why don't we just go back to the original six? Sports really doesn't need teams like the Predators who totally electrified a so called non-hockey city with their first ever playoff appearance; and I shudder to think of the ramifications to the league now that a team like Tampa Bay has won the Stanley Cup! The NHL needs to do whatever it can to insure the Minnesota Wilds',Florida Panthers', Carolina Hurricanes, and Tampa Bay Lightenings' of the world are EVER allowed to dash the hockey hopes of REAL hockey cities again! I am sure that would suit you just fine!

[MDE3]

This may further reinforce your opinion about not talking about ice hockey on this site.

I think that hockey in general just has too long a season. Hockey is by nature and roots a winter sport, where people who have the four seasons, can get into the sport during the appropriate season.

Now running from October to June..mostly in order to afford the big bucks..the season has outrun the interest levels and it's returns. It competes with baseball at the beginning of it's season, football throughout the first half of it's season, basketball througout almost the entire season, and baseball again during the playoff run.

Hockey depends a lot on the emotional involvement of it's fans to keep them coming. Hockey fans may be more passionate about their sport than any other major sport. That is both a blessing and a hindrance to the sport. A season that span's 9 months cannot keep the attention and intensity of it's fans peeked at that level of passion..nor it's players for that extended a period.

Aside from shortening the season back to where it would be complete in 5 months..hitting all the owners and the players hard in the pocket book, the game needs extra fuel to be added to the emotional fire.

Bring on a truly international (WHA?) hockey league with teams playing on both sides of the Atlantic. This will certainly fuel the Nationalistic fires on both sides of the pond, and keep the interest pot boiling at a much higher pitch. Maybe get some teams from the Middle East..Now there would be a marketing coup....

[jndlpr]

I agree with Pred. As a die hard bluejackets fan, we are a hockey town. While Ohio is not normally seen as a big area for hockey we have yet to not pack the house with people wanting to watch the games. If you take away teams you take away fans!!!!

[SpeedDemon]

Another person bringing the 'original six' argument to the table. That's all I ever hear. It gets tired.

I'm talking business here. The NHL is ultimately a business, and a poor one at that. We will be going back to the original zero if they don't stop expanding into cities which have no interest in supporting the sport, and don't start removing franchises from the ones that currently exist.

[PREDFAN27]

Well, I see I am involved in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent, so let me break it down for you. My statement had NOTHING to do with the original six! It has to do with all the crap you keep spewing about who belongs in the league, and who doesn't! All the teams you keep pointing your holier than thou, Philly finger at, are the same teams that have produced some of the best stories involving the NHL in the last 3 years. Carolina, making the Stanley Cup finals; Minnesota, making the conference finals; Nashville, first ever playoffs; and Tampa Bay, have you checked out ESPN lately, the same team you specifically named because they brought nothing to the league, just won the Stanley Cup! Looks like these teams brought a lot more to this league lately than the Flyers have. Hope you can actually UNDERSTAND my point now!!!

[justinhockey88]

Look the fact of the matter is the NHL is losing a quarter billion dollars a year.Its also kind of hard to sell the sport to people in young and non hockey areas such as Nashville or Carolina at $65 for a descent seat to a regular season game.If the players in the league want to continue to play the game they love they're gonna have to take a pay cut.And if the NHL wants to attract new fans its gonna have to be at an attracting price.If the NHL marketed the sport correctly hockey would be growing and would be seeing the benifits.

[rt12]

Carolina-joke
Nashville-joke
Anaheim-joke
Tampa-joke
Florida-joke
Atlanta-joke

The following teams should be kept and the rest cut.

New York
Detroit
Montreal
Chicago
Toronto
Boston
Philadelphia
Colorado
Los Angeles-only because of their TV value
Dallas
Minnesota
St. Louis
------------------------------------------------------------

This NHL would be succesful because of the larege TV markets, NY/LA and teams that will have fans showing up at the arena. Set a cap at 30M and you're in business.

Place hockey in areas where hockey can be played. Not Florida or Carolina; check attendance records.

[rt12]

The Predators had 7500 people show up to a regular season game this year.

I thought they had captivated the city?

[rt12]

Fans in Nashville? Is this April Fool's Day?