 | Union Being Broken Today? |
 Flyers_Fan_In_LA writes "I am not sure if I am seeing things or not but the scuttlebutt with Eklund and his sources (including a Detroit radio station, WXYT) say that a faction of players are trying to undo the unthinkable acts of yesterday. The radio station is reporting that Brendan Shanihan couldn't comment on what is going on right now for fear of getting in the way of what was going on.
Notice the dates for the buildings have yet to be released?
Kevin Greenstein at InsideHockey.com said eloquently today that "at 11:00 AM yesterday, when Bob Goodenow realized no more offers were coming from the league, he did his players a disservice by not accepting the owners offer and getting on with the game of hockey" Kevin is DEAD right. How can any player sit in front of a fan like you and I and say "On my share of a 42 million dollar cap - I can't make ends meet?" It is a direct insult to the people who earn the income to be able to afford the five figure per year investment it takes to own season tickets to an NHL team.
My guess on what is going on right now is that JR, Pronger, Yzerman and Iginla are mounting an effort along with many other players to undo what happened yesterday and to save the game from itself as well as to save the players hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenues from the season being canceled. I wish them luck.
Bettman has reason to listen to a player offer. He can save his owners BILLIONS of dollars in overall team value. He can save what is left of his NBC TV deal. And most importantly, he can DESTORY his enemy, Bob Goodenow. Is it legal for the players to break from the union and negotiate on their own? I am not sure. Nor do I care. If 70 percent of the players came back, we all will welcome the new faces to our team along with the reported radical rule changes designed to open up the game.
Something is brewing. I have not given up hope on this year's season. Assault me if you must but I have stuck with my stance and I am STILL sticking with it. I think this deal is still going down."
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| "Union Being Broken Today?" | Login/Create an Account | 42 comments |
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More sources (Score: 1)
by Flyers_Fan_In_LA (jrome@earhtlink.net) on Thursday, February 17
(User Info | Send a Message) | ESPN
http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=1993944
wayne, mario and Yzerman are in on whatever is going down says ESPN.
TSN.ca report denies it.
Strange things are a foot at the Circle K
Bill Daily alludes to "loving to have the problem" of unclancling the season.
OK players, you know what to do. |
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Re: Union Being Broken Today? (Score: 1)
by Freeze on Thursday, February 17
(User Info | Send a Message) |
It's time to pull the goalie and get a deal done.
Good luck, guys!!! |
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Re: Union Being Broken Today? (Score: 1)
by ranger_fan on Thursday, February 17
(User Info | Send a Message) | I'm sorry, but all I heard was blah blah blah I'm a dirty tramp.
Still listening to Eklund huh? Let me ask you a question...Why are you praying so much to see a season? Why are you refreshing Eklunds page every minute? If it was good hockey we are seeing, with no trap, and very entertaining, thats great. The NHL is at a low, and there is little to gain by accepting a deal that Goodenow has had up. The players are weak, because they aren't united, and need to find a better head of the union. |
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Re: Union Being Broken Today? (Score: 1)
by habsoverserver on Thursday, February 17
(User Info | Send a Message) | The deadline for a season is still March first.
The deadline for me being interested was Feb. 15th.
Like I said all along, if they could overthrow the godless commie in charge, the could get a deal.
In the end, yes it is fixable and yes they could have a season. But let's face it, while some co-dependent fans will rush back to the arena to supply the revenues that will once again lead to another work stoppage, those of us basking in mental health will spend our time more wisely.
Somebody wake me up when it's worth giving a crap.
I challenge anyone to give me one good reason why it would be worth donating any of my money or my emotional energy to a remotely possible 28 game shame of a season, brought on only by the players' love of my money.
I am starting a fan's union and as soon as the lockout ends, I'm locking the players, the owners, the bloggers and the clueless media in that empty arena and throwing away the key. Then you're all invited to my house for beers.
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Re: Union Being Broken Today? (Score: 1)
by physicalsap on Thursday, February 17
(User Info | Send a Message) | | I'm optimistic that there will be hockey, but i can't help but chuckle about the Pens being regarded as a "tanking" team who will be in the running for Crosby with the rangers and the caps according to Flyers Fan, if there is a 30 game season, the new and improved, well prepared for this situation, speedy and skilled young penguins with a good mix of veteran help from recchi and mario will be in the playoffs, and could do some damage |
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Re: Union Being Broken Today? (Score: 1)
by nordiques100 on Thursday, February 17
(User Info | Send a Message) | just think about it. seeing what is being said on that blog is a bad idea because it just gives us again some false hope. but those recent posts from Eklund just have too many holes in it.
lets look at this a bit closer. Panger said that the players are angry. sure, i would be too, i just lost 1.2 billion dollars for no good reason. and if i was goodenow, i wouldnt want to talk to anyone either. it probably hasnt been an easy last year for him and to see his work go down the tubes is demoralizing.
eklund posts that there is lots of wishful thinking out there after he says something is brewing. of course it is just wishful thinking as it is truly unbeleivable for any sport to cancel an entire year. and when you cant beleive it you get yourself in denial.
then we hear that sources in pheonix know of something brewing with players and saskin. considering pheonix is not much of a hockey hotbed, the likelihood of a person there finding too much hockey info is slim at best.
and the same statement that there is fire out there was mentioned over and over. but no specifics are given. just lots of off the record comments and leaks.
considering how accurate radio sources are (i.e howard berger from fan 590), it is pretty odd for shanny to say that talks are going on and that is why he couldnt go on radio. by saying that he has said enough already without the need to go on air. this is not really beleivable. i dont think he would do something like that. perhaps he had other arrangements which is why he couldnt make it. perhaps the "there are talks going on" statement was just made up and said in sarcasm by the annoucers. many words can be misinterpreted.
and i always want to know what is meant by a close source. the security guard who let them in the meeting room? he is standing outside the door so that is pretty close. the secretary's secretary's assistant who got bill daly a cup of coffee? i mean close sources has been beaten to death and from november til now on the blog, it appears they have been all wrong that this is going to get done.
and we get eklund to wet our appetite by saying this could get done and the season could get saved....... then he shuts himself up saying he doesnt want to hurt the process. the season is cancelled, how much more damage can anyone do?
just see too many holes in what he is saying for it to be beleivable.
and if the TV deal gets cancelled, what is the big deal? i mean they wont get any money anyway from it unless they meet certain criteria. it wasnt like they got NBC to give them money up front. so really i doubt that NBC could put that much pressure considering they dont have anything invested yet.
i dont mean to be so pessimistic. i want hockey too, but if there was a slim chance, then someone wouldnt have decided to annouce the season as being cancelled. the time has passed, i think people should give up trying to find something that isnt there.
i think it is best for them to start fresh, take some time away to reflect and get back at it with a fresh outlook and not try to desperately put together a bandaid solution just to save a 20 game season. i mean this is big money here, so no sense to rush it now after going this far. i mean now they can have a third party look at all the books, give both sides the numbers tehy come up with and since the third party is neutral, the numbers should be agreed upon and then a new deal can be crafted from there. that is the only way to get this done, if the numbers are painted black and white.
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Re: Union Being Broken Today? (Score: 1)
by RichterFan on Friday, February 18
(User Info | Send a Message) | I've sent an e-mail to the NHLPA which states......
To whoever reads this. Please inform Bob Goodenow that we the fans are very displeased by his failure to work out a deal with the league. Although most of us believe that there is no one side who is right we do feel that it was up to the union to accept the deal that was handed to them at the final hour. If you do not work out a deal soon you will see a lockout of which you could not of imagined. I mean a lockout of which the union, players and the league will be locked out by the fans. We are not stupid and we wish you would not treat us like we are. So let this be a warning. We are serious about this. I am not just one angry fan I am one of millions of PAYING fans who will certainly have no problem spending our money elsewhere. Good day to you.
I doubt I will get any response to it but I just needed to vent. |
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Re: Union Being Broken Today? (Score: 1)
by rojoke on Friday, February 18
(User Info | Send a Message) | Is it legal for the players to break from the union and negotiate on their own?
Why wouldn't it be legal for the membership to tell the executive what to do. If 50% plus 1 of the membership told Bob, Ted, Trevor and the negotiating committee to accept the league's last offer, they would be bound to do it. Unless they have a threshold for rejection other than a simple majority. Or they could just decertify the NHLPA and join the PHPA, which represents most of the players in the various minor leagues, or form a new association. |
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Re: Union Being Broken Today? (Score: 1)
by Aetherial on Friday, February 18
(User Info | Send a Message) | It is perfectly legal for any individual player to negotiate whatever he wants.
The problem is, that there will not be a league to play in unless there is a CBA.
That happens with this union, with another union (if this one is broken). A Declaration of impasse will not necessarily involve a new CBA. The owners could simply open the doors, tell people what is being offered ... there does not *have* to be an NHLPA, and therefore does not have to be a formal CBA... of course this is only true if an impasse is successfully declared and defended. That is something I am still not convinced is feasible or even desireable.
Now as to these *secret meetings*.
Fuhgetaboudit. Nothing will come of this even if there is a *this* going on and I am not convinced there is.
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Re: Union Being Broken Today? (Score: 1)
by werdo on Friday, February 18
(User Info | Send a Message) | The association may or may not be broken, but I wouldn't expect the league to start the season up any time soon.
Both parties have gone into this "negotiation" with impasse as the goal. Both have gambled that the courts will back their position.
If the union wins in the courts, it's back to the status quo, and hockey will end up like baseball (or european soccer for that matter), with limitless salaries, huge disparities in payroll and a have and have-not league. Small market teams will have to learn to work within their own budgets and get used to losing. Market like crazy to try to get people to buy seasons tickets to watch 15 wins a season.
If the league wins, there will be twenty caps and a 50% roll back, pushing salaries back to 1994 levels. Well, maybe not that bad.
The whole last minute negotiation was just positioning for the eventual court battle over impasse. Both gave up a little to give the impression of being willing to negotiate. Both hoped the other side wouldn't accept their offer. Bettman threw in the "final offer" comment at the end intentionally to rile Goodenow to make sure he wouldn't accept the offer. Look, the day after the season's cancelled, several owners are quoted as saying there WILL be hockey in September.
Look forward to a long summer of legal action and a lot of long faces on the players in September. |
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Re: Union Being Broken Today? (Score: 1)
by Flyers_Fan_In_LA (jrome@earhtlink.net) on Friday, February 18
(User Info | Send a Message) | http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/cpress/20050218/ca_pr_on_ho/nhl_lockout_8
Bloger says the NHLPA is coming to NYC to meet tomorrow.
Yahoo says they are likely meeting.
This is happening. I am telling you. I have BEEN telling you guys. It ain't over YET. (soon possibly but not yet)
The thing that I make note of is the fact that the league and teams have NOT released the dates for the games yet.
Also Bettman REALLY WINS in this event EVEN if he needs to compromise just a little more - say a 43.5 cap. The reason is - his franchises save BILLIONS in depreciation that will certainly happen and save an ugly fight to break the union. Heck, they are breaking RIGHT before our eyes (and isn't it beautiful?)
Stay tuned people!!!! |
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