NHL Goes Cold For 2005
The NHL season for 2005 has officially gone bust.
This marks the first time a Major pro sports league in North America has lost an entire season due to labor disputes. This will likely set the league back, in terms of popularity, a great deal. Not that NHL is America’s favorite Pro sport anyway. It’s no secret that the NHL is already struggling for support, especially among southern states.
“This is a sad, regrettable day that all of us wish could have been avoided,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said.
“Every day that this thing continues we don’t think it’s good for the game,” NHLPA executive director Bob Goodenow said in Toronto.
What could be seriously sad about this whole ordeal is the possibility of ending the careers of many aging greats in the game:
- Mario Lemieux (39)
- Mark Messier (44)
- Steve Yzerman (39)
- Brett Hull (40)
- Ron Francis (41)
- Dave Andreychuk (41)
- Chris Chelios (43)
The playing days for these guys could be ending on someone else’s terms.
There’s a lot more to this story than meets the eye. Players want to substantially raise the salary cap. The amount They finally came to was somewhere around 49 Million. Owners wanted it somewhere around 42 Million.
Now the players (and the players union) will have a year off to think about what they’re willing to bring to the table for the ‘06 season, and hopefully something will be agreed upon.
February 16th, 2005 at 11:30 pm
I personally think it’s sad that with all the problems going on in the world today all these people can think about is getting more money. The question that needs to be asked is do these people play for the fans, or do they play for the money. Its a sad day when something a small as money is the ruling force of your life, but I mgiht be wrong.
February 17th, 2005 at 12:30 am
C.S. Lewis said to a group of college students during WW2 that “if men had postponed the search for knowledge and beauty until they were secure, the search would never have begun.”
I know it’s a real stretch here, but I think the principal is the same. To say that people cannot pursue an avenue to better themselves while there are troubles in the world is a foolish argument. The players are the ones that attract the fans and make the money. They should get their fair share of market value. If the money is there, they are entitled to it. Should they earn so much that they run the thing out of business? No, but the money is going somewhere. It will either be into the owners pocket or into theirs.
Think in your own situation. If you performed an extremely valuable contribution to a company . . . say you wrote a best-selling book or something . . . but your employers refused to give you your fair share of the proceeds yet still expected you to perform at the same level, I’m sure you would be a bit upset yourself.
Of course, I’m sure there could be a debate over what the players’ fair share is. I haven’t seen the financial records, so I’m not sure if 49 mill is way over the line or if it is about right.
February 17th, 2005 at 8:07 am
The players make 75% of the Revenue of the league. The teams collectively lost 266 Million dollars. The players are bankrupting the league. Baseball is getting close the same thing.
FOotball and Basketball who have Salary Caps and Rookie Max are flourishing, and the players are still making tons of money.
I agree the players are the league and should make the fair market value, But look at our situations. If the employess made 75% of the revenue of my Company, then we would be bankrupt. The Player’s greed has canceled the season.
February 17th, 2005 at 8:25 am
Look all I am saying in the issue is do these guys really care about the sport. If they do then why would they be more then happy to run it down to the ground for more money then the owners have to give them. I agree we should pay people what they are worth, but some people think they are worth more then they should be payed.
February 17th, 2005 at 10:03 am
I agree, I was just pointing out that the sports where salaries are control tend to prosper.
Look at baseball, that has no salary cap.
A market value for a player could be around 5 MIllion a year, but the yankees or Red Sox who need him will pay 10 million. Then the value of all players of his caliber are now worth 10, and the small market teams can’t compete because they will lose money if they pay those salaries.
There are some bad owners in the league, but it is the players who are could have accepted being paid a litte less (still millionaires) and saved the league.
February 17th, 2005 at 1:07 pm
While I agree that 75% is way too much to be divided out into salaries, I don’t think it is the players to blame completely. While I do agree they are being a bit selfish, I could also see an argument made that our capitalist system is based on the theory that when you work hard, you will get ahead. I.E., it takes our natural tendencies to be selfish and cultivates it into something that is good for the whole society. I want to make money and have a nice life, therefore I will work hard at Industry A to create Product X, which everyone needs, in order to get paid well and have a nice life.
I’m scared of the quote, “[I]t is the players who are could have accepted being paid a little less (still millionaires) and saved the league.” If I work at company X, and company Y is willing to pay me a larger amount of money, maybe even double my market worth, to do the same work, it would be a bit foolish to turn the position down unless there were other factors involved (don’t want to move my family, bad work environment, unstable market, etc). It is easy to pick on athletes and others in these position because they are already making alot of money, but I think the principle is still the same. If the money is offered, it would be crazy not to take it.
However, I will admit that a sports league is a bit different than a typical industry in that if the individual franchises don’t work together, one or two big market teams will be very successful, attract alot of fans, and will continue to be successful, while smaller market, loosing teams will eventually loose their fane base and revenue, creating a very unstable situation for the league. It puts the league franchises in a very sticky situation – when do I compete and create the best franchise I can afford to create, and when do I purposefully hold back to help my competitors stay competitive? Would the big market teams risk loosing their fan base by NOT paying an athlete what they can afford to give to keep them? Imagine if the Yanks would be faced with the option of keeping Jeter by offering him a salary no team could match, or by purposefully setting a cap, saying we will only pay you X even though we could afford to pay you Y, and having him leave to go to another team. While that might be okay by the fans at first, eventually they would get tired of it – “We have the money, get a good team!!!� I think it is more of a problem of the fundamental structure of any particular league rather than player/owner ‘greediness.’
February 17th, 2005 at 1:27 pm
On one hand you are exactly right. It is a problem of fundamental structure in the leagues. Is it truly fair for a team(yankees) to be able to afford to pay their players 200 Million for one year, while a small market team is paying around 38 MIllion. It is the players who want to keep it this way, because they are the ones who benefit from it. A salary cap will still pay the best players the most, but will revaluate the value of the mid-range player.
But the Issue is very different in Hockey than in baseball. Baseball teams are making money, so the arguement isnt as important. Hockey owners are losing money, and the players know this. The owners simply cant afford to keep the league running at status quo.
February 17th, 2005 at 1:47 pm
Joey, you and your Hitler youth mentality . . .
You keep going back to the facts and destroying my arguments!
Yeah, well . . . . George Bush, that Texas Monkey, purposfully bankrupted the NHL so that his beloved Texas Rangers would be able to profit from proceeds that the NHL would typically pull in!!!!!
February 17th, 2005 at 1:50 pm
I got you neocons on the ropes where I want you. Boom Boom.
February 17th, 2005 at 2:58 pm
You nailed me. Nothing gets us Hitler Youth outraged like a labor dispute.
Dont forget the PNAC, Josh, they are also behind it.
Boom, Boom. HEHE thats funny, Ryan
February 17th, 2005 at 4:10 pm
I’m a Canadian and I’ve been a hockey fan since I was barely out of diapers. I remember when players used to get paid a very small fraction of today’s salaries….and they also didn’t bounce all over the league looking for the best offer. They had a sense of loyalty and they truly loved the game.
There are several problems why the league is losing money. Yes, one of those reasons is the players’ salaries. Simply put, they are too greedy. This greed not only hurts profits, but it has set a destructive precedent for all the up and coming players who, in turn, will want the Big Bucks+ that their predecessors earned. A salary cap is part of the answer, but the entire NHL needs a restructuring. Heck, they were only $6.5 Million apart during the CBA…why not split the difference? Each side says it’s a matter of philosophy and principle, I say it’s a matter of egos and stubbornness. After all, do you think Bettman or Goodenow would take a cut in pay?
The first thing I would do is fire Gary Bettman. The man has no apparent love of the game or the fans that support it. He cares about one thing…money, period. He is blinded by his own agenda. He wants a 30 team league and it’s not working. He’s trying to sell it in the south and it’s not working. He’s trying to compete in markets that are already saturated with basketball, NFL football, college football, and baseball – guess what? It isn’t working. Even Gretzky has admitted that the Coyotes are losing less money by not playing hockey (and they have a fraction of the payroll other teams successfully carry). Sorry Wayne, if it isn’t selling after 8 years, give it up. Phoenix would obviously rather golf in the sun than crowd into a chilly arena. And I’m not trying to pick on the Coyotes, the same could be said for several other teams.
Whose side am I on? The fans. I’m tired of the crap. I hate what hockey has become at the hands of the NHL. In Canada (and some parts of the U.S.), hockey is not just a sport, it’s a culture. I am at the point where I don’t care if the NHL dies. If it does and it just might, I hope the new league learns from it’s mistakes.
February 17th, 2005 at 4:45 pm
It’s a problem with the NHL union. Unions do good things for workers, but they can also make situations worse. In this case they asked for too much and the owners couldn’t pay.
February 17th, 2005 at 5:51 pm
Claude, you are a hockey fan, and you nailed the situation.
I dont like Hockey, but I am a southern boy who grew up watching my beloved Saints and LSU.
NHL is for cold climates where poeple love the sport.
Bettman should be canned, just listening to him talk makes me cringe.
February 17th, 2005 at 6:22 pm
Wow…Bettman makes you cringe too? I thought it was just me.
I find it funny that when he talks, he looks off elsewhere, but not at the person he’s talking to. What’s that tell you?
February 17th, 2005 at 11:23 pm
I really don’t think hockey is that great of a sport. Don’t hate me now, but neither is soccer. Actually, their kinda dumb and boring. I watch sports, but not for entertainment, I watch them for someone else’s happiness or nothing else is on T.V. I’m the type of person who watches info-mercials when nothing is on. I’d rather watch that then do nothing.
If I was there in person, everything would be totally different. Going to a game is thrilling. I’m not a big fan of soccer and some other sports, but if I were there, it’d definately be worth getting into.
February 17th, 2005 at 11:27 pm
Whats makes hockey so interesting for some of you guys? Hockey isn’t too popular, mabey i’m not a big fan because I’m not that great of a skater, I fell on my umm… butt too many times.
February 18th, 2005 at 11:40 am
I am not to big into hockey either. I used to play football and enjoyed watching that, but I lost interest in it also. I guess sports just can’t measure up to a good book, or watching the whole Band of Brothers series in a row.
February 18th, 2005 at 1:41 pm
Hockey is a Canadian invention and tradition. Oddly enough, basketball was also invented in Canada by James Naismith, but that’s getting off topic. I grew up watching hockey and playing street hockey.
Hockey fans find hockey to be very fast and exciting. They appreciate a nice save just as much as a nice goal. Some players have slapshots that travel at over 100 mph!…Try stopping that puck. It requires intense physical training, finesse, and mental toughness.
Like any other sport, you would have to watch several games and understand some of the rules to truly appreciate what the sport is and what is required to play it.
A little passion for the game also goes a long way.
February 18th, 2005 at 2:26 pm
I was never a big fan of Hockey, but when I was able to watch a few games live (independent league) I really enjoyed the game. Sitting on the glass and messing with the opposing team is great fun. I still cant watch it on TV.
There is nothing like watching a football game at Tiger Stadium. The crowd got so loud once that the geology department recorded an earthquake. It is known as the earthquake game. Hockey can’t compete with that in the South.
February 18th, 2005 at 10:30 pm
“The crowd got so loud once that the geology department recorded an earthquake.” -Joey
Is that true? Thats awesome! I haven’t heard of that before.
Going to a live game is way better, watching on T.V. gets pretty boring, but live is awesome.
February 20th, 2005 at 9:18 pm
That is very true. Lots of legendary games. Tiger Stadium is a place visiting teams hate to come to. It is a legendary Staduim in college football.
I can watch football on T.V. though.
February 21st, 2005 at 6:04 pm
Well, considering up to 60,000 fans can show up to a football game, I would hope it would make more noise. The average NHL arena seats about 15,000 and some of them can get pretty noisy as well. The largest NHL game took place outside a couple of years ago in Edmonton - in a football stadium. Close to 60,000 fans showed up and braved the -21 C (that’s about -6 F for you Southerners) temperatures. I thought I was a hockey fan til I saw them! Check the link below.
http://www.nhl.com/intheslot/read/heritage/index.html
This was just a one time deal (outdoor game). Canadians look at hockey the way Americans look at football and baseball. After hockey, I would say that football is the second favorite.
February 21st, 2005 at 10:02 pm
Joey would you say your fav. sport is football? You seem to have a great deal of knowledge about it.
February 22nd, 2005 at 8:05 am
Football is definetly my favorite sport. followed by basketball. I love sports in general though.
Tiger Stadium holds officially holds 91,700. I have been to the largest crowd ever at Tiger Staduim. The attendence was 92,500. But the Biggest Staduim is in Michigan. It holds somewhere around 108,000. Tiger Staduim is probably about number 10 on the list of biggest staduims.