11/21/24
October 13, 2004
It's October 13th.: Today is the when the games in the NHL go from meaning absolutely nothing to meaning something. Or, should I say, today is when the games cancelled mean something...
What are you talking about? The Devils won.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 12:56 PM on October 13, 2004
Sigh ... looks like I picked the wrong week to start selling game-worn hockey jerseys. Being up in Ontario Hockey League country now, however, this bis a boon for all these smaller leagues. There seems to be a real buzz about going to or watching the minor leagues, and it's something I hope these franchise can capitalize on. Nothing beats sitting at a Barrie Colts game five rows from the ice for about $10.
posted by wfrazerjr at 03:42 PM on October 13, 2004
*crys* In other news, I am moving to Montreal in a week or so...any recommendations for local hockey, or sports in general?
posted by Succa at 03:55 PM on October 13, 2004
No local sports, Succa, but there's an excellent noodle place on St.-Denis called Zyng. They're a chain, so it's not like I'm telling you of some great local place, but MAN, the food is great. Now I'm hungry...
posted by dusted at 04:34 PM on October 13, 2004
dunno about the quality, but I am aiming to check out a McGill hockey game. It is downtown, relatively cheap and probably would feature twice as many goals as your typical NHL game.
posted by gspm at 07:27 PM on October 13, 2004
As a newly-christened Canuck (lodged in Barrie), I'll be headed to the Ottawa/Barrie OHL game on Friday, Oct. 22 in Ottawa as the last night of my honeymoon. (Didn't I marry GREAT?!?) Anyone interested in going to the game is welcome to drop me a line and maybe we can all hook up.
posted by wfrazerjr at 08:34 PM on October 13, 2004
Hey Fraze, congratulations on the marriage! Did you post photos online anywhere? (We need new mocking material, of course.)
posted by billsaysthis at 10:27 PM on October 13, 2004
Frazer, you got a lot of nerve up and marrying off on us. Congratulations! (Also, if I could make it to a Colts-67's (or better yet, Majors) game this winter, I'd be fairly happy. Not much chance of that, though.)
posted by chicobangs at 08:35 AM on October 14, 2004
Tonight is supposed to be opening night for the Hurricanes. Here sits my ticket, lonely and pathetic. In the game's stead, Sneaky Pete Karmanos is having a "town hall" meeting at the RBC Center. Word on the street has it that Bettman will be there tonight as well. I might end up going to see what the owners have to say. Although, it would be nice if the players were offered a time slot to speak as well.
posted by NoMich at 09:55 AM on October 14, 2004
Transcript of a chat with Gary Bettman on NHL.com yesterday...
posted by MeatSaber at 12:16 PM on October 14, 2004
Interesting read, MeatSaber. I wish one person had asked the most basic question: Why can't owners just stop offering contracts at $$$ that cause them to lose money? Why do the owners need a salary cap to force them to do what commonsense says is necessary?
posted by billsaysthis at 01:17 PM on October 14, 2004
Why can't owners just stop offering contracts at $$$ that cause them to lose money? Which line do you think would go over better with a team's fanbase? "We wanted to keep [long time home grown star player], but his demands were too much. We wish him well." OR "We are pleased to annouce that [long time home grown star player] has re-signed with us for 6-years and $48million." It's not necessarily the right answer...
posted by grum@work at 01:23 PM on October 14, 2004
Interesting read, MeatSaber. I wish one person had asked the most basic question: Why can't owners just stop offering contracts at $$$ that cause them to lose money? Why do the owners need a salary cap to force them to do what commonsense says is necessary? Lots of people have asked him that question, and he's responded with his canned answer of "the reality of this business is that we've lost [x] dollars." In other words, the owner's loose purse strings in the past don't matter one bit. All that matter is tying revenue to wages so that it doesn't happen again. Go through your average transcript of one of these mouthpieces talking, and you can spot plenty of fallacies. My favourite one is about the Levitt report. The league claims to be negotiating in good faith, but commissions a financial report without any input from the union. The union disputes the numbers, obviously, and when pressed, Bettman responds "we asked the union five years ago if they'd help us and they refused." Gee Gary, couldn't you have maybe asked them again? If I'm a judge presiding over this dispute, I throw the "good faith" claim out the window.
posted by Succa at 01:27 PM on October 14, 2004
Dammit, Succa, what are you doing, abandoning the Sens-fans-in-Toronto support group in its time of greatest need?
posted by DrJohnEvans at 01:30 PM on October 14, 2004
Consider me a missionary, spreading the Word of Zdeno to the good people of Quebec. Besides, there are plenty of Sens fans in Toronto. Like this person.
posted by Succa at 01:36 PM on October 14, 2004
Grum, That argument would hold weight if the biggest problem was owners overpaying guys just to keep them. But what about Boston giving Martin LaPointe $5.5 mill a year to lure him from Detroit, or the Rangers trying to play the Yankees with the contracts to Lindros, Jagr, and especially Holik? All this solidarity the owners have didn't mean shit 6 years ago when the Hurricanes were offering Sergei Federov an outrageously bonus-laden deal, or the Rags were doing the same to Joe Sakic. The owners, as far as I'm concerned, are saying "we fucked it up. You fix it" to the PA...
posted by MeatSaber at 01:48 PM on October 14, 2004
In other words, the owner's loose purse strings in the past don't matter one bit. So start today. I believe we in the real world call this following a budget; just like hockey franchise owners we don't own dollar bill printing plants. Still doesn't answer my quesiton, IOW.
posted by billsaysthis at 02:57 PM on October 14, 2004
Thanks, folks, but the marriage isn't actually until this Saturday. Grum, if you ain't busy, you and the wife should swing through for the pig roast ... and the beer and wine afterward :D Hopefully I'll post some pictures when I get back from my honeymoon, assuming I'm not strung up by the Ottawa fans. So when are we getting together for an Ontario SportsFilter lovefest? As for the owners not being able to police themselves, that's their own damned fault. I hate the salaries professional athletes get, but the owners are the ones who sign the checks. No one forces IBM not to spend $80 bazillion dollars to acquire some other company -- NHL owners don't get a pass either. As for the whimpering about "Well, if I don't sign him, someone else will and my fans will hate me," yeah, that sure has worked for the Rangers. Owners, heal thyself!
posted by wfrazerjr at 04:03 PM on October 14, 2004
Still doesn't answer my quesiton, IOW. Well, then Bettman answers with canned answer #2: "We have thirty different teams in thirty different marketplaces." Translation: teams have different budgets. The Rangers can outspend the Stars can outspend the Lightning can outspend the 'Canes. The counterargument is, so if teams have their own budgets and are sticking to them, how come they're losing money? Bettman's answer is "player salaries are too high and aren't tied to revenue". My answer is, what MeatSaber said -- owners one-upping each other, to the detriment of the entire league. THAT's the problem with the current system. Each side should be preoccupied with devising a system that directly attacks that problem, because it's the cause of all this mess. I side with the players. But while a luxury tax could work in the short term, there's nothing stopping the Rangers from becoming the Yankees, spending-wise, if hockey becomes popular again. But I believe a salary cap is too dictatorial and arbitrary, and doesn't guarantee the players any raised share of the spoils at times when the league is doing well. So the players should propose a harsher luxury tax, perhaps at a higher than dollar-per-dollar rate, and see where that goes. Sadly, I think this dispute will be settled in court, and the league will get its cap, and a few teams will fold, and Bettman will be kicked out. So at least there's one positive.
posted by Succa at 04:22 PM on October 14, 2004
The owners, as far as I'm concerned, are saying "we fucked it up. You fix it" to the PA... I whole-heartedly agree.
posted by grum@work at 07:06 AM on October 15, 2004
Life without hockey is killing me. Hockey News is entertaining but can't match the real action. I wonder how long this will drag out. The playoffs last season were awesome. Like to see it continue.
posted by Edgeman1963 at 06:22 PM on October 15, 2004
The games would mean something? Is it April already? I missed Christmas!