June 09, 2005

Hope Springs eternal.: A major hurdle was overcome as the NHL owners and NHLPA agree to a per-team salary cap...something I was calling, crying, nay SCREAMING for a year or better ago...

posted by MeatSaber to hockey at 11:41 AM - 8 comments

Meatsaber has singlehandedly saved the league.

posted by dfleming at 12:35 PM on June 09, 2005

I don't know what's worse: no hockey, or hockey with shootouts. Now I have to think about it.

posted by DrJohnEvans at 12:39 PM on June 09, 2005

I'm excited, but I think free agency and arbitration issues are going to take some time to be decided upon.

posted by Samsonov14 at 01:34 PM on June 09, 2005

Sarcastic clapping due for Goodenow and the NHLPA for ending up with a deal1 that looks far worse numbers-wise2 than the last offer they had before the season was cancelled3. While they players may indeed have other things to point towards in terms of gains if you look at this as being the big stumbling block it would look like they really screwed up. So, should things get sorted out - how do they figure out the draft order? A lottery I guess, but how to rank the teams? I hope they take a bigger picture look at it rather than awarding the lottery teams from the last draft another crack at the lottery. You know, maybe look at cumulative results from the last three seasons to rank the teams and figure out which ones are in the lottery and what their chances are. 1. The numbers used in the salary cap at least 2. the cap reportedly extending up to $34-36 million with a dollar-for-dollar luxury tax that kicks in when a team's payroll reaches the midway point between the ceiling and floor (ca. $28 million or so) 3. A cap at $42.5 million

posted by gspm at 01:46 PM on June 09, 2005

Enjoy the extra t above. I threw it in for free.

posted by yerfatma at 03:27 PM on June 09, 2005

The really fucked up thing about the cap is that it supposedly includes not just player salaries, but also insurance, training and coaching staff, etc. That sort of thing costs each team around 4-5 Million each year, and will count against the cap. Or so I hear.

posted by Samsonov14 at 03:41 PM on June 09, 2005

It doesn't matter what the NHL and players settle for. One thing is certain, it's the hockey fans who will have to pay for their settlement. Remember what happened to baseball when it had a strike? It will take hockey a long time to recover the many fans it lost due to this labor disput. And, if they can't agree on a TV contract, hockey may never recover in the US.

posted by tommysands at 11:19 AM on June 14, 2005

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