11/05/24
July 21, 2005
At long last, let's drop the puck?: Hockey players approve labor deal; 90% for.
posted by graymatters to hockey at 04:08 PM - 31 comments
So, in the next six years, any inkling who will end up replacing Bob Goodenow? Does anybody think he'll keep his job after this debacle? If this is how unions serve their memberships, thank God I'm not unionized.
posted by The_Black_Hand at 05:43 PM on July 21, 2005
I think the logical thing to is to quit watching and attending any games. The NHL seriously thinks that they can string along the rapidly decreasing fan base and just come back? The only people happy to see them back live in Canada, and who the hell cares about Canada (unless youre a Canadian of course). Bottom line I dont think it will matter if they strike in 6 years, because it will still be getting the same coverage as the WNBA.
posted by BubbaG at 06:34 PM on July 21, 2005
the owners now rule,the players will now drool. hockey as we knew it is gone. hockey on tv draws less viewers than scrabble on espn.i guess i'am lucky to live in the detroit area,so that i can watch hockey regress back to 6 teams before folding.
posted by puck to the head at 07:15 PM on July 21, 2005
You have got to be kidding. Someone cares enough about hockey to post this? /only sort-of-kidding
posted by mr_crash_davis at 10:48 PM on July 21, 2005
The last time the CBA was ratified, everyone thought the owners won. We saw player salaries increase retardedly. Let's see how this one works out. Goodenow's job will be taken by a high-profile player agent.
posted by Samsonov14 at 11:48 PM on July 21, 2005
Samsonov14, I suspect you're right. This will only polarize the two sides further for next round. There had better be some crazy amount of success for the league between now and then. I don't want anyone forgetting this last year, and a leadership change on both sides has got to be a start. Bettman might stick around, though, considering how completely he can declare vistory. Dammit, dammit, dammit. Let's just get on with things.
posted by chicobangs at 12:51 AM on July 22, 2005
One might conlude from a business perspective that the players got the short end of the stick on this deal. From a fan's perspective, one might conclude it is a good deal if the price of admission decreases. But I am guessing from the general population at large in the USA that most people don't care about the NHL. Personally, I would rather watch scrabble on ESPN or the WNBA!
posted by panteeze at 05:21 AM on July 22, 2005
Well, that's great, but I would rather watch hockey. I hate that I can't wait for it to start, but I can't.
posted by chicobangs at 06:19 AM on July 22, 2005
Bettman is an idiot. Also, Glen Healy, and some others, think this deal isn't actually that bad for the players. The big-ticket item is the low salary cap, but he claims there is a lot of stuff (minimums, free agency, olympic participation, etc.) that is actually very favourable to the players.
posted by fabulon7 at 07:41 AM on July 22, 2005
Yes there are a few things that are good for the players, even things they didn't have before. But it will be a long time before we see another $50-60 million contract, or $10 million player. And that's kinda the whole point. Bettman keeps his job - are you kidding? The owners consider him a saviour. The second coming. He beat the shit out of the union in the end. Goodnow keeps his for a little while, maybe solely on the basis of the union saving a little face (oh, no - we didn't get our asses handed to us, we made our point!) publically. But soon he goes, I think. On the weird side - hockey has gotten more press in the last year than in the previous five. Sure it's been negative - but do you think that it will have any potential positive impact? I'm always intrigued by people who constantly tell me how much they don't care about hockey. I'm sure they'll be the ones checking it out.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 08:10 AM on July 22, 2005
On the weird side - hockey has gotten more press in the last year than in the previous five. Sure it's been negative - but do you think that it will have any potential positive impact? I'm always intrigued by people who constantly tell me how much they don't care about hockey. I'm sure they'll be the ones checking it out. To be honest, I'm more excited about hockey right now than I have in the last 5 years. I think it's the GM inside me who is all excited about the "Crosby Draft Lottery", the buyout period, the 400 free agents on the market at the same time... It's a dream for all those made-for-tv hockey analysts. They'll have stuff to talk about for months.
posted by grum@work at 08:47 AM on July 22, 2005
I'm always intrigued by people who constantly tell me how much they don't care about hockey. I'm sure they'll be the ones checking it out. Of course they'll "check it out." Sports fans, such as myself, will always watch SOME hockey, and I'll be interested to see the reaction when play resumes. But hockey's problem is that, outside of rabid hockey fans (or bandwagon fans who jump on board for a team having a good year) they aren't even close to the popularity of the other three major sports. Rabid fans missed the game a great deal. The rest of the population found out that a year without NHL hockey is something they can live through. The owners knew there was no way the players would stick together and risk missing another season. They want to make money any way they can, while they can. The owners were already rich and will continue so even without the league. The NHL itself, as a league, is a complete joke. Change the nets, play on blue ice, tamper with the rules, it all means just one thing: a league in a lot of TROUBLE!!
posted by dyams at 08:57 AM on July 22, 2005
Yes, but the NBA and NHL are very similar. Both have gone through low periods and high periods and the same can happen again. Sports are always getting updated/modified to fit with both the market and the quality/style of play. I'm sure you can think of as many examples as I can. Frankly, I don't think the NHL is doomed at all. Maybe in some places, but that happens in every sport. Hockey's big problem is that it is a ticket revenue driven enterprise and a bad TV product (unless your a rabid fan). They need to fix how the game is broadcast and make that more enticing/exciting for the casual fan. But the reality is, I don't care if people never like hockey in some of the asinine places Bettman decided to expand to. I live in Hockeycity.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 09:18 AM on July 22, 2005
Players screwed; owners laughing all the way to the bank. Think they'll give some back to the fans? I for one will be very surprised if Goodenow has his job at the onset of the season. Save face? Too late for that. My six year old daughter can see the players got their derriere handed to them. As a former player and having sat through the last lockout, Goodenow tried to portray himself as some tough guy who promised he would never back down from management and there would never be a cap. All he was was a puppet for the marquis players. I wouldn't puke on the guy. Nice job General Goodenow, here comes the dishonorable discharge.
posted by Rolly22 at 09:25 AM on July 22, 2005
From a fan's perspective, one might conclude it is a good deal if the price of admission decreases. One might, if there were a snowball's chance in hell of that happening. And yeah, if I were in the NHLPA, I would have stood on the highest podium I could have found immediately after the first vote and demanded Goodenow's head. And I bet I could have gotten a higher percentage for that than for the contract.
posted by tieguy at 09:43 AM on July 22, 2005
It is surprising to see that the players voted so highly for a contract where they got screwed so badly. Maybe they realized that half a loaf (or three quarters of a loaf, whatever the final cut ended up) is better than no loaf at all.
posted by graymatters at 11:25 AM on July 22, 2005
The portion of the loaf is tied to overall league revenues.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 11:56 AM on July 22, 2005
the rodent has an excellent analysis of the dynamics involved when the loaf is portioned.
posted by garfield at 12:09 PM on July 22, 2005
I still think it boils down to the owners, as to what they are willing to give up, to increase the popularity of the sport. Most of the owners, I feel, could care less. They own multiple venues anyway. We're talking, T.V., merchandise, ect. Bill Wirtz in Chicago, holds the liquor Distribition license for not only the stadium were the Hawks play, but the city as well. Do you really think he cares about the Hawks, as a money making enterprise? It's just something that brings in cash, with little management effort. What he's done with the team speaks for itself.
posted by volfire at 12:12 PM on July 22, 2005
Owners ratify new labor agreement. Surprise, surprise. But also announce rules changes to speed up game when it returns in fall.
posted by graymatters at 02:37 PM on July 22, 2005
The Toronto Star is reporting the results of the lottery draft: 30. Tampa Bay. 29. Florida. 28. Dallas. 27. Colorado. 26. Calgary. 25. Edmonton. 24. St. Louis. 23. New Jersey. 22. Boston. 21. Toronto. 20. Philadelphia. 19. Detroit. 18. Nashville. 17. Phoenix. 16. New York Rangers. 15. New York Islanders. 14. Washington. 13. Buffalo. 12. San Jose. 11. Los Angeles. 10. Vancouver. 9. Ottawa. 8. Atlanta. 7. Chicago. 6. Columbus. 5. Montreal. 4. Minnesota. 3. Carolina. 2. Anaheim. 1. Pittsburgh.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 03:29 PM on July 22, 2005
By and "lottery draft", mean I "draft lottery".
posted by DrJohnEvans at 03:30 PM on July 22, 2005
The Toronto Star is reporting the results of the lottery draft FIXED! Someone was going to say it, so I thought it might as well be me... Florida really got the worst of it. Sucking badly and still picking late in the draft. When it was down to the final 5, I was hoping it was going to be Montreal. Yah, you heard me. A Leaf fan wishing the Montreal franchise good luck.
posted by grum@work at 03:35 PM on July 22, 2005
Mario hits the Jackpot. Not a bad choice in the end.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 03:36 PM on July 22, 2005
When it got down to the final 3, I got worried. Pittsburgh, Anaheim, Carolina? Hardly what we expected from such a lightly weighted draft. At least we know it wasn't rigged. Crosby in Pittsburgh is probably the best of those three. Restoring that franchise to credibility would help the league immensely, I think. I just hope they don't move first.
posted by Succa at 03:58 PM on July 22, 2005
That's good. When Crosby gets to re-up, Mario can just plead poverty and give him the keys to the franchise instead of paying him, same way Mario got it. I kid, I kid. Good on Pittsburgh, a team who needs it more than most, for getting both Crosby (and, therefore, Hope) at the same time. (Leafs pick 21st. Geezus. At that point, maybe Gordon Lightfoot will still be available.)
posted by chicobangs at 04:02 PM on July 22, 2005
So, uh, anyone have a link describing for the casual fan why everyone is talking as if drafting Crosby is something like orlando getting shaq and penny back to back?
posted by tieguy at 04:24 PM on July 22, 2005
Yeah, when it came to the end I thought Pittsburgh would be the best spot. Hockey has a better chance to survive in Pittsburgh than it does in Carolina or Anaheim. And I can't really get behind a team that was named as a synergistic Disney property. So Pittsburgh will benefit by having more fans in the seats there which is surely a good thing for a franchise I would be sad to see slide any further. tieguy: Crosby has been the consensus #1 pick for a couple of years now and Gretzky himself said (purportedly) that Crobsy is the one that could break his records and is the best player to come up since Lemieux. So, in a sense, name any player drafted since 1984 and Crobsy is thought to be a better player than said person. No pressure on him, though.
posted by gspm at 04:31 PM on July 22, 2005
So, in a sense, name any player drafted since 1984 and Crobsy is thought to be a better player than said person.. If it wasn't for his papier-mache head, Eric Lindros would have fit the bill nicely. His combination of size, speed and skill would have made him a legend for sure. But once the concussions came in bunches, he just wilted. I'm just hoping Crosby doesn't become the next Alexander Daigle...
posted by grum@work at 07:55 PM on July 22, 2005
Man, grum, do not be calling the Daigle on Crosby. Don't even mention Crosby and Daigle in the same sentence.
posted by billsaysthis at 01:43 PM on July 23, 2005
It is surprising to see that the players voted so highly for a contract where they got screwed so badly. I guess they have it in their heads that after this deal is up they will seriously fight to get back what they lost. Enjoy the next 6 years while you can. There might be another strike after that.