04/23/24
February 07, 2006
Fans win battle with NHL over Stanley Cup.: Two fans settled their suit against the NHL out of court, which included such provisions as the Stanley Cup is awarded at the trustees' discretion in the event of another NHL lockout.
I don't know, the Stanley Cup is for the champions of the NHL, any non-NHL team hoisting the trophy just seems wrong to me.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 01:54 PM on February 07, 2006
Wow. I never thought they would win that concession.
posted by Amateur at 01:55 PM on February 07, 2006
YYM, it wasn't always so -- there was a Stanley Cup before there was an NHL. The history is actually very interesting: "It was originally used as the trophy given out to the top amateur hockey team in Canada, decided by the acceptance of a challenge from another team by the Cup holders and trustees."
posted by Amateur at 01:58 PM on February 07, 2006
It was kind of defended like a wrestling title belt.
posted by HATER 187 at 01:59 PM on February 07, 2006
YYM, my understanding is that the Cup was not meant for the NHL's champion, but for a championship team crowned to be the best in Canada. The NHL just appropriated it for that, and I'm glad to see this clarified -- the league needs to be made to understand that it is a part of hockey, not hockey itself. If you need another example of this, when the NHL started playing again, they were using the slogan "Hockey That Matters" to promote the first games. Talk about your slap at CIS, CHL and other hockey leagues. Arrogant pricks.
posted by wfrazerjr at 02:00 PM on February 07, 2006
I think the Cup belongs to the NHL and only the NHL. It's damn near sacrilegious for anyone else but a championship NHL team to hoist it. Even NHL players won't touch it unless they won it out of fear of bad luck. Granted it wasn't always that way, but the tradition of it being awarded to an NHL team has gone on too long to stop it now. Just one persons opinion.
posted by commander cody at 02:04 PM on February 07, 2006
even though the cup is for the NHL champion, i think that if the NHL athletes are spoiled enough to stop playing over money, lets face it ther're getting paid MILLIONS to play a game, than they should see their holy grail go to a team that is willing to play just because its the game they love.
posted by stolenbase7 at 02:04 PM on February 07, 2006
It's a cool concession, but probably ultimately meaningless (except for the money the NHL is ponying up for women's/minor hockey), because part of the concession states that although the trustees can award it to non-NHL teams, they don't actually have to award it to anyone.
posted by fabulon7 at 02:17 PM on February 07, 2006
Coolest news of the day! The Stanley Cup does belong to the people.
posted by garfield at 02:18 PM on February 07, 2006
they should see their holy grail go to a team that is willing to play just because its the game they love. Amen. I petitioned the trustees as part of the Free Stanley campaign. I thought it was a disgrace to not award the greatest trophy in sports because of a labor dispute. I wouldn't of cared if they gave it the AHL champion or whoever else. So are they gonna leave a blank spot on the cup when they engrave it this year?
posted by njsk8r20 at 02:19 PM on February 07, 2006
I've offered $100 and a case of Moosehead to have The IceBox, the name of my new store, added in the 2004-05 champion's slot. I haven't heard back yet.
posted by wfrazerjr at 02:39 PM on February 07, 2006
think that if the NHL athletes are spoiled enough to stop playing over money The last 2 work stoppages in the NHL were lockouts, not strikes...in other words, the stoppages was initiated by the owners, not the players...
posted by MeatSaber at 03:41 PM on February 07, 2006
The last 2 work stoppages in the NHL were lockouts, not strikes...in other words, the stoppages was initiated by the owners, not the players... True, but it was still over the all mighty dollar. And for the record I think that both sides were wrong for not coming up with some compromise and play. That was the worst year of my entire life!!! I actually started liking baseball again!
posted by wingnut4life at 04:05 PM on February 07, 2006
An owners' lockout does not equal a players' strike. A lock out is just a bad as a strike, but the blame is laid at the owner's feet, where it deserves to be. There should be no confusing that fact. They mismanaged the league, but the blame seems to fall on so called "greedy" players. Who's name was on the paychecks?
posted by garfield at 04:43 PM on February 07, 2006
I would rather have the cup go to Canadian amateurs than have Gary Bettman hang onto it. The Canadian amateur team is closer to real hockey than Bettman could ever hope to be.
posted by roberts at 04:47 PM on February 07, 2006
Who's name was on the paychecks? The owners (like those in all leagues) blame the players because they can't control their own payrolls. Their arguement for the cap was like "Please stop me! Before I spend again!" Because they can't manage their businesses correctly the fans had to miss out on a whole season.
posted by commander cody at 05:00 PM on February 07, 2006
I think it would be pretty kick ass if one of the AHL teams could win it in leiu of the NHL.
posted by Sjtfireman09 at 07:04 PM on February 07, 2006
I think it would be pretty kick ass if "Frank's Small Engine Repair" beer league team could challenge for the Cup.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 09:14 PM on February 07, 2006
Janet Gretzky has it at 6:1 that an AHL will ever be awarded the cup.
posted by sandman at 11:24 PM on February 07, 2006
"Frank's Small Engine Repair" beer league team Wasn't that Joey Kocur's old team?
posted by commander cody at 11:28 PM on February 07, 2006
Just kidding!
posted by commander cody at 11:29 PM on February 07, 2006
He may have played for them at one time, commander. Lord Stanley's cup was indeed an amateur prize at it's beginning. It's way too bad that the players today have nothing but money in mind when they negotiate, but that's what the almighty money world has done for us. It would be a real rush to see a USHL or AHL or ECHL team win the Stanley Cup when the NHL was in another of it's money-grabbing snits. The owners locked the players out, 'tis true, but only after they player's union refused the same offer they accepted (or very close to it) when they finally got tired of no money for 10 months.
posted by mrhockey at 09:33 AM on February 08, 2006
Maybe Rick Tocchet can help us with the odds of the Cup being awarded to a non-NHL team.
posted by GoBirds at 07:21 PM on February 08, 2006
This is great news (including the added support for women's & minor hockey as part of the settlement), but inshallah, may it never come to that.