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**NordeastBrewer77** · 10-05-2012, 03:47 PM

Michael Rosenberg writes on SI.com:

Quote:

this is the very definition of failure of leadership and ownership and stewardship and everything-ship. Take a league trying to puck-handle its way back into the top level of sports leagues in this country and call off another partial or whole season? Outstanding business choices, boys! Why not just send obscenity-filled personal letters to all the fans you’ve been desperately trying to extract money from? It’s much simpler.

I totally agree. Despite record earnings for the league and infinitely more TV coverage in the US than before, the people in charge of the NHL and it's franchises are complete and utter morons. Starting with Bettman on down to each and every pseudo-businessman team owner. Not to mention the PA....
The league for expanding or moving teams into markets where they had to know that failure of the franchise was inevitable (Phoenix, Atlanta - which they may have fixed, Nashville, St. Pete, etc.).
The PA for crying over what amounts to ~3% of revenue. For blocking seemingly intelligent (I know that's a stretch of the term) restructuring of conferences. And for immediately tucking tail and becoming scabs in the Euro elites instead of insisting that the two sides continue to negotiate a new CBA.
Last, but not least in this, the owners for being greedy little f***s with pipe dreams on an NFL type league. $hit guys, hockey's not even "NFL popular" in Canada, get off it and pay your employees.

All that said, like most of us I'll get my hockey fix by watching some of the great amateur hockey here in MN until after this cr@p is over. And then, like most of us, I'll happily tune in to watch the return of my favorite sport being played by my favorite team in my favorite league. As much as it sucks, all we can do besides bitching is to bend over, flash and upside-down smile between out collective ankles and take it

**jtkratzer** · 10-05-2012, 05:32 PM

I have no problem with the players playing elsewhere. It solidifies the point that the owners and league don't own the players and the NHL is based on the talent of the players and nothing more. We don't watch the NHL or go to games for the concessions or swag or giveaways, we go to watch the players.

The owners and league can sit around all self righteous like with their doors locked, but no games means no ticket sales, concessions, parking, and every other revenue producing sale.

I get the financial side, but at what point does damaging the integrity or reputation of the league and canceling seasons become less important than ideals and a few percentage points?

Players are going to make money playing anywhere they want, probably not NHL money for the most part, but they're still getting paid to play a game and not working some sh*t job like minor league baseball players do during the off season.

**dudius** · 10-05-2012, 10:22 PM

Honestly I'd love to see the NHL players play elsewhere. Who knows, maybe they'd manage to create a new league with better rules about everything and then we wouldn't have to worry about lockouts. The thing that I hate most is they had a seven year deal and just now things are "being done about it" (read "no season and no talks about anything that would make any progress toward starting a 2012/2013 season"). It just sucks the players had a ****ty representative last time, so the owners have a lot of leverage to begin with, because hey they can just have a lockout and get everything they wanted just like last time.

rjwhite41 · 10-10-2012, 10:48 PM

I didn't give a second thought to anyone playing overseas until I watched the KHL game last night on ESPN2 and Barry Melrose (I know, I know) started talking about how the low level guys can't go do that. The guys making league minimum (you know, the guys who actually depend on these paychecks) can't just get a job in Europe or Russia. They have to tough it out with no income coming in while the guys getting millions get paid slightly less millions during the lockout to play elesewhere. I actually agreed with Melrose, that's not solidarity in my eyes. Ovechkin doesn't care if the lockout lasts a year, he's got a job. By the way, did anyone see his goal last night? What was that crap?

Lastly, may we suggest you remove your hat for a moment of silence for the legendary Budd Lynch. You will be missed at the Joe. RIP.

**HoppyDaze** · 10-10-2012, 10:55 PM

haha, hockey sucks

**Tiber_Brew** · 10-10-2012, 11:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rjwhite41

Lastly, may we suggest you remove your hat for a moment of silence for the legendary Budd Lynch. You will be missed at the Joe. RIP.

This. RIP.

**krenshaw** · 10-11-2012, 12:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rjwhite41

I didn't give a second thought to anyone playing overseas until I watched the KHL game last night on ESPN2 and Barry Melrose (I know, I know) started talking about how the low level guys can't go do that. The guys making league minimum (you know, the guys who actually depend on these paychecks) can't just get a job in Europe or Russia. They have to tough it out with no income coming in while the guys getting millions get paid slightly less millions during the lockout to play elesewhere. I actually agreed with Melrose, that's not solidarity in my eyes. Ovechkin doesn't care if the lockout lasts a year, he's got a job. By the way, did anyone see his goal last night? What was that crap?

rookies are the only ones i feel bad for.. $525,000 league minimum? you get that for one year and can't afford another year with no paycheck, you have problems

**paulster2626** · 10-11-2012, 12:51 PM

I'm so sick of hearing about:

Hockey Related Revenue
Core Economic Issues
How the owners locked out the players.
How the players just want to play.
How xxx amount of money has now been "lost".

I swear I'm at the point where if I'm watching sportscentre or whatever and they start talking lockout, I change the goddamn channel. I honestly don't know if I'll feel the same about hockey when all this is over.

Barnzy02 · 10-11-2012, 02:06 PM

Since there's no pro hockey worth talking about ... anyone else here play ? I had a roller game last night ... my team didn't have subs, they had a full bench with like 10-12 guys. We only lost 5-2 though.

Needless to say i'm absolutely useless at work today. Took too many shots to the back standing in front of their net.

**krenshaw** · 10-11-2012, 02:34 PM

i've been playing in a "beginner" ice hockey league (people who have only been playing for up to a couple years) for the past year or so.. has made me appreciate what the pros do so much more.. mostly because of how aware you have to be for when you need to get out on the ice