NHL Strike

[jiveturkey]

More than likely, but at least they are meeting and without the two arse holes to cause trouble. Hats of to Trevor Lindan for pushing this.
JK

Yes, I agree. Kudos to them for trying but they're still too far apart to get my hopes up.

 

[Kennedydive]

Well folks the season is gone.
The players were worried about giving up too much to the owners and the owners were worried about giving up too much to the players but when it's all said and done no one was worried about the fans.
I for one am calling for the resignation of the two clowns I feel were not able to get the job done and left a blemish on the name of the game that it may never recover from. If all hockey fans show their disgust by emailing every possible sports writer, league or whatever group that will listen to the fans. As far as I'm concerned both Gary Betman and Bob Goodnow should resign or be fired.
Jason

 

[detroit diver]

If you're going to fire Gary Bettman, you also have to fire all of the owners. He's just doing their bidding for them.

 

[detroit diver]

Pretty sad when he can't even adapt to an offensive scheme. He doesn't know how to run plays and just goes out there and plays. Must be nice when Jagr played with someone with a ton of talent (lemeux) that could feed him the puck anywhere his no play following arse would go.

Matt

You can't blame the guy for taking that kind of money if someone was willing to give it to him. Sure, he's not worth 11 mil, but neither am I. If someone handed me that kind of cash, I'd say "thank you" and take it- with a really big smile on my face!

After the events of today, you won't see those kinds of salaries again for a very long time, if ever. The game just won't support it.

Frankly, I'm not so sure WHAT we're going to see. 2005-2006 season gone? Replacement players? Who knows what the actual game will look like if they get desperate enough. Fortunately they got rid of that FOX puck and those dueling scoreboard robots!

 

[grouchyturtle]

Maybe it's partially because I'm a Rangers fan (highest payroll in the history of the league, 7 years of @#@%%, some of the highest paid lazy pieces of $hit to ever step on the ice)

But I still blame this entirely on the players. Bunch of greedy @$#%#@%. F them all.

How about this now salary cap, no luxury tax, nothing, but from now all contracts will be written the same as in any other business.

So an individual player can make 20mil, 30mil, whatever...but the second the team is losing money or that player isn't putting up the numbers...SEEEEEEEE YA, you're gone, 0 money, good luck finding another team.

Holik and Krapseritis will retire if they're smart. If they think we were relentless with them before just wait till next season (I mean the next season there is, whenever that may be)

Now everyone be sure to go to NHLPA.com and click on the feedback link.

 

[Elevatorguy2]

While being in some form of management my entire working career combined with distaste for unions in general I must put the failure to reach a deal squarely on Betman’s tiny little shoulders. Chelios was right when he called the guy Mickey Mouse. (No offence to Mickey) It’s my opinion that Betman set out from day one to break the union. We was also prepared to scrap the season right from the get go. He never once came back with an offer that the players could seriously evaluate and try to work with, his only answer to the players proposals was a quick no with no response, any time he did propose something he knew the players would find it unacceptable and would shoot it down immediately. This combined with the fact he kept making final offers left the players no one to deal with. I guess he never learned there is only one final. If he truly wanted an agreement he would have been in every bargaining session.
It’s an absolute disgrace what Gary Betman has done to this game.

 

[Kennedydive]

It will look good on them when they are begging fans that they just pissed off to come back and fill the thousands of seats that will be empty at the games whenever they do get back on the ice. First time in North America a whole season was scrapped in any of the professional sports. Not even WWII stopped the playing of the Stanley Cup. Do you feel big now Betman? Little man syndrome as far as I'm concerned. I heard the voice of an 11 year old kid call a sports radio station telling them how sad he was that there is no hockey and how his whole Peewee team felt this way. The works of them have to get their priorities straight and get back and give back to those who put them there.
JK

 

[bedmund]

I gotta agree with Grunzster on this one. I'm not a big fan of Bettman's but how do you make sense of players who won't play with a cap and then go play for much less in Europe? I say open next season up to the guys in the minors who ride smelly busses from game to game and who live in regular houses (if they're lucky). The ones I know live in apartments, which they share. These guys play because they love the game. I won't miss the old NHL if the new one next season is filled with guys who just love to play.

-Bill

 

[TCDiver1]

If you're going to fire Gary Bettman, you also have to fire all of the owners. He's just doing their bidding for them.

DD is right on. Bettman is only the front man, whipping boy. The guy probably doesn't take a wizz without his bosses approval. He is only a pawn, or at best a rook, in this stupid game.

Besides, there is plenty of blame to go around on both sides. In the end, screw the owners & players. The game is the real loser, just like baseball in 94. Its never been the same and unfortunately neither will hockey. At least hockey hasn't been hit with the roids thing ..... yet.

 

[Corigan]

I thought I would miss hockey this season but really I haven't. I am going to request my season ticket money back and kiss hockey goodbye. I was what most would call a diehard (4 years in a row season tickets, never missed a game, etc.). I now am just going to take that money that I spent on season tickets and plan dive trips to FL in the winter months. I'd rather be diving than watching hockey anyways, ecspecially after how both sides have handled this (like big babies). I still haven't gotten back into baseball and it's been 10 years, this is going to kill hockey in towns that were just getting established (like Atlanta). Maybe in places such as Toronto where hockey is life it will survive, but here in Atlanta, LOL.. go Braves..

Matt