Say something bad about the players? LOL. You know, I read that and at first scoffed, what do you mean I never say anything bad about the players, I can say something bad about the players. Then I paused, and paused .. Its been so long since I've seen hockey I think Ive forgotten all the complaints I had with them.
Its not my character to generally complain about the players. I've found those bases are usually covered. I've always tried to bring the other perspective. Im an optimistic Sens fan remember
Why cant the owners see that they need to tie their salaries to their revenues or they will lose money? I just dont get why they don't do this. Don't they realize they could go bankrupt? They MUST tie their salaries to their revenues. The sooner they do this, the sooner we can have a healthier league. Maybe Dallas owner Tom Hicks can supply some of his corporate raider buddys to each of the owners to get their ships running right. The owners need someone else to make the tough decisions., They got into this for community spirit. All these people hating them for not spending, they need soemone to say, look, I had no choice. Kind of like Bettmans line to start the lockout. He really had no choice. Just like John Turner.
As long as Buttman is proposing a cap, there is nothing needed to be said about the players on the business side. What they have is worth fighting to keep. And as long they stay united, they will win.
All this about now is the owners, fans and media, like Perre Maguire with his brownose so buried i can hear buttmans farts when Pierre talks. All pierre wants to do is try and generate cracks in the union. Like the owners. Like the fans. This is the strategy now. See if we can crack them, make them surrender and return. Well reality might set in hard soon for those thinking this way.
I see the cap as 2 distinct things. One is an overall relationship between leaguewide revenues and salaries. This is a general principle the battle seems currently over. Im ambivalent over it. The owners want it and know they can only get it through bloodshed. Yet they still chose that path.
The other one is how you implement this. There are probably many ways of doing it. Restricting free agency, arbitration, luxury taxes, etc etc, but if they choose to implement it with a uniform team payroll cap, I think there is a lot of evidence about that should make us all thing twice about that seemingly simplistic solution.
The effects of a uniform payroll cap are more pernicious than simply lowering salaries. This is an upheaval in everything we know and understand about hockey. The effects on team building, what it takes to win, how you win. who gets the money, mediocrity over greatness, it will be huge change in everything we know and love about hockey. It is a bigger battle all sports unions are going to always fight over. But owners are going to have to learn to compete while the best players have free agency. They are just going to have to become smarter and stop taking advantage of fans sincere but mistaken perspectives.
The players definitely need to show more respect on the ice. They clutch and grab and cheat, and then complain about it because the other guy got away with it. They give cheapshots and hide. They hold out for money and demand trades. Some of them are so hyped on sudies they become mental. They get paid all this money and then some nights put in half assed efforts. They never share their real thoughts on the team with us. They whine about ice time, whine about their roles, play with their own agendas in the regular season. Never pick up a cheque. Play too much video games.
Generally though, other than a few idiots, I dont have much bad to say about the players. And certainly cant fault them for what is happening now. If the owners were to actually put a reasonable offer on the table that didnt try and break the larger legal issues they are trying to break, I would be right with you demanding they get back to work and stop acting like they have to right the wrongs of the last century. But the owners have put forth nothing for criticism. There is no plan, just vague concepts. Still! And its nearly Halloween! What, they arent at an impasse now? What are they waiting for? There is a minimum number of token gestures that have to be performed first?
Let the owners come out with an honest explanation of what they are doing for the good of the game, and I will support them 100%. Right now all I hear is lies. Makes it difficult to be objective for me.