NHL talks reaching a breakthrough?

[Imran Siddiqui]

I'm not saying that a super short season won't suck, but it may be necessary to save the game, no matter how crap.

[Hot Mustard]

Not a great way to win back your fans though - "Look, we're playing! Oh nevermind that we suck! We're still worth your hard earned cash." Think any teams will reduce the gate after all this BS? - fat chance.

[Wezil]

Originally posted by dejon


Don't know who you're referring to. I've never managed to get into minor hockey, despite living 5 minutes from the St. Michael's Majors' rink.

CHL Mosaik MasterCard Top 10 - Week Number 16

Rank Team Last Week Weeks in Rankings
1. London Knights (45-4-2-0) 1 16
2. Kootenay Ice (34-13-5-1) 2 8
3. Kelowna Rockets (31-10-11-2) 3 7
4. Owen Sound Attack (32-11-5-2) 4 10
5. Chicoutimi Sagueneens (32-13-5-3) 6 13
6. Halifax Mooseheads (31-12-7-2) 8 5
7. Seattle Thunderbirds (34-17-0-1) 5 13
8. Rimouski Oceanic (30-17-4-3) NR 5
9. Medicine Hat Tigers (31-16-3-2) NR 7
10. Saskatoon Blades (30-16-5-4) 9 14


Junior hockey is the last time to see great players before egos and contracts ruin them.

[Flubber]

hmm-- ANY season is better than no season ( 24 game season played completely within divisions anyone ??)

but I am not holding my breath


Its been really tough to care about a dispute between millionare players and millionare owners--- The players make millions to play a GAME while the owners have been largely been negotiating to get protection from the actions of other owners.

[Hot Mustard]

Originally posted by Wezil

1. London Knights (45-4-2-0) 1 16

Okay, that's pretty commanding.

[Flubber]

Originally posted by dejon
Not a great way to win back your fans though - "Look, we're playing! Oh nevermind that we suck! We're still worth your hard earned cash." Think any teams will reduce the gate after all this BS? - fat chance.

Well people like goals and the unfortunate thing is that you are probably right in that it might take the goalscorers longer to get into top fight while the clutch and grabbers will be ready to go

[Flubber]

Originally posted by dejon


Okay, that's pretty commanding.

Ya and they were undefeated for a long long time

[Hot Mustard]

Originally posted by Flubber
24 game season played completely within divisions

Yeah, that's not going to favour anyone, eh?

(Two divisions had all teams over .500 last season, and one had only one team over .500. )

[Flubber]

Originally posted by dejon


Yeah, that's not going to favour anyone, eh?

(Two divisions had all teams over .500 last season, and one had only one team over .500. )

Bottom line is that if you can't play at least 40 games you are going to get into silly stuff anyway-- Since divisions won't work well anyway -- if you want 8 teams from each conference in the playoffs, the best we might be able to do is a 28 game schedule in which everyone plays everyone else in their conference twice and we totally ignore the divisions.

You could even spice it up by adding a one game playoff for the last two playoff spots between the teams finishing 7-10th in a conference.

For sure, every game would feel like it mattered--

If we don't have enough time for a long enough season, we could always go to 5 game playoff series

[Wezil]

You sound like a desperate man Flubber.

[Flubber]

Originally posted by Wezil
You sound like a desperate man Flubber.

nah -- just looking for credible ways to have a hockey season

I actually don't really believe it will happen and think I will take in a few lacrosse games soon

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by dejon
Not a great way to win back your fans though - "Look, we're playing! Oh nevermind that we suck! We're still worth your hard earned cash." Think any teams will reduce the gate after all this BS? - fat chance.

It'll be better than no season... and it's necessary because they aren't going to do jack unless there is a deadline and this is a deadline.

[Ming]

The players want some kind of pay check for the year, and the owners wouldn't mind seeing some revenue either... If they agree on a salary cap, the owners will have gotten what they wanted...

[Flubber]

Originally posted by Ming
The players want some kind of pay check for the year, and the owners wouldn't mind seeing some revenue either... If they agree on a salary cap, the owners will have gotten what they wanted...

well since the owners are widely perceived as having gotten soundly whipped in the last two rounds of negotiations, they are pretty unwilling to give in on this round.

Bottom line is that owners have other sources of income-- For the players there is NOWHERE they can make NHL style money (well maybe that Russian league but with smaller crowds than NHL and people paying much lower ticket prices, its hard to see how that is sustainable)

[Ming]

The owners goal was a salary cap... and the players said no way... now they are saying yes... the owners have won. It's now just a simple matter of having them agree on what it will be. The owners counter offer of 42.5 million, is still far off from the 52 the players offered, but now the real negotiations can begin. The dam has broken, and the owners have won.