And the bad news for Hockey in the US continues

[Asher]

Originally posted by rah
I think we'd really like it if you took NASCAR

We already have CASCAR.

[Ming]

Originally posted by Asher
Hockey is a Canadian sport played mostly by Canadians for the love of the game.

No problem with this... I'll bet most but the real skilled players do indeed play for the love of the game.

If they get paid 25% of what they get paid now, they'd still do it.

HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHA... The top stars wouldn't play for the 25% of their salary... they would jump leagues first.

In fact, many of these teams do do that in the Western Hockey League and the Canadian Hockey League.

No surprise for the lesser skilled players...

The simple fact is the American market is where the NHL business types want to expand. They can make more money in the US if it becomes popular, but that doesn't make it necessary.

But it does make it neccessary for the NHL to afford the type of salaries that the Stars are demanding. In most cases, the best players will play for wherever they can get the most money. Remember when some of the best players ducked out the NHL to join the World League... we are talking pure greed here, so again, I laugh at your 25% comment. We've seen proof that that isn't the case

[Asher]

Originally posted by Ming
HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHA... The top stars wouldn't play for the 25% of their salary... they would jump leagues first.

Jump leagues to where???

You seem to have NO idea what the salaries are like across the world...the NHL is far and away the largest, and if the NHL removes its American teams the Canadian hockey market will remain the largest and wealthiest hockey market. Draw your own conclusions.

But it does make it neccessary for the NHL to afford the type of salaries that the Stars are demanding.

The only reason the stars demand them is because they can get them.

If the NHL pulls out of the US, revenue falls and so do salaries. It'd suck for them, but they would still play for the game.

You're really out of your league talking about hockey, Mr. Chicago football fan.

[Ming]

Originally posted by Asher
You're really out of your league talking about hockey, Mr. Chicago football fan.

This coming from a guy who thinks the leagues stars will willingly and happily play for a 75% salary decrease...

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Talk about out of your league...

HAHAHAHAHAAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAH

[Asher]

Originally posted by Ming
This coming from a guy who thinks the leagues stars will willingly and happily play for a 75% salary decrease...

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Talk about out of your league...

HAHAHAHAHAAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAH

What else are they going to do if there's no other choice? Lay bricks?

You seem to be fundamentally incapable of analytically looking at a situation. Which, like your friend Jrabbit, is telling of your field and the awful things we endure between intermissions.

[Ming]

Again... you resort to insults. Your answer to anybody that disagrees with you is to attempt to degrade them.

I guess that's the only way you know how to debate. sad....

[Asher]

You can disagree with me all you want.

I can tell you the world is round and you can tell me the world is a trapezoid. At some point the argument is so stupid you just verbally slap the person til they retreat.

[Ming]

Yeah... but in this case, you seem to be the one that thinks the world is a trapezoid, and your whole argument is insulting people that know the world is round

I think you are welcome to your opinion... You however, don't respect other people's opinions, and just lob insults because they disagree with yours.

I'll leave it to other people to judge...

[Asher]

Other people have judged, Ming, and you've been certified crazy.

[asleepathewheel]

I agree with Asher.

Its not like you can make 250k as a lumber jack these days. What else are these hockey players good for?

[Ninot]

I would like to point out that the Russian league offers very large contracts. If the NHL could only max out at million dollar contracts, SOME stars might go to Russia. But during the lockout, the consensus seemd to be that the Russian style was too hard to adapt to.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Ninot
I would like to point out that the Russian league offers very large contracts.

To very few players, and most of those teams are in financial trouble. It's not a sustainable thing for them with their economy.

[notyoueither]

Originally posted by asleepathewheel
I agree with Asher.

Its not like you can make 250k as a lumber jack these days. What else are these hockey players good for?

It's kind of a silly discussion to begin with since there is no way in hell the NHL is ever going to leave New York, Boston, Detroit, and Chicago (and probably a few others).

[Ming]

I just think it's naive to make statements like "Hockey is a Canadian sport played mostly by Canadians for the love of the game. If they get paid 25% of what they get paid now, they'd still do it."

This type of comment is made in many sports, and basically it's BS. If that was the case, the NHL wouldn't have needed to impose two lockouts in the last 15 years. The league was in financial trouble and the players weren't going to agree to the changes the owners were looking for. If Asher was correct, there would never have been any problems getting a collective labor agreement done in time... but the greed on "both sides" kept it from happening, so the lockouts were called for by management. Players are mercenaries... While I have no problem with players wanting to make as much as they possibly can, I'm not going to sit here and try to make people believe the "love of the game" crap

[Flubber]

I think Asher is both right and wrong. Since the minimum NHL salary is something like 400K I don't think many players would have chosen a different course if it was 1/4 that.

THat said, hockey players are NOT naive idiots who will accept anything the owners toss at them. They see the value generated by the game and want what they perceive as a "fair" share.

So if the economic situation were completely different such that revenues were WAY lower I could easily see a league witn pretty much all the same players where the salaries ranged from 100K to 1.75 M. They wouldn't even lose any elite North Americans at that payscale but the pull for the best Europeans would be less.

BUt we are talking about a situation where the hockey world evolved differently that it actually has. Conversely, if league revenues were now triple the current reality, players would be seeking more.

The market is the market. At 25% of current salaries, hockey player would still be a VERY attractive career. But I don't see "love of the game" playing into it except to the extent a player would rather play hockey for 100K than work on an oil rig for the same money.