The Business of HockeyDiscuss the financial and business aspects of the NHL. Franchise sales, valuations, TV contracts, ratings, expansion, relocation, the CBA and work stoppage discussion goes here.
Who here would like to see the NHL completely dissolve?
View Poll Results: Would you like to see the NHL crumble and see a new league created?
does bettman need to go, or do the owner and those on the BOG who are essentially gary bettmans boss need to go?
Bettman is the mouthpiece. It's not his plan. It's not like he's the one calling the shots and is not accountable to anyone.
You want the NHL's strategy to change? fine, get rid of the the owners who he's speaking for. and that's NOT florida tampa, etc. Were talking Maple leafs, detroit, NYR, Boston, Philly.
So I can only assume that you absolve Fehr of any blame as well?
There is a lot of great history here, as well as a lot of good infrastructure that has been laid down for what constitutes professional hockey in North America. There is some problematic labor negotiations going on for sure. But to imply that somehow 'scrapping everything and starting over', would be easy, or successful, is foolish.
The folding of the NHL would mean the death of hockey as a major sport in North America. Millions of fans would stop following the sport for good. Arenas would be repurposed for other events; and what owner would want to get involved in some mickey-mouse replacement league that would likely end as a failed experiment. This would be a loss of an important spiritual asset of your community. Not to mention the loss of jobs and the negative impact on the economy.
If you want a beer league, go to your local community club and watch a beer league. You probably have some romantic idea of it being some pure, good-ol-boys event without any fuss 'bout money n' contracts and stuff, just guys playin' for love' and some nonsense. And maybe it is. But I want the NHL.
Not if the owners of these teams start another league with the same names. Basically everything would be the same but with them having more power.
LOL. History. We have also erased a lot of history, also. You're aware that stanley cups were won by non-nhl teams, right? You're aware of this, correct?
And what is the NHL and the players doing for the history of the game right now? They couldn't care less about it
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And what are they doing for the other players, the vets that have left the game and have no money? They don't care about those either. That is something I wished the NHL- specially the PA - would do more things for, remember those that have played the game. This is tradition and caring your past IMO.
Heck, I've heard of people feeling like the heavy Canadian saturation in North American hockey is offputting, even alienating. Divorce from the Canadian teams, stop letting them leach our money, and build a new league centered around the strongest American franchises, build the American talent pool to support it, and you might find Americans forgetting that hockey is "supposed to be Canadian" and enjoying it as the best television sport in the world. See how long the Leafs and Canadiens can keep the Canadian side NHL together with only other Canadian teams to compete with.
I'd miss the Bruins-Canadiens rivalry of course. But perhaps an exhibition series could be run like during the old NHL-PCHL days to keep the Stanley Cup doing its real job.
That wouldn't work, there's like what, 5 American players?
if the NHL could dissolve and start up in the form that is perfect and functional... which of course is not gonna happen.
it's one of those things that sounds all well and good untill you look at the logistic and realize that any new league probably wouldn't be any better. not to mention lawsuits and contracts for buildings and who knows what else.
Personaly it would pains me if the NHL would dissolve. I mean just coming up with a new league and new name, it would be quite symbolic that would mean that something was broken with the hockey we loved and frankly things would never be the same. We're talking about teams that people have supported for generation. That's the heart speaking.
But the brain says It would be intriguing and could solve a lot of problems.
Personaly it would pains me if the NHL would dissolve. I mean just coming up with a new league and new name, it would be quite symbolic that would mean that something was broken with the hockey we loved and frankly things would never be the same. We're talking about teams that people have supported for generation. That's the heart speaking.
But the brain says It would be intriguing and could solve a lot of problems.
The league should stay, it's Fehr and Bettman who should dissolve...
Canada has the CFL, why can't we have that--only with hockey? With our present NHL teams mind you.
NHL, with its southern approach, simply isn't working. Nearly a quarter of the games aren't relevant.
Add the northern states that already have NHL teams, a CFL-like league based on hockey would be perfect.
That doesn't mean there shouldn't be NHL teams in the south--Nashville, for example, is a great organization--but if they can't survive, fold them. Unfortunately, the only current NHL we have is located in a region beyond reason.
At the same time, any team whether they be in the south or Canada, shouldn't have enough sway to hold the rest of the league hostage, as some of them are reported to be doing in the present lockout.
I'd hate to say it, but maybe a two year lock out is the only way to fix it.
Last edited by shmglsky: 11-13-2012 at 10:57 PM.
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If the league dissolves and a new league is formed they can change any and all the rules. Maybe replace the puck with a football. This would completely change the stars in the league and mean that many players receiving below average salaries could become stars and make big money. Then Crosby and Ovi would have to settle for lower contracts for once.
I'd get a laugh out of it, just for the BOG meetings to set this up, between the surviving teams that want to spend like the world's coming to an end, and the surviving teams that want an MLS central communist ownership system.
I'd still love to see a new league. We'll be here 5 years from now wondering why there's yet another strike. The system is so damaged, a "do over" may be the only solution.
I'm a Devils fan a lot more than I'm an NHL fan, so no I don't want to see the NHL (and thus the Devils) dissolve. If they do shut down another season though I'll be hoping they do NOT come back until Bettman and Fehr are both ruined by what happens next.
Yeah, I'd like to see a league where there's just less money floating around making people act like children. I'm so turned off at this point that I could give two ****s if my local team disappeared/tradition/etc. It's a tradition of *******s, is what it is.
These players are still going to get paid very, very (veeeeeeery) handsomely for their services even if they accepted the supposed unliveable CBA that was offered to them.
When the NHL becomes bigger than the NBA/NFL/MLB/whatever or starts to even draw TV ratings in the US that are beyond mediocre, then sure, I agree the players should then be given a bigger cut. You wanna get paid like the big boys, well then perform as a business like the big boys do, otherwise put up or shut up.
But they're earning escalating dollars on the back of the really 3-4 successful franchises, all of them, and they want the owners to continue to subsidize all these teams and all these jobs and UFA destinations for them that aren't making money.
Further, the expansion teams in San Jose and Tampa were already decided before Gary took office.
You're off a little; those two were already playing when he was came in. Anaheim and Florida were announced in December 1992, two months before Bettman.
To the dust with you, Dinosaur. Time for a new league, with the strong teams of the current NHL leading the way. Any market - that can support hockey - is welcome. Common sense instead of greed, and everyone will get rich together, as you'll be playing in places that care and are willing to financially support a pastime we love.
This will be the third league for the Habs. The Stanley Cup will still be the prize, after all.
So I can only assume that you absolve Fehr of any blame as well?
Why does that logically follow? Fehr answers to hundreds of disorganized players from all parts of the world and at least 20 different languages, who count on him to lead the negotiations on their behalf because practically speaking most of them don't know how to count past 30 or so. Contrast that with Bettman, who has 30 highly qualified, very intelligent, very engaged, very pragmatic owners to answer to. It's no comparison at all.
The NHL will NEVER be ranked higher than it currently is in the minds of North Americans. It is not Baseball, it is not football, it is not basketball, heck.. it isn't even NASCAR.
According to an ESPN's survey: * Football was first. * Baseball was second. * Basketball was third. Those were followed by college football, college basketball, then NASCAR, which had something like 2.2 percent of the population
I say if the NHL wants 30 teams, then fine, blow it up. And let any city that wants a team prove that they have hockey fans willing to pay NHL prices, and take the 30 best from that list. And if 30 teams are too many than go for 26 or 22... whatever number gets you to having every franchise a strong one.
I would rather not have a team in my city if there are not enough people to support it and pay the price... than go through some stupid lockout ever 7 years.
And afterwards if you want more teams, study the market, study the ownership, and add 1 team and wait 10 years to see if it works before adding another. And if it isn't, move it.
