The final outcome

[LeeIs]

So, this CBA topic has been beeten to death. and beyond.
But there sure to be an outcome out of this fiasco. What do you think it will be?

These are a few things that could happen (if you have another please share it with us)

1. The players capitulate
2. The owners cracking
3. A long long lockout
4. A new league.
5. Other (share it)

The players capitulate to betty's hard cap: I can't see this given how uncompromising the demads put forth by the league thus far are. Then again the realization of losing the money they would be making in contrast to that which they are accustomed to could be the straw that capitulates them.

The owners crack: Extremely doubtfull considering that a cap= more $ for the owners. Then again some of the more profitable teams could see the new league as an actual loss since their viewership could decline becuase of a mediocre team and hence opt out or cause the crack in the ownership.

A long lockout: One that spreads into next season as well is quite possible considering the gap between the two proposals & the apparent steadfastness of both parties. Then again 1 or 2 might happen.

A new league: Possible specially looking at the way events are unfolding currently & how stagnant talks are between the parties. It might take a new league to step in and steel the viewership away. Then again, if they every get off the ground any potential new league will have some serious issues to overcome.

1. Where will they play? (arenas are a monopoly of the NHL, big ones anyway, I don't see an alternate league playing in the ACC nor MLG)
2. What will they play for? (not stanely)
3. T.V. contracts (this one might be easier to solve if most current NHLers migrate over to the new league)

[Augustus]

A long long lockout will lead to a new league, or new leagues. Fish gotta swim and birds gotta fly, and players need to play, and owners need to own, and arenas need to schedule games, and sports talk radio stations need something to talk about. Too many folks need a hockey league of some sort. Most of those folks are in Canada and in the northern tier of the US (and Europe of course) so it may be a much smaller league with much smaller schedules and much smaller crowds and much smaller salaries.

A long long lockout is unsustainable by both sides. A house divided against itself cannot stand.

What would rise from the ashes of the NHL, this I do not know.

Really really really sad. :mad:

[Christ]

I will say if Bettman destroys what is left of the NHL and decides it is best to start a new league, I will never support that league. Bettman is a fool, every decision he makes always turns out to be a bad one. I have no interest in watching him **** up another league :mad: .

If the players and owners really want to save the NHL their first step will have to be to fire both Bettman and Goodenow...without these two clowns perhaps talks will one day resume.

[FlyHigh]

Originally Posted by LeeIs

The owners crack: Extremely doubtfull considering that a cap= more $ for the owners. Then again some of the more profitable teams could see the new league as an actual loss since their viewership could decline becuase of a mediocre team and hence opt out or cause the crack in the ownership.

Actually, I'm not sure that the cap does mean more $$ for the owners. If you think about what they're doing, it's quite stupid. They paid hundreds of millions of dollars for their teams and now that investment is virtually worthless because of the lockout. So if the league doesn't start up again, the owners will lose hundreds of millions. After about another 6 months to a year, I think that the owners may start coming around and putting some pressure on Bettman to get a deal done. Unfortunately, that means no season this year and maybe not one next year.

[LeeIs]

Originally Posted by FlyHigh

Actually, I'm not sure that the cap does mean more $$ for the owners. If you think about what they're doing, it's quite stupid. They paid hundreds of millions of dollars for their teams and now that investment is virtually worthless because of the lockout. So if the league doesn't start up again, the owners will lose hundreds of millions. After about another 6 months to a year, I think that the owners may start coming around and putting some pressure on Bettman to get a deal done. Unfortunately, that means no season this year and maybe not one next year.

Well short term obviously they're at a loss. Long term though the situation is really complex & hard to predict.

The cap long term can produce a few different scenerios IMO:

1. Cap + fan support returns to its current levels = more $ for them
2. Cap + less fan support = more $ if the fans lost aren't greater than money saved through the cap or same $ if the fans lost is equal to money saved or less $ if more fans are lost than what they save from the cap.


So really the four possible outcomes of a cap is more$, more $, same $, less $ which really favors them.