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David · Member Joined: 04 May 2005 Posts: 1842

will finally get a deal worked out?

after all, if they don't we don't get hockey for another year
yet if we do, we GET hockey for another year...

Sometimes, you just can't win...

Thoughts?

Chris · Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2005 10:25 am Post subject:

Well I have a lot to say on this subject. I could actually type a 30 page article on the NHL Lockout and who is to blame for it....

Instead I will make it brief, even if it goes against every fiber in my being.

The NHL is a great league and hockey is the greatest team sport on earth.

The problem with hockey is that the players see professional athletes in the other major sports making big money and they want to make the same. It is only natural to want to be paid on par with other people who are in a similar industry to you. But the fact of the matter is, people at McDonalds do not get paid the same as people who work for many sit down restaurants. The simple fact of the matter is that the NHL teams cannot compete with the NBA, NFL, MLB and even the college sports most of the time. There are some pretty basic reasons why this is the case.

The arena seating is much smaller for the NHL then the other leagues. When you include the size of the ice rink, the boards the seating capacity of an arena is much smaller for an NHL game then an NBA game for example.

The market. Many people in the US rarely see snow let alone ice. It is tough to sell a game to people who just don't understand the game. It was getting better, the game was working towards a good following in the U.S. but that is probably gone now. With this smaller following comes smaller advertising and TV revenues. The fact is, the NFL, MLB and NBA receive WAY more money from the TV networks to broadcast games. This isn't small change we are talking the difference of many millions of dollars.

So what does all this mean? It is simple. The NHL cannot afford to try and pay players on par with the other leagues. Simple as that. When a business pays 70% + of revenues to wages it can only spell disaster. No business can afford to run using this model... and don't you even suggest this isn't a business. There are only a few owners that have the money to absorb losses in the millions of dollars. The NHL needs to correct this problem before it can resume and I support the owners and Gary Bettman 100%.

I might expand on this a little later... but to save you from a long winded post... I will leave at this.

Chris · Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2005 10:26 am Post subject:

Oh ya... I don't care how long it takes... they need to fix this. I do not want hockey back until it is fixed.... so who cares how long it takes.