There will be a strike

[rats19]

So, the habs players then getting paid while the rest of the league doesnt ..isnt the issue? Its just a form of forcing the leagues hand by inflicting said hardship?

I still say that if the Habs can retain thier pay...the other players wont be so agreeable..No?
Or will they accept the fact that thier bretheren tried on the entire unions behalf but failed however will be paid for trying...

thnx Pot..we are getting somehwhere, but I still see issues.

[tantalum]

Let's be honest when it comes to professional sports the only real leverage a PA has is a split between the have and the have nots. When there is a system in place where there are a crap load of have nots and very few haves it is difficult to gain that leverage. Which is really the situation the NHLPA was in last time and this time around. There simply are not enough have teams (Forbes has 6 teams that one could say were healthy..all canadian except for the Rangers).

So this tactic doesn't make much sense to me and here's why: If there is leverage to be gained it's by presenting something that props up the have owners against the have nots. That's what the PA proposals are attempting to do, create a bigger divide by adding in loopholes while not removing any (and unlinking salaries). But by filing these things the only thing they are accomplishing IMO is pissing off those that could provide the leverage, those they might be able to call "friends". Call me a jerk but if I'm an owner of a team that maybe has some sympathy towards the PA (I don't really believe that sympathy actually exists btw), or would love to have a system they could exploit more for an advantage (at least in a dream world) as soon as the PA pulls this stunt it galvanizes me with my have not brethren. Oh they'll be pissed to maybe have to pay some money but I can almost guarantee they won't be lobbying the other owners to sign a deal but rather lobbying hard to PA blood. I also assume that the league will cover such expenses...solidarity and all.

I also wonder...would they be paying the players the full salaries? i would imagine that the outgoing CBA would govern those salaries and as such the players would still only be entitled to 57% so while the affected owners would be paying, 95% of what they are paying sits in escrow until they get it all back.

[rats19]

Let's be honest when it comes to professional sports the only real leverage a PA has is a split between the have and the have nots. When there is a system in place where there are a crap load of have nots and very few haves it is difficult to gain that leverage. Which is really the situation the NHLPA was in last time and this time around. There simply are not enough have teams (Forbes has 6 teams that one could say were healthy..all canadian except for the Rangers).

So this tactic doesn't make much sense to me and here's why: If there is leverage to be gained it's by presenting something that props up the have owners against the have nots. That's what the PA proposals are attempting to do, create a bigger divide by adding in loopholes while not removing any (and unlinking salaries). But by filing these things the only thing they are accomplishing IMO is pissing off those that could provide the leverage, those they might be able to call "friends". Call me a jerk but if I'm an owner of a team that maybe has some sympathy towards the PA (I don't really believe that sympathy actually exists btw), or would love to have a system they could exploit more for an advantage (at least in a dream world) as soon as the PA pulls this stunt it galvanizes me with my have not brethren. Oh they'll be pissed to maybe have to pay some money but I can almost guarantee they won't be lobbying the other owners to sign a deal but rather lobbying hard to PA blood. I also assume that the league will cover such expenses...solidarity and all.

I also wonder...would they be paying the players the full salaries? i would imagine that the outgoing CBA would govern those salaries and as such the players would still only be entitled to 57% so while the affected owners would be paying, 95% of what they are paying sits in escrow until they get it all back.

so the league may pay the costs? man that may change the landscape..then it really does put pressure on the league to get a new deal..I mean whats the annual cap hit for the habs..62millish.. pro-rated i am sure to when ever the deal gets signed.
This whole thing is so far from standard labour/owner issues...its not a wonder I cant get it...lol

I call this state of being: non-derstanding

[Hockey Widow]

The sensible thing to do is have camp but have a deadline of the end of camp to have a deal in place, then go the lockout route. The problem of course is that camp would be running where no existing CBA is in place which I suppose could complicate things such as injuries , etc. It would also effectively lock out all players not signed by the 15th as they would not have the ability to sign a new deal until the new CBA is in effect.

But the logical thing won't happen. Owners will lockout starting the 15th and blame the PA and the PA will say we've tried but the owners .......

It's the same old crap.

As far as the Canucks go, a little more time to heal in the off season is a good thing. It will be up to the players to keep themselves in game shape as we can count on a very short camp once the lock out is over. The Canucks won't have 82 games to get ready for the playoffs and they won't have an 82 grudging season to wade through before the real show starts. One thing for sure is we won't be able to afford a typical Luongo slow month at the start of the season

I wish they'd just go to a press blackout and get on with whatever they need to do to get this resolved. Lock themselves in a room until it is done. But until one side feels the urgency that won't happen and as before it will be the players that feel the pinch first. Knowing that I think they need to get their heads out of the sand and make a deal.

[Fred]

I think Linden had it right when he said many of the small market US teams don't like the early games because they coincide with the NFL and they draw even less. So you have to think November some time at best

[SKYO]

NHL fan's anti-strike Youtube video goes viral

All Janne Makkonen hoped for was a couple tweets. At best, he wanted to catch the attention of a few NHL players who might share the video he spent nearly a week producing.

But more importantly, Makkonen wanted to make something for fans who are upset at the prospect of another lockout. So the 21-year-old freelance video editor went through his archive, listened to music and thought about what he wanted to say.

What he said, in a video entitled “Together We Can,” has become an Internet sensation and served as a voice for hockey fans trying to get their message of frustration heard by the league and players’ union ahead of Saturday’s lockout deadline.

“I was just hoping to see they’d react kind of in the way they are reacting now, but I never just never thought it would be this huge, that it would spread so quickly,” said Makkonen, who lives in Espoo, Finland. “I just hope to see them inspired and give them hope, or something.”

Released on YouTube at the end of August, the video had more than 700,000 views Tuesday. Some eight minutes long, and using Howard Beale’s famous “I’m mad as hell” rant from the movie “Network,” the video touches on several themes including the sport’s economy, racism in hockey and the labour battle.

Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/anti+strike+ ... z26CW21RnC

[tantalum]

And in some massive damage control/backtracking some FLames will now golf in the tourney. Calgary PA rep Stajan says there "was a mix up". Sure thing Matt sure thing. Geez, Horak said point blank he wouldn't attend because he is just following what the players had decided. Glencross also said he wasn't going to New York and wasn't going to the tournament. Idiots.

[dbr]

I guess the real question with regards to the Canadiens paycheques is.. what's 57% of HRR when there are no games?

[Tciso]

I guess the real question with regards to the Canadiens paycheques is.. what's 57% of HRR when there are no games?

Lol. The Canadiens may be forced to pay their $70 mil in salaries, and penalties for being over the cap. Too funny. But, I expect that the 57% rule is out with the lockout and expiry of the last deal.

[SKYO]

Lots of development today after the meetings for a new CBA..

@drosennhl
Bettman said the NHL's proposal was for a 6-year deal and it moved another $250 mil to $300 mil in players direction from NHL's prior offer.
-
@TGfireandice
Bettman said players' share of HRR would be higher than 46%, but wouldn't give exact number.
-
@RenLavoieRDS
Gary Bettman said that his offer today ask for a reduction of 9% of players salaries. NHL asked for 24% in July.
-
Bettman said players' pay cut would be 7% in first year, less on second and zero in 3rd by players' estimates of growth.
-
@SunGarrioch
The NHL offered a six year deal which was focused on the percentages
-
Bettman -- our proposal was designed to get a deal; it will be off the table if we don't have a deal by Saturday.
-
@Real_ESPNLeBrun
Bettman said under league's new proposal, players would pay 9.7 percent escrow in Year 1 under their projections.
-
‏@drosennhl
Gary Bettman said the NHL made a proposal today that does not include a redefinition of HRR and was designed to get a deal done before 9/15.
-
@SpectorsHockey
Rest assured, Bettman isn't bluffing with his "take-it-or-leave-it" approach. We learned from last lockout he doesn't bluff.
Bettman claims NHL not seeking salary rollbacks. You can bet, however, the escrow payments will be significantly increased.
Also wondering if NHL still pushing for redefinition of hockey-related revenue (HRR). That was another sticking point with #NHLPA.

[SKYO]

ek-"New NHL proposal keeps Hockey Related Revenues where it currently sits. That's HUGE."



Might be no strike after all!

[Per]

Well, then, I'd be keeping my head up during our first game of the season in 2013, knowing you are pissed off that I found a loophole that you couldn't use. And, when we are both sitting in the penalty box, I'd call you a whiny little cry-baby pansy who shoulda stayed over in Europe once the lockout ended. I'd probably even hand you a pre-paid cell phone so you could call your mommie too. Personally, I think most of the players would be happy that you found a way to stick it to Bettman, and just ask that you paid for steak, lobster and a few beers during player gatherings during the lockout.

In reality, most Habs fans are so stupidly devoted that they'd happily buy their season tickets, and watch Tim-Bits hockey while bragging that the other teams didn't get any hockey at all. To show that they are slightly more retarded, Taranna fans would demand the same, and the Taranna TimBit Leaves would still fail to make the 8th seed of the playoffs in a 2 team league.

I must be daft or something today cuz I am not getting it...

Tcisco
europe is either open to any and all NHLPA members who can get a contract over there or it wont be. The proposed idea in this one is only open to the habs.. (forget BC&AB ) for now. and true players are probably happy to stick it to bettman anyway they can ...but I dont believe for minute they feel the same way when an opportunity is not open to ALL the unionized players but to a limited few that is not how UNIONS work.. Unless that money gets shared or some other arrangement is made to equeal it out. But for another player to be happy for me that I got my 4.5mill and simply stuck it to Bettman...mayhaps not eh?..No?

I would take that cell and perhaps stuff it up your ass and you would be upset i had the vibrate function turned off...in that hypathetical situation..

The best way to ensure solidarity is of course if the Habs player donate every cent to the NHLPA, who can then distribute it evenly to all players involved, but that would be up to each individual Habs player. Still. Having one employer pay salaries is better than having none do it. It increases the pressure on the owners, since their side will be bleeding money during the lockout. I think most players are smart enough to appreciate that.

[Per]

Seems to me that the move by the NHLPA is not going to destabilise their solidarity. However its got to put pressure on the league as the Habs will never recoup their payroll with guest appearances and AHL practices. In fact any union member in Montreal would be crossing a picket line if they showed up to any event held by management while the rest of the union is locked out. More likely the Habs can make a case that they are bearing the brunt for all the other owners and ask for help paying the piper. It would be interesting to listen in on a conference call between Molson Buttman and the other core owners.

There is no picket line if there is no strike. Or rather, if the owners hire new players instead of those they have locked out, there would be a picket line to cross, but not if they decide to let in the very players affected by the lockout. Of course, if the players respond to the lockout by calling a strike, it's another story, but I think the NHLPA would not do something that stupid if they instead can manage to bleed one or a few teams dry instead. It will put a lot of pressure on the owners to get back to the negotiation and reach an agreement before the teams have to fold.

[Per]

NHL fan's anti-strike Youtube video goes viral

All Janne Makkonen hoped for was a couple tweets. At best, he wanted to catch the attention of a few NHL players who might share the video he spent nearly a week producing.

But more importantly, Makkonen wanted to make something for fans who are upset at the prospect of another lockout. So the 21-year-old freelance video editor went through his archive, listened to music and thought about what he wanted to say.

What he said, in a video entitled “Together We Can,” has become an Internet sensation and served as a voice for hockey fans trying to get their message of frustration heard by the league and players’ union ahead of Saturday’s lockout deadline.

“I was just hoping to see they’d react kind of in the way they are reacting now, but I never just never thought it would be this huge, that it would spread so quickly,” said Makkonen, who lives in Espoo, Finland. “I just hope to see them inspired and give them hope, or something.”

Released on YouTube at the end of August, the video had more than 700,000 views Tuesday. Some eight minutes long, and using Howard Beale’s famous “I’m mad as hell” rant from the movie “Network,” the video touches on several themes including the sport’s economy, racism in hockey and the labour battle.

Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/anti+strike+ ... z26CW21RnC

Absolutely loved the video!

[Chef Boi RD]

The strike is so Starbucks Barista gay.