Lockout/CBA Discussion Thread

[DrJones]

Re: Potential Issues with the CBA

I think my favorite part of coming into the Hockey forums on OS are your posts Dr. It's great to hear someone with such knowledge of the game talk especially for some of the newer fans. It's refreshing since 99% of my friends have no interest in the NHL and I seem to be the only one who knows the difference between an icing and off-sides.

I forget which game you used to work on, was it the NHL series?

Many thanks for the kind words. I was a producer/designer on EA's baseball series for several years (Triple Play 99 through MVP 05, as well as the 06 NCAA version). I know and love hockey a bit more than baseball, but hockey nuts are legion in western Canada whereas baseball nuts are rather rare.

In spring 2004, NHL lost their rosters/stats database guy, so I moonlighted on hockey for NHL 2005 and 06 (not exactly the gravy days of the NHL franchise, I'm afraid). Especially awkward during the first year, because NHL at the time was being made in downtown Vancouver, while MVP was at EAC in Burnaby (a Vancouver suburb). Although NHL 05 & 06 were, um, "troubled" productions, it was a dream come true to monkey with hockey rosters, stats, and ratings for a couple years, since I had been doing so at home anyway way back in the Sega Genesis days.

[TheMatrix31]

Re: Potential Issues with the CBA

Saw this on the Sabres board. May or may not be a good read, may or may not be of relevance. Whatever....

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/story/2012/09/04/spf-nhl-nhlpa-cba-ron-maclean.html

[Pezell04x]

Re: Potential Issues with the CBA

More awful news. The NHLPA has apparently sent a memo to its players outlining what they can and can not do in a lockout. 9 days away until an official lockout.

http://daysofyorr.com/2012-articles/september/nhlpa-sends-memo-to-players-awesome.html

[Money99]

Re: Potential Issues with the CBA

Random aside: Gary Suter is the reason Gretzky didn't finish his career with 3000+ points. (As well as being the reason why Paul Kariya probably won't make the HHOF.)

SO TRUE!
That a'hole deprived hockey fans of two great treasures.
Paul Kariya was an absolute stud before the cowardly Suter crosschecked him in the face following a Kariya goal.
The dude was scoring 50g and 100points yearly in an era where 30 goals was incredible.
Like you said DrJones, Kariya would have a few hundred more points than he does now, and he'd be a sure-fire, first-ballot HOFer.

And Wayne? You said it perfectly. He would have eclipsed 3000 points easy without that bad back that Suter gave him.

[liberaluser]

Re: Potential Issues with the CBA

Everyday that passes I think more to myself: I can do without the NHL season this year and do without playing NHL 13. I got football and b-ball to fill the hole and have NBA 2K for my sports gaming needs.

Now think about the thousands of people that are saying to themselves the same thing. NHL owners are shooting themselves in the foot. Say goodbye to many hardcore season ticket buyers for years to come.

[ImTellinTim]

Re: Potential Issues with the CBA

Everyday that passes I think more to myself: I can do without the NHL season this year and do without playing NHL 13. I got football and b-ball to fill the hole and have NBA 2K for my sports gaming needs.

Now think about the thousands of people that are saying to themselves the same thing. NHL owners are shooting themselves in the foot. Say goodbye to many hardcore season ticket buyers for years to come.

Disagree. The diehards will come back like they did after the last lockout, and those are the people that have and always will be key to supporting the league. The NHL simply doesn't have many casual fans and not much is going to change that.

[Money99]

Re: Potential Issues with the CBA

Disagree. The diehards will come back like they did after the last lockout, and those are the people that have and always will be key to supporting the league. The NHL simply doesn't have many casual fans and not much is going to change that.

So true.
But that's why the NHL is dumb. They go out of their way to keep casual fans far, far away.
Their fanbase will always be static and never grow.
Having lockouts every 5 years, along with refusing to make necessary changes in order to open the game up will make sure of that.

[ImTellinTim]

Re: Potential Issues with the CBA

So true.
But that's why the NHL is dumb. They go out of their way to keep casual fans far, far away.
Their fanbase will always be static and never grow.
Having lockouts every 5 years, along with refusing to make necessary changes in order to open the game up will make sure of that.

I'm of the opinion that it wouldn't matter either way. NHL fans come in two basic types - 1) People who love hockey 2) People who go to the game when their city's team is good and it becomes temporarily trendy.

A vast majority of the population in the US will never, ever care about hockey enough to casually tune in to a random regular season game. The NHL partakes in these shenanigans because it can.

[DrJones]

Re: Potential Issues with the CBA

Disagree. The diehards will come back like they did after the last lockout, and those are the people that have and always will be key to supporting the league. The NHL simply doesn't have many casual fans and not much is going to change that.

I'm of the opinion that it wouldn't matter either way. NHL fans come in two basic types - 1) People who love hockey 2) People who go to the game when their city's team is good and it becomes temporarily trendy.

A vast majority of the population in the US will never, ever care about hockey enough to casually tune in to a random regular season game. The NHL partakes in these shenanigans because it can.

Correct on all counts. Honestly, I think NHL owners saw how easily the NFL and NBA crushed union resistance and didn't want to feel left out. If anything, the last lockout emboldened them.

[Pezell04x]

Unfortunately for all the flak that Bettman gets, he's smart. He knows that no matter what happens the fans won't go anywhere. They can do all the sit-ins and YouTube videos they want but when 7:05 hits for that first block of games, people will show up.

People will still buy t-shirts, jerseys, hats, etc and because of that the NHL is willing to kill a season to get what they want. It wouldn't be the first time and in about 5-6 years it will probably happen again.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

[AC]

Re: Potential Issues with the CBA

It's better than nothing, I guess.

[ASB37]

Re: Potential Issues with the CBA

It's better than nothing, I guess.

I've been optimistic up until last week.

Then reality set in that we won't see hockey before the end of November. I do not think the year will be canceled though.

[slickdtc]

Anybody got some funny links to banter when this happened in 04-05? All the "season won't be cancelled" predictions and whatnot?

[Money99]

Re: Potential Issues with the CBA

Anybody got some funny links to banter when this happened in 04-05? All the "season won't be cancelled" predictions and whatnot?

LOL! That would be great!
If you really wanted a laugh, I should paste some of the old chatroom conversations Eklund had with hockey fans "I'm on the phone with a direct source...", hahaha!

Speaking of Eklund, he must be loving this!!

[liberaluser]

Re: Potential Issues with the CBA

A vast majority of the population in the US will never, ever care about hockey enough to casually tune in to a random regular season game. The NHL partakes in these shenanigans because it can.

I would argue the reason the NHL will never grow into a sport for casual fans is because of the shenanigans and lack of vision at the top.