Bettman Press Conference at 3:30

[Sully]

Quote: Originally Posted by RailStone

This is too bad, But I saw this coming over a year ago. Any predictions on how much time is missed next year? I predict a season next year with less than 40 games, at best.

Unless one side gives in, there may not be a next season either. The NHL, as we know it, might be finished.

[dust247]

Some reporter on ESPNEWS said he thinks it will last for 3 years.

[Peter_OS]

No 2004-2005 season. Man that blows!

What about next season, is there going to be one??

The NHL owners are to blame. Their the ones who started this. For them it's all about the bottom line... Sky rocketed salaries have ruined the game.

As for myself you won't see me near an NHL hockey rink anytime soon.

They can all go to hell!

[SPTO]

Quote: Originally Posted by Peter_OS

The NHL owners are to blame. Their the ones who started this. For them it's all about the bottom line... Sky rocketed salaries have ruined the game. They can all go to hell!

While I agree that the owners are initially to blame for this situation at least they're trying to fix the game. As owners of their respective teams they have the right to change things when it's absolutely neccessary. I think they may be trying to turn the clock back a bit too much but at least they're trying to address the problem rather than making a deal that wouldn't change the status quo.

I think that the players are being way too stubborn on this issue. The NHL only wants to bring down the average salary from 1.8 Million to 1.4 that's not a huge drop in salaries but of course the multi-millionaire players who have control of the union won't even allow this to happen. The NHL has even let up on some of the more objectionable parts of their proposal by offering basically the NHLPA's last offer with some triggers that would put in a hard cap.

Are players so scared that they'll drive up salaries again and have to go under a hard cap? If this is the case then they're just as stupid and greedy as the owners can be.

I don't see this being resolved til January of '06 at the earliest.

[Peter_OS]

The player's should have taken the deal that had the 24% rollback in salaries. I think that was the best offer, and I don't think they will get one better than this.

I guess we will have to wait and see, but a hard cap of some sort is needed. This is the only way salaries and team lossess can be controlled.

But I agree it's the greedy multi-millionaire players who are pushing for no hard cap. I'll bet if a vote was put to agree to the latest deal, that most NHLPA would say yes.

Expansion over the years hasn't helped either....

[VanCitySportsGuy]

The NHL will resume play at the start of next season. The owners aren't going to wait 2 or 3 years to get a new CBA. After the season gets cancelled on Wed, there will be a cooling off period, then both sides will talk again. If nothing happens in that meeting than the NHL will attempt to get an impasse to bring in replacement players.

Basically the owners are dead set on a salary cap and linkage, while the players are dead set against those 2. But the owners have all the power since they're the ones paying the bills.

Once you put the fear of replacement players into the Union's mind, they will cave into a salary cap. I just heard Naslund on the radio and he said Europe can't compare to playing in the NHL.

The part that pisses me off is that both sides didn't even bother to talk until the CBA expired. Bettman and Goodenow should be fired, with 99 as the Commish and Brian Burke as the Vice President.

[jmood88]

Quote: Originally Posted by Peter_OS

The player's should have taken the deal that had the 24% rollback in salaries. I think that was the best offer, and I don't think they will get one better than this. I guess we will have to wait and see, but a hard cap of some sort is needed. This is the only way salaries and team lossess can be controlled. But I agree it's the greedy multi-millionaire players who are pushing for no hard cap. I'll bet if a vote was put to agree to the latest deal, that most NHLPA would say yes. Expansion over the years hasn't helped either....

The players were the ones who proposed the 24% roll back.