CFN– Yes folks it’s that time of the month. NHL Commish Gary Bettman gets our Cornwall Free News Turd of the Month award!
The guy with the Little Man syndrome has decided to draw the line in the sand with the even crazier Donald Fehr and stipulated that if there is no deal that the NHL will face a lock out by September.
This after tendering an offer that even a lay person can see is ridiculous if media reports are accurate.
The NHLPA has not countered, but there are issues.
First off the league has far too many shaky US teams in markets that never will be hockey towns such as Phoenix. Second, the league should never own a team. Personally the Conspiracy theorist in me finds it implausible that Phoenix has been a play off team the last two seasons. As long as the league owns a team in the NHL it gives fodder to situations like this.
Arbitration is destroying the balance. Why on earth should any team have to pony up salaries because Glen Sather is nuts and has a wide open cheque book? Just look at the history of the contracts this man has given out? I bet Wayne Gretzky would give odds on Slats being the most beloved GM’s by Agents!
The whole concept of having a cap was so that there could be balance and that smaller markets could compete. Looking at what Philadelphia just did to Nashville has huge complications for the league. While Nashville matched the offer to star d man Shea Weber is this the kind of precedent that the league needs or benefits it at any level? Contracts that are far longer than make sense?
Do the players have to save the owners because they’re idiots? Nope. But they do have to play their role in the league prospering because that how they all make money.
After the big lock out the players saw salaries rolled back and other austerity measures. The league has prospered and the players really do deserve their fair share.
How about we just bump entry level contracts to five years from three to help smaller market teams retain star players, allow UFA to players over 32, kill arbitration and groove a few points off the split and play hockey Gary? Do you really think the Players would kick up a huge fuss over that?
Maybe the owners need to clean their own houses and lock themselves out before they shut down the game because in the end the only people that get upset and hurt are the ones whose cash is spent and that’s the fans.
Maybe we should lock out both the owners and the players?
What do you think Hockey fans? You can post your comments below.
Not being a sports fan, I think a year without NHL hockey would be just ducky. The planet would probably like it too if thousands of flights were canceled.
Yes he is a pile of steaming cow excrement. I don’t really care though. Football is on soon.