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If only that would work.

Toronto has been putting out shit teams for 30 years now, sold out every game.

   

There's a lockout?

Go Jeff Gordon!

   

Toronto has a professional hockey team?

   

I went to a few CART races as a fan. Then I took a *free* course by my provincial auto club on how to be a Course Marshall. I took a couple tests and applied to the SCCA and FIA and became a certified Course Marshall. Now I can show up at Indy or F1 events (Edmonton, Toronto, Montreal) pay *nothing* to get in and have a 'seat' where I get pelted by the hot rubber coming off the tires.

We call it the second best seat in the house. These were my 'seats' a couple years ago at Indy:



All that was between me and cars was a little white paint.

It's dangerous sometimes. Last weekend a very fast porsche lost it, and hit the wall 6" from where I was standing, and I got a few cuts from the spray of fiberglass that came through the fence. But it was minor. I've been hit by chunks of wheels, aero wings, chunks of carbon fiber . . . and loved every bit of it.

Hockey is for pussy fans. Sit in the stands and drink beer. *ptooey*! Get your ass out to a raining disused runway in Manitoba for 6 am on a Saturday, that takes a real fan!

   

The lease means nothing if there are no players on the team. Players have the financial resources to afford to either buy the arenas or build their own. Maybe the union would create a pool of money to buy out the facilities. I don't know how it will shake down, but the future of ALL pro sports will be leagues where the players are also the owners. It's the only logical long-term outcome. The only thing owners bring to the table is money and now that the players, collectively, have money, the owners have have virtually no power. And the more that the owners play hardball, sicking their douchebag yappy dogs (like Bettman) on the unions, the more the players will realize that it's time to do away with the owners.


It WILL happen, it's just a matter of time. You're right, the players will suffer some short-term pain, but it'll be worth the long-term gain. Again, I don't know how this will all shakedown, but the collective wealth of the players has stripped the owners of their only power. There will come a point where the owners of empty arenas will BEG the players to take those buildings off their hands.

I laugh when I see Sports Illustrated's valuations of pro-francises. A pro franchise's value is pretty much zero. The building has value, but that's it. If the players ever decide to play hardball, the rest of the franchise's value, essentially just the trademark, is zero. I can absoutely see a future where all the franchises are owned by the NHLPA, collectively, and 100% of revenues are returned to the players. And the same thing will happen in all other pro sports because the owners bring nothing to the table that the players don't have collectively.

   

Agreed. No one stuck a gun in the owner's faces and told them to keep giving out ridiculous contracts to rookies and third-line players. They keep raising their own salary cap but still can't keep their own houses in order. The Boston owners, for example, are on side with the others as demanding the players take a 20% pay cut but the other day they signed Taylor Seguin, a second or third-year player, to a six-year $34 million deal? And the NHLPA is to blame for that particular bit of stupidity?

I have no doubt that too many of the players are greedy and would cross the street for $5 more. But the owners, too many of them anyway, are just total scum. They only have themselves to blame but they never take any responsibility for it.

   

I honestly couldn't care less about locked out millionaires. During the last lockout I was a pretty happy camper not having to hear about the NHL all winter long.

   

As bad as the Seguin contract sounds, the Bruins want to lock up their franchise player well into the future (the Oilers gave Hall similar money recently too). You likely didn't begrudge the Penguins for giving big money to Crosby and Malkin, so how is this any different? Seguin is going to be a star, barring some drunken criminal escapade or career ending injury.

If they don't lock him up, some other big market team would have poached him and given up a couple of draft picks. Given that those big market teams usually do well in the standings, their draft picks are next-to-worthless in the grand scheme of things and getting a surefire thing is smart financial sense compared to drafting a slew of kids and hoping one of them pans out as a third/fourth line grinder.

Personally, I don't think either group has any moral high ground here. Both of them are rather slimy IMHO.

The owners of the big market clubs offer all sorts of crazy deals and max out to the salary cap because they have all sorts of revenue streams the smaller market teams don't have. They pay more for fringe players because they can, forcing the smaller teams to do it as well or lose their talent. Some small market teams have become farm teams in all but name for the Rangers, Bruins, Leafs and a handful of other super wealthy teams.

Meanwhile, the players exploit that very same gap between the big and small market teams at contract time - demanding big market money in small market cities. And if the team doesn't cave in to the player's demands, the player just sits out until the team is forced to submit due to injuries, a need to make the playoffs or a trade forces their hand.

Sorry, but both groups are pretty detestable - but if I have to choose a side, I'll take the owners, many of which aren't guilty of the massive salary escalation since the CBA was signed. Most of them are guilty of simply trying to keep up with the Joneses and stay competitive.

   

Meh. Nothing outside of football matters anyways

-J.

   

Fixed that for you, Jay.

   

Couldnt agree more, then again, maybe old lady Raite should leg them back like she did to the AC Flight attendants, pilots, mechanics etc... After all, overpaid useless clowns are an essential service - aren't they??

   

In my experience, these guys are few and far between.

Players want loyalty and stability and the offer has to be very tempting to uproot your life and your family for a slight increase in pay.

It works out for us fairly well here in the Toronto area...lots of NHL'ers are from here and spend some time playing in men's leagues and pickup games around the City during these times.

   

Fixed that for the pair of you!

   

Title: Deadline expires, NHL triggers lockout
Category: Sports
Posted By: Hyack
Date: 2012-09-16 07:04:37
Canadian

   

My prediction is at best we will only see a half-season being played. But I will not be shocked at all if the entire season is wiped out.

   

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