Chicago Blackhawks 2012 Offseason Thread

[NewUserName]

I do not usually get into hockey that much until after the new year, so this lockout is really no big deal to me personally. However, I think this whole thing makes the NHL owners look rather stupid.

[jersey cubs fan]

I do not usually get into hockey that much until after the new year, so this lockout is really no big deal to me personally. However, I think this whole thing makes the NHL owners look rather stupid.

 

I pay attention the first week then my interest wanes but I definitely watch. Hockey taking over just as the Cubs season ends always helps, but now I'm going to have to do other things, like talk to my wife or something.

[biittner77]

In other hockey news, my daughter's field hockey team won again today to move into first place.

 

In other field hockey news, at school they gave her #19 which is awesome since I already call her Captain Serious

[jersey cubs fan]

first few weeks of games officially cancelled

[kujay]

The owners just don't care. They don't have nearly as much to lose as the players and they know it. So they wait it out and break the union again.

[Prizefight]

I'm developing a deep hatred of Bill Daly, Gary and every single NHL owners. The balls it takes to complain the players are making too much money the same offseason they sign TWO players to 100 million dollar contracts is absurd. The owners are literally not compromising at all in their offers.

 

Donald Fehr is doing great. Unfortunately, the players are going to run out of leverage. The fans will come back, the NHL knows it. It's beyond frustrating.

[Drew Doughty]

don fehr is a scummy dick too. there's no real winner in this fight even if the players are less to blame.

[jersey cubs fan]

I'm developing a deep hatred of Bill Daly, Gary and every single NHL owners. The balls it takes to complain the players are making too much money the same offseason they sign TWO players to 100 million dollar contracts is absurd.

 

Eh, one owner making a big splash doesn't really negate the point they are trying to make.

 

 

Although they do suck.

[jersey cubs fan]

Chris Kuc ‏@ChrisKuc

If the NHL season does being Nov. 2, #Blackhawks would open with back-to-back games, facing Predators at home and then traveling to Toronto.

[UMFan83]

Happy birthday to me

[Prizefight]

Pretty savy PR offer made by the league. 50/50 seems fair to everyone and attempts to turn the tide on the bad PR they got yesterday by the focus group report. What's not being reported is that the NHL gives very little in terms of other concessions. NHLPA will ultimately reject this version of the offer, but need to do so in a way that promotes further conversation.

 

First time since the lockout I feel optimistic that there might be hockey.

[kujay]

Yeah this was a pretty shrewd move by the owners. Put an 82-game season back on the table and make what appears from afar to be a reasonable 50/50 revenue split. Now, if the season doesn't start on November 2, it will be the players looking like the bad guys.

 

From a PR perspective, they have tilted the field completely back in their favor. Now, whether it actually serves to get a deal done, who knows. As noted, nobody expects the players to just accept the whole deal right away. They will probably come back in the 54/46 range with other demands, and then hopefully the real negotiating starts. The good news is there is a clear deadline that everyone has incentive to meet.

[biittner77]

Yeah this was a pretty shrewd move by the owners. Put an 82-game season back on the table and make what appears from afar to be a reasonable 50/50 revenue split. Now, if the season doesn't start on November 2, it will be the players looking like the bad guys.

 

From a PR perspective, they have tilted the field completely back in their favor. Now, whether it actually serves to get a deal done, who knows. As noted, nobody expects the players to just accept the whole deal right away. They will probably come back in the 54/46 range with other demands, and then hopefully the real negotiating starts. The good news is there is a clear deadline that everyone has incentive to meet.

 

Or it means that the owners blinked and Fehr will adivse them to hold out even longer. I can't even remember what the Union's last proposal was. The union is saying that a 50/50 split would cost them something like 1.6 billion over the course of the deal.

 

54/46 should get a deal done though. That's both sides meeting in the middle

[kujay]

But no. Bettman basically stormed out and the players are torching him. They pulled me in thinking a deal might be close.

[Prizefight]

Not sure the exact specifics of any of the 3 PA counter proposals, but the owners rejected them in basically 10 minutes and then left Toronto saying that they were still so far apart it doesn't make sense to negotiate.

 

Expect another large chunk of games to be cancelled today or tomorrow. Winter Classic is seriously in doubt at this point.

 

Unfortunately, the players need to realize that owners ALWAYS win in a lockout.

[Banedon]

Not sure the exact specifics of any of the 3 PA counter proposals, but the owners rejected them in basically 10 minutes and then left Toronto saying that they were still so far apart it doesn't make sense to negotiate.

 

Expect another large chunk of games to be cancelled today or tomorrow. Winter Classic is seriously in doubt at this point.

 

Unfortunately, the players need to realize that owners ALWAYS win in a lockout.

 

Also, that the NHL isn't the NFL, and you won't have nearly the public outcry to settle that the NFL and the NFLPA did. No PR leverage.

[jersey cubs fan]

Not sure the exact specifics of any of the 3 PA counter proposals, but the owners rejected them in basically 10 minutes and then left Toronto saying that they were still so far apart it doesn't make sense to negotiate.

 

Expect another large chunk of games to be cancelled today or tomorrow. Winter Classic is seriously in doubt at this point.

 

Unfortunately, the players need to realize that owners ALWAYS win in a lockout.

 

Also, that the NHL isn't the NFL, and you won't have nearly the public outcry to settle that the NFL and the NFLPA did. No PR leverage.

 

If they would have to give back money anyway, there's no incentive for the players to settle now and avoid missing a bigger chunk of games.

[biittner77]

Plus this is the second- take it or leave it- offer the owners have made. When they offered 47% Bettman said the offer had an expiration date. I think the players will eventually settle at 54%. The owners could and should make that deal immediately. All they have to do to make it work is lower the cap floor, let the money teams have some sort of spend over the cap at a penalty clause and stop paying 2nd pairing defensemen $4 million per.

[kujay]

I don't get how owners like Craig Leopold can sign guys to ridiculous deals a mere three months ago, and now demand that those contracts be rolled back. It's the very definition of bad faith.

 

But that's the reality. The NHL has to come back in a substantive way early this week. They had seized the PR upper hand for a few days there, but now it's hazy again. Ball is in their court.

[Prizefight]

I don't get how owners like Craig Leopold can sign guys to ridiculous deals a mere three months ago, and now demand that those contracts be rolled back. It's the very definition of bad faith.

 

But that's the reality. The NHL has to come back in a substantive way early this week. They had seized the PR upper hand for a few days there, but now it's hazy again. Ball is in their court.

 

Right. It's hard to fault the players for wanting to get paid the contracts they signed. The owners are out of control with the money they are paying. Seriously, look at James Wisniewski's contract. That's all time bad. Obviously, Scott Towson is an idiot, but every team has a deal like that.

 

I wouldn't be shocked to see it get closer to a 52/48 split. Another tough aspect is going to be any kind of buyout/over the cap clause because a lot of teams are going to be hilariously over the new cap and will need to likely move a lot of $$ next offseason, looking at you Canucks and Flyers.

[UMFan83]

When is the next time one of the 4 major sports leagues can have a strike/lockout after this one? I'm getting sick of riding the roller coaster of labor negotiations. The NBA lockout almost killed me.

[Cubswin11]

When is the next time one of the 4 major sports leagues can have a strike/lockout after this one? I'm getting sick of riding the roller coaster of labor negotiations. The NBA lockout almost killed me.

I think there is an option in one of the new NFL/NBA deals that either of the sides can opt out of it relatively soon into it, like 5 years. Or there are at least things that can be re-negotiated and not the entire thing can be opted out of.

 

I want to say one of them definitely had a stipulation that revenue sharing percentages could be re-negotiated amongst the league/owners and players if certain reveune benchmarks are reached.

[Prizefight]

Players want to meet today. NHL refuses. Yet they announce moving a former dynasty franchise. You can't make this up.

[kujay]

Players want to meet today. NHL refuses. Yet they announce moving a former dynasty franchise. You can't make this up.

 

Yeah we have entered absurd territory.

 

I know the building on LI sucks. But they had a small dedicated fan base out there. I doubt they will go to Brooklyn for the games. So now they need to build a new fan base. For a shitty team. Smart.

[jersey cubs fan]

Players want to meet today. NHL refuses. Yet they announce moving a former dynasty franchise. You can't make this up.

 

I don't get what point you are trying to make with the last two sentences. Why is announcing the Islanders will move 20 miles something they shouldn't do during the lockout?