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To answer your question, this is going to hurt the sport of hockey for a long time. I don't think the owners or players have any idea what they are doing to the fabric of the sport. They are so centered in on "winning" the battle against the other side neither is seeing the long-term damage this is doing. Most of it has already been done.

 

Frankly, I don't think there will be a season this year. But, quite honestly, I don't care anymore either.

 

I had to quote your post, because unfortunately I have to agree with you 100%.

The owners and players are in this chess match, only none of them really have a solid strategy. That twitter feed you posted was absolutely a joke! The agent called taking $1B compared to $1.1B a "major concession". On any other topic I would label that as "sarcasm", but the scary thing is I know he's not joking.

 

Similar to what you said too, I believe the owners feel like "Hey it doesn't matter, our fans are loyal and will be back regardless!" I think it goes without saying that would be hypocritical of them at this point. Also, I can only speak for myself, but sadly for them my life does not revolve around the NHL. A lot of people would be perfectly content to "be entertained" by another sport. Football season is in full swing, and I'm mildly excited about the upcoming MLB season.

 

I think I'm getting to where your at too. I'm just tired of hockey and hearing about hockey, if that makes sense. Every piece of news relating to the lockout has been negative in the long run.

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If they announced tomorrow that the season was canceled I shrug my shoulders and move on. If they announced tomorrow that a deal had been made, I'd shrug my shoulders and move on. I am so over being jerked around (by both sides).

 

They have had ample opportunities to keep my interest and my dollars. Yet, what are we going on 90 days or something, I have found other things to do with my money. More games, books, things I've wanted for awhile, etc.

 

Someone said it before. My life doesn't revolve around hockey. It's that simple. I said it before, I live in Minnesota. I have plenty of options for watching hockey all of which are significantly cheaper than an NHL ticket/parking/food, etc.

 

I feel terrible for the people who are directly affected by this. The consession workers, arena staff, etc. I don't have one bit of pity for Crosby, Luongo, Koivu, etc They don't have to play ever again and are set for life. I don't know I am so bitter about this right now, I'm just done.

 

That Twitter account, and the agent who is tied to it, is an absolute tool. Look no further than his tweets to see what's wrong with the business side on the NHL. It's not about the game, it's not about the fans, it's about the pocket book. He's moaning about 50% etc. I guarentee you his clients/employees don't get 50% of his revenues.

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While I miss my Red Wings, it wouldn't bother me if the season was cancelled. The NHL needs to realize that they are the red headed step-child of US sports. They lost a good chunk of fans during the last lockout and now they are pissing off the rest. Football is in full gear with the NBA filling in the gaps. If the NHL isn't careful it could make itself extinct.

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While I miss my Red Wings, it wouldn't bother me if the season was cancelled. The NHL needs to realize that they are the red headed step-child of US sports. They lost a good chunk of fans during the last lockout and now they are pissing off the rest. Football is in full gear with the NBA filling in the gaps. If the NHL isn't careful it could make itself extinct.

 

Extinct is a bit excessive, but certainly they are going to lose a lot of the fans they just built the past few years. Hockey is always going to have their set fan base that is obsessed with the sport, but growing beyond that is going to be tough after this bull shit lockout.

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Well last lockout I was a single man with lots of disposable income. I was willing to wait for the year and I came back to cheer on my hometown Calgary Flames.

 

This time around, I am a married man with 2 young children. My only off time is filled with either Xbox or watching Chelsea, Seattle Seahawks or the Calgary Stampeders. My sporting time is nicely filled with the right amount of sports I actually care about.

 

I find myself realizing that I was more a fan of the Flames and not hockey itself. So for me to cut ties to them is really not that difficult. In Canada there are MANY options to watch hockey, of which I don't.

 

Fuck you NHL. You shot yourself in the foot and I can say emphatically, I will not be back.

 

It feels great to say it: I don't care.

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Extinct is a bit excessive, but certainly they are going to lose a lot of the fans they just built the past few years. Hockey is always going to have their set fan base that is obsessed with the sport, but growing beyond that is going to be tough after this bull shit lockout.

It will be Arena football status, which in my mind is pretty much extinct....

 

I've made the trip to The Joe every year....3 hour car ride....over $50 a piece for tickets. I have the Griffins in my back yard and its about $10 a ticket. I wont miss the NHL one bit.

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It will be Arena football status, which in my mind is pretty much extinct....

 

I've made the trip to The Joe every year....3 hour car ride....over $50 a piece for tickets. I have the Griffins in my back yard and its about $10 a ticket. I wont miss the NHL one bit.

 

You really invalidate your opinion by saying that the NHL will be Arena football status. That is just remarkably stupid considering the NHL 2 billion dollar TV deal and a number of other factors.

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You really invalidate your opinion by saying that the NHL will be Arena football status. That is just remarkably stupid considering the NHL 2 billion dollar TV deal and a number of other factors.

Pretty sure the last time the NHL was on lockout they had "billion dollar deals" with ESPN and FOX. After the lockout you had to go to OLN to watch a game. Don't be so blind to think that that TV deal will stick around.....no NHL means no deal, if you did then that would be "remarkably stupid".

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You really invalidate your opinion by saying that the NHL will be Arena football status. That is just remarkably stupid considering the NHL 2 billion dollar TV deal and a number of other factors.

 

Not really. NHL has been "off air" for what 90 days now, give or take I think. NFL is in full swing with the playoffs coming up quickly. NBA is full steam ahead. The more time the NHL is away from ... yo know actually being a league and playing games. The more and more people will get fed up with it and realize there are other things they can do with their time/money.

 

Pretty sure any TV deal, regardless of how much it's for, actually requires an actual product to be on the ice. Standing behind a podium and bitching is not something any TV company will pay for.

 

The NHL and NHLPA seem to be taking the fans for granted. In 04-05 the fans came back. They expect the same people to come back and bring friends to increase those revenues. When they don't come back, and those precious revenues don't go up, guess who is going to pay for it. Those sheep they call fans that did go back.

 

I think the NHL is going to pay dearly for this lockout long after it's over. I'm in no hurry for it to come back and I am one of the biggest hockey fans. I love the tradition, the teams, etc. But, I'll be damned if I am going to let the NHL have any more of my money. Which is the same amount I have given to the arena football league.

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This whole lockout scenario really annoys me. My hope for any type of NHL season this year is dwindling very fast. I believe it's only a matter of time before the season gets completely cancelled :/

 

They won't kill the entire season until late January early February. But, the reality is, even if there is a season now it will be a faint glimmer of what a real season is.

 

In my opinion, even if there is a "season" I don't care. I am completely bitter and pissed off that both the NHLPA and NHL have made a mockery of the game. The game is bigger than either of those two groups, but they only care about themselves.

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They won't kill the entire season until late January early February. But, the reality is, even if there is a season now it will be a faint glimmer of what a real season is.

 

In my opinion, even if there is a "season" I don't care. I am completely bitter and pissed off that both the NHLPA and NHL have made a mockery of the game. The game is bigger than either of those two groups, but they only care about themselves.

 

 

I think they went all the way until January 11th in '94 (or whatever year it was) and still had a 48 game season (no all-star game I believe).

 

So yeah, there is still time to have a season but I've pretty much lost hope. I really am starting to think that the owners are going to hold the line strong and hard and there won't be hockey until the union either caves or breaks apart completely and the league has to basically hit the reset button.

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My hope that there would be a season at all this year has been dead for a long time now. Think about the beginning of November I came to the conclusion the season was not going to happen.

 

A lockout should be a last resort not a first action. You don't begin negotiations by locking out your employees. And you don't piss and moan about loosing money right after you sign a ton of players to long term giant contracts and then lock the players out.

 

Both sides suck for keeping our game off the ice this season though.

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  • 2 weeks later...

As a Calgary Flames fan, I completely ignored the rhetoric and all the news about talks and whatnought. I haven't cared since they announced the lockout; I was waiting for its resolution. The day finally has come and we can talk puck, instead of labour law.

They can now work on appeasing fans like me that were pissed enough to abandon them. You guys realize that under Gary Bettman's rule, more than 10% of scheduled games have been cancelled? That is unacceptable for a business and for the fans. The NHL culture of entitlement and arrogance towards its fans needs to end. My loyalty hangs by a thread, and they need to understand that I am not willing to tolerate another work stoppage, no matter who is at fault.

 

You "fixed" it NHL and PA: now DON'T FUCK IT UP.

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As a Calgary Flames fan, I completely ignored the rhetoric and all the news about talks and whatnought. I haven't cared since they announced the lockout; I was waiting for its resolution. The day finally has come and we can talk puck, instead of labour law.

They can now work on appeasing fans like me that were pissed enough to abandon them. You guys realize that under Gary Bettman's rule, more than 10% of scheduled games have been cancelled? That is unacceptable for a business and for the fans. The NHL culture of entitlement and arrogance towards its fans needs to end. My loyalty hangs by a thread, and they need to understand that I am not willing to tolerate another work stoppage, no matter who is at fault.

 

You "fixed" it NHL and PA: now DON'T FUCK IT UP.

 

With as long as Bettman has been in charge of the NHL I'm not sure I buy the 10% thing.

 

Also, not sure why Bettman gets the hate he does and the players get off with a get out of jail free card. You want to talk about bad business. How about this. The first lockout the player were getting 97% of hockey related revenues. How is that good for business. Last lockout they were at 57%. Now, it's at 50% with the deal they just finished.

 

Lets also not forget the sheer volume of increased revenue that Bettman has been responsible for. But, lets just bash him as the bad guy when he is looking out for the best longterm interests of the league. I'm not saying I'm a Bettman fan, there are some things I would have done differently. But, he's had a positive impact on the game.

 

With regards tot he deal, I have to read more of it to grasp all the changes and impact of it. But, right now I could care less about this season. The fighting became too petty and too "Schoolyard-ish" for me. I still believe if Fehr didn't have his hand in this we would have had a deal long ago.

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Bettman took over Feb 1, 1993. Almost 20 years ago exactly. 2 half seasons and a full season of cancelled games is 10%. Not hard to "buy".

 

I'm not hating on Bettman. He's a brilliant business man when it comes to increasing revenue streams and expanding the business. He has made mistakes though too. 3 labour stoppages is one of them. I'm saying that is not smart business sense for a sport that is a fringe sport at best in the US.

 

I don't care who is right and who is wrong in this pointless, petty bickering. I'm saying they need to take their position on the sports food chain into consideration. MLB figured it out after cancelling the World Series, that people left them en masse and another labour stoppage would be their death blow. The NHL cannot afford another.

 

Just drop the damn puck, and when it comes to CBA extension time, negotiate quietly in private. Drop the rhetoric and posturing; it's unbecoming of a sport that can't afford it.

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With as long as Bettman has been in charge of the NHL I'm not sure I buy the 10% thing.

 

Also, not sure why Bettman gets the hate he does and the players get off with a get out of jail free card. You want to talk about bad business. How about this. The first lockout the player were getting 97% of hockey related revenues. How is that good for business. Last lockout they were at 57%. Now, it's at 50% with the deal they just finished.

 

Lets also not forget the sheer volume of increased revenue that Bettman has been responsible for. But, lets just bash him as the bad guy when he is looking out for the best longterm interests of the league. I'm not saying I'm a Bettman fan, there are some things I would have done differently. But, he's had a positive impact on the game.

 

With regards tot he deal, I have to read more of it to grasp all the changes and impact of it. But, right now I could care less about this season. The fighting became too petty and too "Schoolyard-ish" for me. I still believe if Fehr didn't have his hand in this we would have had a deal long ago.

 

The players were getting 76% of the revenues at the first Bettman lockout, not 97%. That's just an insane figure. Bettman is not a positive impact on the game. The majority of owners like him because he has made money for the big market teams at the expense of the smaller market teams and he is a good bully in negotiating. He has over expanded the league to weak, low interest markets and the league will forever be forced to support them.

The players came at him this time with a great negotiator of their own in Fehr and that is why Bettman went all schoolyard as you put it. There have been 3 lockouts under Bettman. The first one was justified. That last 2 should have been settled without a lockout. Especially this one. Lockout should be a last resort in a negotiation if the other side is not moving at all, not a first tactic. If the owners hadn't gone on a spending spree up to minutes before the deadline and they had tried real negotiations to begin with and played in good faith, as the players said they were willing to do, a deal could have been reached a long time ago without punishing the fans to the point of mass abandonment.

Both sides are wrong here but this will be the end of Bettman. He will be out in the next few years I can guarantee it.

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