New CBA is all fans should care about
Paul Kelly’s firing early Monday morning as executive director of the NHL Players Association was hardly big news to hockey fans.
The only thing fans should care about is both the union and league start preparing soon for negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement following the 2010-11 season.
There cannot be a single day of a work stoppage, not after debacle of the missed season in 2004-05.
NHLPA ombudsman Buzz Hargrove told the TEAM 1040 radio station in Vancouver Monday that the union didn't believe Kelly was the right man to lead them in that next contract negotiations.
“They didn't want to wait until it was too late," Hargrove said. "If we waited until next year, you're almost on the doorstep of the opening of negotiations and they didn't want then to be caught with someone they didn't really think was able to unify and pull the group together and get them all working together.”
Ian Penny was named interim executive director. Kelly was fired after the 30 player representatives voted to oust at their meetings here in Chicago.
I am much more interested in the here and NOW of the 2009-10 Salary cap.
It is so very curious that many of the GMs seemed unfazed by being over the Cap a month before the season, like they know something may be in the works for now?
The Salary Cap Hawks totals showing the hawks are 4 mil over IF THE CAP STAYS THE SAME.
Any CAP injury breaks you get (the way I understand it) happen AFTER you have complied to the Cap limit, and have handed your first day rosters (in which Hossa MUST appear injured or not) and THEN he is put on IR and you gain space/$ until his return, then you lose that wiggle room gap they provoded you with.
So you send Sopel and others to Rockford and leave them unprotected to get under, unless the CAP was suddenly expanded by 4 million? You buy out Sopel and take the hit on the buy-out?
Surely a GM cannot bank on waiting to see what the exact Cap limit is and THEN scrabble to comply, right?
So are the Gms and our GM Bowman expecting a 4 million Cap jump ?
After watching Sharp's contributions in last years Cup play, whether it be goals, taken the hits, or massaging Lidstrom, I just think it is fitting to think about trading him out of our mix
Bruce Garrioch (writer for The Ottawa Sun) is a windbag who is always incorrectly speculating.
The Hawks cheated in the same way every team did. Toronto lost a 2nd rounder in the 2009 draft for the Cap shady deal with Tampa, so I guess this is another reason to thank the lucky stars that the hawks have three second rounders for the league to choose from if that BS was to even come to past.
What the league and the NHLPA can do to grow the pie, not how they divide it up.
The current CBA actually works. Look at the healthiest pro sports: NFL and NBA. Both have caps. The problem the NHL faces is an overall lack of revenue, in large part due to a horrible tv deal.
Unfortunately, I think the players feel they're getting screwed by the cap and that's really not the case. It's the revenue that's the problem, not how it's getting divided.
to figure out how to stave off contraction. I understand there are several other teams that are in serious financial problems, other than the 'yotes.
While this can't be a direct comparison, look what happened to the AFL. 17 teams IIRC in 2008. The N.O. Voodoo sold out every game then went belly-up. Several other teams were also run poorly, were in huge trouble they could not field a team for 2009. The league offices were a mess I guess. 2009 was put on hold to try to re-organize. Then the AFL folded. I knew the Chicago Rush sold out every game for years. I was a ST holder for several years. And all of a sudden...boom! Gone!
I think the Hossa issue is a shot across the bow warning to Rocky, McDonough and the backstabbing Bowmans. The league is watching and not amused at the shenanigans. Rocky would be well served to remember what caused him to be removed from the front office all those years ago. It may get him in to trouble this time if history repeats itself.....
Hossa's deal is not much different than Zetterberg's or Franzen's of the Wings. It's front loaded with significant - but not overwhelming dollars - and light in the back to lower the yearly cap hit. Hossa's deal takes him past 40 years old. So you tell us the shenanigans.
Please tell us about the backstabbing Bowmans. I haven't heard about that. As for the Blackhawks organization, the real backstabber was re-assigned shortly after dollar Bill died; and that was Bob Pulford.
Rocky was a significant figure in the Blackhawks front office years ago? Didn't know that. Please cite your sources. From what I remember, he was always tied into the Wirtz' other (bigger) operations, liquor distributorship and real estate. His brother Peter was in the Blackhawks front office. Now...if he were put in charge after dollar Bill died, then it'd be business as usual and we would NOT be seeing the turnaround we're seeing right now.
Shenanigans? Is that another name for wtriting your team the best possible contract within the rules?
The League won the last CBA battle, they got their cap, the Hossa contract is purely strategice management within the cap system. Well done.
Backstabbing Bowmnans?care to elaborate or just throweing it out there because you don't like them?
"Rocky would be well served to remember what caused him to be removed from the front office all those years ago. It may get him in to trouble this time if history repeats itself....."
OK I'll bite. Anyone willing to provide insight into Old Time Hawk Fans comment?
It could be that some of the old time hockey guys in charge of the league want to play hardball with the players again as is rumored. If true we can only hope they'll drop dead before the end of the 2011 season. It would be so NHL-like to finally get some momentum and have the league moving in the right direction only to then institute a work stoppage.
I know there are several teams in dire financial straits which only goes to prove that a salary cap won't save you from stupid ideas, lousy sports cities or poor talent evaluating. I know the owners were hoping that a cap would force some of the better players to relocate to some of the worst teams but that ain't happening and at this point you could make a case that the league doesn't even need a salary cap. In any case let's hope cool heads prevail when negotiating time arrives no matter who is doing the bartering.
Some of the interviews stated there were some "Major Issues that couldn't be ignored" and "Check and balances in the constitution". I wonder what was so heinous that they had to fire this guy. If its just the "He was detached from the players" that's pretty lame. I think you WANT someone that doesn't develop too close of a personal relationship.. it may cloud his judgment.
hey Tim, what's become of the Hossa contract investigation?
Right now there is no update on the NHL's investigation of Hossa's contract. When Paul Kelly, the fired union boss, was asked about it at the U.S. Olympic camp, he predicted nothing would come of it.
I saw the Ottawa Sun report on Sunday. I highly doubt the league would void the contract at this late date. As for possible penalties of a fine and loss of draft picks, the league would look foolish to do that now after first green-lighting the contract on July 1.
I guess my answer is anything is possible when it comes to what the NHL might do, but I would be surprised if the Hawks are hit with any significant penalty.
Leave it to this league to drag things out.
Bruce Garrioch (writer for The Ottawa Sun) reported on Aug.31st that the NHL was looking at a combination of penalties against Chicago as a result of their Hossa contract. The worst case scenario of the contract becoming null & void was not likely to happen. He did say that they are considering the following options; 5 Million dollar fine, loss of draft picks & suspensions of off ice management.
This would be an incredible stiff penalty,if true.
I still don't think they will do anything too drastic, which is why this item hasn't had much media coverage anymore. I bet there will just be a fine and they will fire Dale Tallon again...
Listen. He has a contract for X # of $ over X # of years. Unless it's IN WRITING he must/should retire before it ends this witch hunt is over before it started. This type of contract is allowed. If they didn't want back/front/middle loaded contracts then they shouldn't have had the AVERAGE cap hit count. I ASSume they thought of this before ratification right? This all is just stupid (The NHL that is...)
Take anything written about non-Canadian teams (especially good ones) in the Sun newspapers with a huge grain of salt.
They would need written proof. Lacking that, they would have to levy the same penalties on Detroit and Philadelphia.
if the league can PROVE the Blackhawks and Hossa (and his representatives) spoke about retirement before the end of the deal so it can enable a front-loaded deal to lower the average cap hit. No one here can state was or was not discussed before the July 1st signing.
IMO this is just the NHL trying to tell other teams not to get into the habit of doing what the 'Hawks did with Hossa and the Flyers with Pronger. Why they didn't come out about Franzen and Zetterberg, I'm not sure. I didn't hear about those signings being in question.
This is all about nothing.
There seems to be a lot more going on here. Read some of the stuff on TSN and puck daddy and you'll get the picture this was a coup with the old guard re-establishing power.
These were the guys who were at the helm of the NHLPA during the last lockout and it seems like they're digging there heels in for another. If there is a work stoppage in the NHL, they are done. The league is just starting to comeback (thanks alot to the Hawks), but if they stop playing then they will forever slip to irrelevancy.
It's kinda sad how this league already seems to be trapped in Iirelevancy in a lot of the markets.