Taking A Skate

It sounds like the NHL and the players association have reached a deal in principle for a new colllective bargaining agreement. That's good news, since I'm from the Philadelphia area and the Flyers are the only team around here besides the Eagles who have a remote shot at a championship (though the AHL Phantoms had a glorious season and won the Calder Cup).

For a bit of background, here is what I posted on the old site from 2/17 when last season was cancelled:

So the NHL cancelled the season yesterday, huh? As someone who has been a pretty steadfast hockey fan for a long time (mainly because it was one of the only sports in which I showed a hint of ability), I have to say that I’m a bit saddened, but based on the short-sighted, idiotic posturing on the part of both the players and the owners, I’m not one bit surprised.

First of all, let’s keep something in mind: the players didn’t go on strike – they were locked out. That makes a difference to me. Second, a month or so ago, they agreed to give back a quarter of their salaries in an effort to end this. Tell me ANYBODY else who has done or ever would do something like that (I probably wouldn’t, but who can say?). However, that being said, the players and Bob Goodenow (their union rep) continue to live in this fantasy world that dictates that their salaries shouldn’t be tied to team revenues. As people who are conservative but have business smarts have said, no business entity of any kind can exist when anywhere up to 75 percent of its earnings are used to pay salaries. Since the NHL generates zero TV revenue because of lousy ratings (it’s just not a good TV sport, though it’s awesome live…the TV problem is the key to all of this, ultimately…and despite day-glo pucks and clever animated characters supposedly teaching the game to fans, it never will be, especially with those horrible variations of the “neutral zone trap” that EVERY team uses now, making the game terminally boring to watch, especially on the tube), the players don’t have the luxury of making the salary demands of other sports, such as basketball (which is fast approaching a reckoning also I may add, and it’s about time).

That being said, though, I understand that the players don’t want to commit to the salary cap based on team revenues because they know the owners are “cooking the books”, and once they commit (like the NFL), they’re committed for good. Also, the owners’ salary cap demands, even for the pittance of money that the league generates, are beyond miserly. I read a day or so ago that the players finally agreed to a cap of $52 million when the owners said they wouldn’t tie salaries to team revenues, but the owners (led by about eight who run small market teams who, not withstanding the apocalypse, would have NO SHOT at winning the Stanley Cup anyway) said, “no, the cap has to be $40 million”. That is walking around money to Ed Snider, owner of the Flyers (more on him in a minute). What the league needs is a third party to say a) there will be ONE SET OF BOOKS FOR EVERY TEAM showing the accounting stuff that is needed (revenues, expenditures, etc.), and if any of these numbers are wrong, the owners are going to be fined at the least, with the possibility of criminal charges if they have been deliberately falsified, and b) OK, players, this is the pool of money from which your salaries will be paid. The owners are entitled to some of it for their profit, some of it for their business costs, and some of it for your salaries. So it is written – so it shall be done.

OK, now to Ed Snider. He quite rightly deserves respect and gratitude for being the person who, probably more than anyone else, is responsible for the success of professional ice hockey in the Philadelphia area to date (as well as the thrill I experienced as a teenager, watching Bobby Clarke and Bernie Parent leading the Flyers to two Stanley Cups). Now that the season is down the drain, however, his glowering countenance graces the cover of this morning’s Inquirer sports page, forcefully intoning that “we did everything we could do, and we stand behind commissioner Gary Bettman one hundred percent”. I have a question for Snider, however. Where the hell were you when it mattered? Why didn’t you tell the owners who demanded the cap (the eight I referred to above, based on the analysis of Tim Panaccio of the Inquirer) to modify their position to save the season, or revisit it after the season (like going to war, canceling a season should be absolutely the last resort)? I also have a question or two for Bettman. Why did you keep expanding the league to cities that should not have been granted franchises? I’m talking about the Columbus Blue Jackets (please) in particular. Also, how many times has the NHL tried to start franchises in Atlanta and Minneapolis and failed? With that kind of business planning, is it any wonder that the league is going down the tubes (and good luck winning back fans after this fiasco).

I wish a pox on all of your houses on this point. Thanks for taking all ice hockey fans on a one-way zamboni ride to nowhere.

I'll comment further on this when I find out more details on the agreement.