Bettman you fukkin scumbag!
-
-
ya really NHL Please comeback!!Comment -
Bettman has boosted league revenues at extraordinary levels saving them from the financial ruin following the 04-05 lockout.
Bettman also struck deals that helped Calgary and Edmonton stay in canada. So the criticism that the league is anti-canadian seems bizarre to me. Canada cannot sustain too many teams. Teams failed in quebec and winnipieg and had to be moved to the USA
he also got a big market television deal to put the NHL back where it belongs: with NBC network and on cable television for all.
He also made the NHL more competitive for all teams, not just big market teams. There have been 10 different stanley cup winners in the last 11 years. Teams can go from champs to getting knocked out first round and vice versa. Helping smaller market teams become more competitive is better for the players and the league.
I understand that Bettman gets a bad rap... but you have to understand that the NHL struggles because it severely lacks national TV viewership. It not Bettman's fault that nobody in the southern united states likes watching hockey on tv. Lots of people in southern united states don't even know all the teams, or how hockey even works (rules like icing, offside, interference, boarding etc.). NHL franchises rely heavily on ticket sales and merchandise to make their revenue. TV contracts don't bring them as much money as other sports because nobody in the united states watches hockey anymore.
You have a handful of NHL franchises that are in tough economic shape.
I understand the two sides, but i disagree with the simple remark people make that the lockout is " because of greedy owners."
Lots of owners are losing money. In the private sector, businesses cannot operate at a loss. Otherwise, they will go bankrupt. The government is the only agent that can operate at a loss. The NHL players dont make as much money as the pros in other sports. But, the league doesnt make as much money either. And even at minimum wage in the NHL, you are still in the top 1% income bracket, richer than 99% of all other americans." These are guys that play a sport for a living. Try working your ass off day and night in a job you hate just to make 45,000. They are complaining about making 3 Million? In just 10 years (3million/yr) thats over 30 million dollars. Do you know how much money 30 million dollars is? Most of us will never see that in a lifetime.
The players need to stop being greedy, shape up, and get back to playing hockey in the NHL. If they don't, they will cost themselves and cost all of us fans.Comment -
They don't play this year...that league won't recover for a long time....unfortunately since only 6 teams make money in the NHL the owners make money by not playingComment -
NHL Athletes are the top 1% richest people living in America. So I don't buy the whole "nhl players are poor babies that are being underpaid" argument. .Even at minimum wage in the NHL you are in the top 1% income bracket. If you're making 4 million / yr... that's $40 Million you can make in just 10 years. Most of us will never make anywhere close to that amount of money in our entire lifetime. They make it in ten years. The players should have to work their asses off 6 days a week just to make 50k a year like the rest of us. Then maybe the greedy players would stop whining about their multi-million-dollar salaries. Even with their paycuts, they make A LOT of money. Stop being crybabies. Get back to the ice. Let's play hockey.
The NHL does not have the fan base that MLB, NBA, and NFL does. The media contracts are not as valuable. Fewer viewers = lower price that businesses will pay to advertise = lower value television contract.
People may like Bettman. People may not. In my opinion, he has done good things for the league. And he can only do so much to try to get Americans to watch hockey. We have to face the truth: most americans don't give a shit about hockey. I think hockey is the best sport in the world. I try to convince people to watch hockey instead of the NFL. I will never be able to convince them. Nobody in the United States watches hockey. It's a damn shame. The league can only do so much to try to counter the fact that americans dont like to watch hockey.
Anyway, that's my opinion. I am by no means an expert. I see that both sides have a stance. I just hope a deal gets made before the season starts because I am ready for NHL season!!!!!!!!Comment -
Bettman has nothing to say or do with lockout. It's Nhlpa and owners. Players want more than 52% revenue sharing. If they really wanted to and cared they would accept it and move on. You make millions already, both sides can get fukked as far as I'm concerned.Comment -
seems insane they would risk a work stoppage when the league has been saved from banality.Comment -
fukk you too.
get my pm mr. "on my terms"?
awful quiet since i sent you about 5 places id gladly meet you at...to no avail.
cant wait for your selections so i can make some $.
by fading them of course
the many "ive been on the internet way too long so heres my thoery on the moon landing/hitler/kennedy conspiracy/ufo's/hitlers association with said ufo's etc" i could do without.....work on it kid. you might actually post something, someday thats even worth reading, putz
Comment -
I am looking forward to NBA.Comment -
I think they start in January.Comment -
Disagree with this.
The Salary Cap has helped small market teams and successfully strangled big market teams from creating dynasties that were once part of the lore and history of hockey.
What the cap did was actually keep the big market teams down by not enabling them to spend as much as they want.
The small market teams were thus advantaged because each team being limited in the amount they could spend meant that no one could have a financial advantage over the other.
The absurdity in the results we now have is that poorer teams like Columbus, Nashville, Phoenix, Florida, Winnipeg, etc. etc. that traditionally never spent anywhere near the cap limit have, mathematically, the same chance to win the Stanley Cup as Philadelphia, Montreal, New York Rangers, Pittsburgh, Boston, Detroit, and Chicago.
Why should this ridiculous system exist? The reality of it should be that the teams that spend the most for talent and want to win most badly should have the best chances of winning the Cup.
Bettman is also the ONLY commissioner in NHL history to not have a year in which the Cup was not awarded, in 2005. This is the 3rd lockout of his tenure.
He has been a DISASTER for the game.
As far as the financials go, the game, it can be argued, would have grown just as much or more with a more competent hockey mind running the show.
Furthermore, because of the expansion that has happened under Bettman, the talent level has been watered down and thus, the game is less competitive than it would have been without expansion.
I could go on forever about contraction being needed right now but, for the purposes of saving time, I'll limit my comments to this...
The next time the NHL seeks a commissioner, it would do well to have someone who actually understood the game's history and the fan's point of view as well as the financial aspects of it and also someone who actually played the sport.
Maybe then we'll stop having these fukking lockouts and no-Cup seasons.Comment -
umm... dynasties are a bad thing. For the overall health of the league and teams at least. It would be good for the 5 teams that can spend like crazy. But it would be a disaster for the other 80% of the league. If you have 5 monster teams and everyone else sucks... you have 5 profitable teams and 25 teams that are losing money. that is big problem for the league. Franchises would go bankrupt. Competitiveness is a good thing in my opinion. The same team shouldn't win every year. Every team should have a fair chance. Without salary cap, teams can just buy world titles. They wouldn't have to earn them. That's not fair. I feel like franchises should have to EARN championships with incredibly hard work.
If the league is not competitive, you have a big problem. Nobody would want to invest money to own a bad franchise just to intentionally lose hundreds of millions of dollars. Small market franchises would collapse, go bankrupt, and end up having to be saved by the league. The league would end up owning a significant number of teams in the league. The ability for small market teams to compete is essential for the success of the nhl. since they can't make money with media contracts, franchises need to make money by selling tickets. How do you do that? Winning Games. If you take away small market teams ability to compete on an even playing feel, you'd be setting up all the small markets to fail. If small market teams are losing games every night, they are going to lose a ton of money. Selling tickets and merchandise is the only way nhl franchises make money. They don't make anything off media rights. If teams are losing every night, they are going to sell 0 tickets. They would collapse. The small market teams would fail if you allow the top 5-10 teams to just spend like crazy to distance themselves talent wise.
A system where only 5 teams have a chance to win, and the other 25 teams have no chance and are just "playing to lose" would be more rediculous. Why even have the other 25 teams? Arenas would be empty in small markets. Franchises would be going bankrupt. And after franchises go bankrupt, and nobody wants to buy franchises because they would be losing investments, the league would fail. we would end up right back to the point where we are right now: realizing the necessity of the salary cap. It is essential for the survival of small market teams. It is essential for the survival of the league.Comment -
Dynasties are a GREAT thing.
The NBA was at it's height in the 80s when the Lakers and Celtics had competing dynasties.
In the 70s for the NHL you had the impact of the Broad Street Bullies, Montreal, and the Islanders dynasty of the early 80s, followed by the dynasty of the Edmonton Oilers.
Are you seriously suggesting they were BAD for the NHL? Especially compared to what we're seeing now? Because that's a fukkin joke.
Competitiveness doesn't come from the salary cap alone. It comes from expansion and contraction. The fewer the teams the more competitive the league. Especially when you're talking about the top league in the world when only the very best talent makes it.
Where the salary cap comes into play is in terms of being financially able to field a team to the best of your ability within the limits of the cap.
The problem with this is that it straps the big market teams of putting truly exceptional teams together because they are limited by that cap. The small market teams who can't afford to spend up to the cap weren't going to be competitive anyway so it doesn't affect them as much anyway.
All it did was serve to fukk teams that make money in their respective markets.
Again, why should teams like Phoenix, Columbus, and Florida have the same chance to win the Cup as Philly, Montreal, Pittsburgh, Rangers, Boston, Detroit, and Chicago?
Furthermore, why financially punish, which is what the salary cap really does, the big market teams in order to satisfy Columbus, Florida, etc. etc.
You want the most competitive league?
Let there be no cap whatsoever. Each team spend whatever they want on whoever they want.
Best teams will spend and win and force teams that are currently unwilling or unable to spend to either pony up and field a competitive team or fold up shop and thus make the league more competitive.Comment -
thats idiotic and a piss poor business model. Not shocking from you. Would be a terrible on on ice product with only a few competitive teamsComment -
Comment -
I heart hockey, not...Comment -
Granted some teams need moved to other cities. Don't be bitter because your team gave all that cash to a no talent goaltender
Comment -
Its a fact they are notorious for over paying which is why you want no cap. I would too if my teams front office was run my 3rd gradersComment -
Who did we overpay for genius?
Bryz was one of top goalies in the league when we signed him.
He had a streak last season of 249 minutes and 43 seconds of consecutive shutout hockey which set the club record.
Yeah he's fukkin awful.
You got anymore douche bag comments you want to embarrass yourself with?Comment -
yes must kill the supposed 2 locker room cancers hoist cup as Philly chokes again
Bryz opens his legs more than a $5 hooker
Comment -
You are fukkin clueless.
Those 2 locker room cancers did nothing to help Philly win the Cup. Only when they got to LA did they put it together.
Carter sucked dikk in the playoffs for us. An epic choke artist.
Richards was partying so much he was almost a certified alcoholic.
You have no fukkin clue.Comment -
If The Lockout continues and regular season games are lost i would love to see the NHL Network star showing AHL Games the Quality of play is descent and at least it would be something going to Head over To Peoria for there season Opener Oct 19.Comment -
RESt of NHL pre-season CANCELLED todayComment -
You could have a no-cap league if you only wanted 16 teams to compete.
But it's an understandable point. I do think it is entertaining to watch great teams compete. Yes, strapping salary caps hurt the giant market teams that can overspend to stack up rosters. It does end up hurting several big-market teams. However, it is also better off for the entire rest of the league.The point is that smaller markets failing hurts the league as a whole. Is your solution to eliminate all small markets and just have about 16 teams that are all big market and can spend?
When the smaller market teams can't compete because their division rivals pull out deep pockets to buy the best team, they go bankrupt. When they go bankrupt, the league has to intervene. They intervene with owners money. This lowers the profits of owners and makes them want to lower player salaries even more to recoup the losses.
The NHL has to either eliminate the small markets, or help make them profitable. The league needs to address the problem of making smaller markets maintain competitive. How do you want to do this?
The best solution was to make americans actually want to watch hockey on tv. then the league would have tons of money and could pay the players what they want. But for some reason nobody in america watches hockey on tv.
(or, do you not care, want all small markets to fail, and want to see a 16-team NHL have all stacked rosters?)
I think that its nice to want big markets to succeed. I do too. But i don't want the league to fall apart because half the teams are falling apart.Comment
