How to Fix the NHL

[Triple Deke]

I agree personally with the owners and having a 40$ million salary cap.<br><br>To get fanbase back I purpose that the Union places players in brackets, 5 million, 3 million, 2 million, 1 million, 500K. and basically throw them all in a pool and have a huge draft.<br>The order would have to be tottally random and each team can keep 3/4 of their minor leauge players, but other teams can demand to place players in the pool, so they can't hide their "great" players in the minors.<br><br>Just a thought, see what you guys have to think<br><!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :hat --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... s/pimp.gif ALT=":hat"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <p></p><i></i>

[RLStars]

That would be awesome. Let every team pick their top player or two, then put everyone else in a player draft pool. Have a one ballot per team lottery drawing for each draft round. after the first round, every teams ballot goes back into the drawing for round two. Then rank these players in the Brackets.<br><br>Not sure what to do with minors? Have a protected list and draft everyone else? What kind of money do these guys make? can they afford to move across country as easily as the NHL guys would? <p></p><i></i>

[packerboy]

Exactly. If you are going to call yourself a union, why not agree to a scale? No free agency but no salalry cap either. <br><br>The scale can be based on revenue and other factors. <br><br>There can be 5 or so categories each paying a different rate. Disagreeemnets regarding which level a player should fall into are settled by arbitation. The better teams would have more players in the upper scale and have a higher payroll but that could be taken care of by giving those teams a greater share of the playoff revenues. <br><br>It would be like the old days except the players would still become mutimillionaires and the owners would make money. <br><br>Salary caps are ok to keep the owners solvent but they create some real problems with putting together a balanced team when 2 players can take up half the cap.<br><br> <p></p><i></i>

[ChrisK]

This is really a thread for the cafe.<br><br>The owners could have accepted the players offer of a salary cap of $49 million. The players conceded the cap, the owners could have given in on the amount--if I remember correctly they wanted a $42 million cap. Both sides could say they won something and lost something and we have hockey again. <br><br>The idea of re-arranging the teams seems ludicrous to me at this point. If it's a few years before the teams get back on the ice the fans may have forgotten who was on their team, but I'd like to see some familiar faces in Wild uniforms if and when this starts up again.<br><br>The NHL has too many teams (I wouldn't be able to match logos with teams for all of them), too small of a fan base and a lousy TV contract. Being out of business for a year or more will do nothing to solve these problems. <p></p><i></i>

[RinkRat10506]

Well, first off they should drop the number of teams that they have playing. Ten years ago or so those teams that came out did make money but it was just a short term thing. A good t.v. contract would also be nice for the N.H.L.. I'm not sure who would pick up that t.v. contract though. Maybe to get people interested in the NHL people could maybe promote College Hockey, so fans would know where these guys came from. I think it's pathetic that on sportscenter you never see anything about college hockey. They are too busy with women's basketball or stupid men's college basketball. <p></p><i></i>

[birdmister]

Yes, lets rid rid of the southern teams. Pheonix, Florida, Tampa, Dallas, and any other team that is below Oklahoma. Cut out a quarter of the teams, and move some into Canada, and New England. I am sure Washington state could support a team also. <br><br>Get these teams in places wehre people actually watch hockey. <p></p><i></i>

[EREmpireStrikesBack]

Are you saying anything below the Mason-Dixon line?<br><br>I think Dallas can support a team as well as just one in California. I think Florida, Tampa Bay, Phoenix, San Jose, Anaheim and Carolina need to go. I think Washington state or Seattle should get a team and one of the New York teams needs to go. Maine or New Hampshire or Vermont or something in that area could also do quite well with a team. The NHL should only have a max of 26 teams, 13 in each division with a playoff format like that of the NFL with only 6 teams from each going. That's just my opinion. <p>Elk River AA State Champions- 2001 Boys & 2004 Girls</p><i></i>

[2AhockeyOldTimer]

Its like....Bring hockey to places that want hockey. Can the rest of the teams. I know some of those teams are fairly successful Franchises as far as hockey talent, they just don't get people to the games. Can Carolina, get rid of Nashville... <p></p><i></i>

[benc14]

I'd say those players are a little bit greedy eh? Would you waste an entire season just to get paid more money? <p></p><i></i>

[EREmpireStrikesBack]

No crap. How big of a difference is a $42.5 million cap compared to $49 million. Take the pay cut, play and keep the NHL alive so that there will be people that will sign your checks in the future. <p>Elk River AA State Champions- 2001 Boys & 2004 Girls</p><i></i>

[hillhockey]

I believe that the Wild was one of 3 or so teams that actually made a profit last season. Some southern teams may have a fan base for hockey, but if they want hockey, why do they live in a place where ice can't last? Hockey is a sport of the north and thats where it should stay.....<br><br>And something should be done about other sports too. The other pro sports dont seem to have the kind of trouble that the NHL does and thats too bad, less entertaining/interesting sports get more money than hockey players... And what is with thy Lacrosse league? Nothing against lacrosse, but wouldnt it be wiser to use the money that went into that to get back hockey? <p></p><i></i>

[puckem up]

The NHL should go back to mainly Americans and Canadians playing in the league. Why would people want to go watch a bunch of Europeans play hockey in the U.S. I love watching college hockey and what makes it better is knowing the players were raised playing hockey in the same leagues I did. <p></p><i></i>

[4checker]

I've always wished that some day one of the Major sports would take a true "team" approach to salaries and incentives. <br>Scrap the entire system and start over. Each team is allowed the same number of contracts to give out, say 24 for hockey. If you make the team, your salary is $1 million (if you play all 82 games). Pro-rated if you don't. Each player on the teams that make the playoffs get an additional $500 Gs for each round their team wins. The only way to make any more money than the other guy, is to be more successful as a team. Imagine how heated the games and series' would get if it was "winner take all". And the regular season would actually mean something.<br>Boxing went to hell when the fighters started getting "guaranteed" money, win or lose. The other Major sports went to hell when individual contracts became the most important part of the game. <br>Set the rules up this way for a new Pro Hockey League. Wanna do it? Sign up. Don't like it? Go play in the Swiss League, or in Latvia. I'm thinking there would be plenty of hockey players standing in line for the chance. Owners could certainly handle the $24 Million Payroll, and seats wouldn't need to be $100 each.<br>Sure, it sounds like a Communist or Socialist Party agenda, but the "Star" system we've put into place in sports isn't working, either. <br>Bash away! <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :D --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... /happy.gif ALT=":D"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <p></p><i></i>

[puckem up]

4 Checker I like that idea! Your right there is so many good hockey players that would do anything to get paid to play the game they love. Sounds like a great system.<br> <p></p><i></i>

[Bookhout21]

The economics are a problem, but they are not the critical long-term issue. The NHL product suffers the most from the two line pass, the ice is too small, the goalie equipment is absurdly large, the goons and cheaters suffocate the game, and the marketing is pathetic. <br><br>Fix the CBA, trim a few teams - but the product is still too flawed to get the NHL over the acceptance hump nationally, or get the game back to the beauty that it needs to have to be as successful as it should.<br><br>Looking at the game with tunnel vision, like always pointing to the Wild/Avs series, hides the fact that across the board the NHL is boring. Until the game itself is fixed, it can't matchup with HS or college hockey, which have some of the same problems. <p></p><i></i>

[defencewinsgames]

profits<br><br>salaries<br><br><!--EZCODE FONT START--><span style="color:red;font-size:large;">ticket prices</span><!--EZCODE FONT END--><!--EZCODE EMOTICON START ;) --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... s/wink.gif ALT=";)"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <p></p><i></i>

[StarsFan]

<br>Whenever I have a real tough question, I say.....<br><br><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>What would Norm Green do?</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br><br>Deidzic, Green, the "State of Hockey" <br><br><br> <p></p><i></i>

[ChrisK]

Why are so many of you blaming the players for this? As I've read more about this, the owners agreed to not link salaries to revenues and the players agreed to accept the salary cap so it came down to money. The players started at $52 million for the cap, the owners at $40 million. The owners bumped their offer up to $42.5 million and the players came down to $49 million. Instead of making a reasonable counteroffer, say $44 or 45 million, the owners remained firm at $42.5 million. That is not negotiating, that's being bullheaded and to come that far in the negotiations and then draw a line in the sand in the last minutes tells me the owners had no interest in saving this season. They are out to crush the union and may end up destroying the NHL in the process. I'd love to see the players bolt to the new WHA and leave the NHL high and dry.<br><br>I agree that the game has become boring to watch. Remember how exciting the Oilers were to watch in the '80s? Adding the two line pass would be a good start to getting the game flowing again. You would need to make sure the goalies are adequately protected if you cut down the pad size. My suggestion would be to ban the composite sticks and go with wood only but I don't think the stick companies would ever go for that.<br><br>Keep the Europeans in the game. I want to see the best players in the world playing in one league, plus the Europeans bring a high skill level and in general play a more exciting style of hockey to watch.<br><br>Eliminate the teams that have poor fan support, but don't concede the south. The goal is to increase interest in the game, circling the wagons and playing only in areas that have strong hockey interest is not a good way to do that. <p></p><i></i>

[packerboy]

I dont think the NHL is boring. The players are bigger, faster, and stronger than ever. The influx of European players helps in that regard.<br><br>I think some things could be done to help the game and eliminating the 2 line pass is probably one of them. But after all of this time, I dont think the NHL will ever be a truly major sport in this country. Sure a lot of people like college hockey more but college hockey isnt a major sport either. Hockey just isnt that popular ......anywhere. <br><br>Its just too hard of a sport to watch, especially on TV. So, you are never going to have the kind of fan base that you need to get the major TV money and other revenue. If the people involved dont conduct themselves consistent with that reality , they will fail.<br><br>Owners paying players based on "the market" rather than what revenues can justify will soon go bankrupt. <br><br>Players who dont understand that wont have a league to play in.<br>So, ChrisK is right. It isnt just the players fault but they need to wake up. It looks like the owners have.<br> <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p074.ezboard.com/bmnhs.showUserP ... ckerboy</A> at: 2/17/05 10:55 am<br></i>

[oletimer]

Aftre reading every post on this site I have come to the conclusion that not one of the solutions offered have any chance. THEY ALL MAKE TOO MUCH SENSE. We are dealing with the alien world of professional sports here. <p></p><i></i>

[centennialfan]

I like 4 Checker's plan. It reminds me of NASCAR. The better you finish, the better pay check you get. <p></p><i></i>