De lockout is begonnen...

Geplaatst: Do Sep 16, 2004 3:29 pm

With the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) set to expire and an owners lockout pending, I want to take this opportunity to write to fans about the players efforts to reach a new agreement with the league.

First of all, I want you to know that the players will not strike. We want to play NHL hockey this year and none of us wants the owners to lock us out. In fact, weve pledged to play next season while we continue to negotiate, if a new deal cant be reached before September 15.

Unfortunately, the league has taken a different approach to these negotiations.

The owners are only interested in negotiating a salary cap and will shutdown hockey if they dont get their way. Five years ago they created a $300 million lockout fund. Now they have begun to lay off staff with more layoffs to come. The league is also engaged in a PR campaign to justify their lockout to fans.

In contrast, the players want a fair deal for both sides. We have offered very significant concessions, worth hundreds of millions of dollars in response to the leagues stated concerns.

Last October we presented a proposal that included a luxury tax system, a proven success in Major League Baseball.

Our system would have taxed higher-spending teams and redirected those dollars to lower revenue clubs. That, coupled with other elements in our proposal, such as a 5% salary rollback, revenue sharing and changes to the entry-level system, would give the league the drag on player salaries they want and provide revenues to teams that need it.

As you can see for yourself, we are not looking to preserve the status quo in these negotiations, as the league likes to claim.

Regrettably, the league dismissed our proposal and responded with a one-page salary cap plan. Almost 10 months later they outlined six more concepts which, despite their denials, were all based on salary caps, something they know is a non-starter for the players.

Fans have asked me whats wrong with accepting a salary cap like the ones used in football and basketball. Besides imposing severe and artificial limits on the market value of a player, salary caps also handcuff team managements.

To stay under cap limits, clubs are forced to get rid of popular players or to take a pass on signing players who could help the club improve. Fans take a back seat under salary cap systems, where accountants rule, players come and go and winning becomes secondary.

In all of the talk about the current CBA, one fact seems to get lost: when compared to other leagues, the NHLs current rules on player mobility are the most restrictive of all major pro sports. NHL teams have the ability to control a players career path from the age of 18 up to 31. Although this system is restrictive on player movements, it has produced the kind of roster stability fans favour and incredible competitive balance.

We believe that a marketplace system where owners determine a players value, as they have for more than eighty years, is the best system for our fans and our sport. A players value can both rise and fall in a marketplace.

So, where do we go from here?

For our part, the players will continue to meet with the owners in the hopes of finding some common ground to negotiate a fair deal. The sooner the owners move off of their demand for a salary cap (or as they call it, cost certainty), the sooner we can engage in negotiations that will lead to a new agreement.

Sincerely,

Trevor Linden
President, NHLPA

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Q. It's one thing to have a $300 million war chest to fight this for the next year, but what does your ownership think you can afford to lose by not playing in terms of the fans?

COMMISSIONER BETTMAN: Well, that's really the right question. It's a great question. Unfortunately, we lose less money by not playing. We know that if we were to try to continue to play under the current system, we would lose franchises and the game would be in terrible, terrible shape. We are out of gas. So given the choice of stopping things right now so that we can get it right, or continuing to play on with a fatally flawed system that's absolutely killing the game and killing our franchises, it's really no choice.

Geplaatst: Vr Sep 17, 2004 3:49 pm

Geweldige mp3 van hockey-humor over de lockout:

''Spend more time with your wife'': http://www.hockey-humor.com/timewithyourwife.mp3

Geplaatst: Vr Sep 17, 2004 4:17 pm

superplaat orgineel van green day,time of our life geloof ik prachtig

Geplaatst: Vr Sep 17, 2004 4:54 pm

Om mijn lange vliegreis terug naar Nederland aangenamer te maken kocht ik voor onderweg de nieuwste nummer van The Hockey News. Hier staat behoorlijk wat in over de lockout. Interessant zijn de columns die zowel Bill Daly(onderhandelaar namens NHL) en Canucks-speler Trevor Linden(voorzitter NHLPA) shreven in dit nummer. Bill Daly zegt bijvoorbeeld dat vooral de fans zullen profiteren van een salarycap: "With a defined, enforcable relationship revenues and player costs, our clubs will have an easier time making ends meet, while also keeping ticket prices affordable." Trevor Linden zegt dat het niet aan de spelers ligt dat er een lockout is: "In fact, we've pledged to play next season while we continue to negotiate, if a new deal can't be reached before sept.15."
Interessant is ook de vergelijking die The Hockey News maakt met de andere 3 grote Amerikaanse competities: Gemiddelde salarissen: NHL 1.81miljoen, MLBhonkbal 2.5miljoen, NBAbasketbal 4.92miljoen en NFLamerican football 1.25miljoen. Hoogste salaris: NHL Jaromir Jagr/NY Rangers 11miljoen, MLB Manny Ramirez/Boston Red Sox 22.5miljoen, NBA Shaquille o'Neill/Miami Heat 29.5miljoen en NFL Brian Urlacher/Chicago Bears 15miljoen.

Geplaatst: Zo Sep 19, 2004 5:41 pm

Leafs Nation schreef:

MAYBE WE HAVE TO FOLLOW THIS GUY DURING THE LOCKOUT??

Hijs is weer begonnen hoor!

Crosby gets three points as Rimouski beats Huskies 6-3

ROUYN-NORANDA, Que. (CP) - Sidney Crosby needed one period to get his legs on track. Once it happened, he Rouyn-Noranda Huskies could not stop him.

Crosby scored once and added two assists to lead the Rimouski Oceanic to a 6-3 victory over the Huskies in their first QMJHL game this season on Saturday.

Jean-Michel Bolduc scored twice while Francis Charette registered one goal and one assist. Dany Roussin and Zbynek Hrdel also had goals for Rimouski.

Philippe Dupuis, with two, and Guillaume Desbiens replied for the Huskies.

Crosby was held to only one shot in his eight first-period shifts. The 17-year-old, who lead the Canadian Hockey League with 54 goals and 135 points last season, showed his talent in the second period.

While the Oceanic was killing a minor penalty, Crosby took a loose puck in the neutral zone, beat two defencemen and goalie Jean-Philippe Levasseur with a beautiful move at 5:49, to even the score 2-2.

Moderator Geregistreerd op: 4-7-2004 Berichten: 446

https://secure.pqm.net/WebSolo/FTPimages/47/I/2004_10-09-1.jpg

https://secure.pqm.net/WebSolo/FTPimages/47/I/2004_10-09-7.jpg

Moderator Geregistreerd op: 4-7-2004 Berichten: 446

That's why I like Leafs hockey fans....

Geplaatst: Di Sep 21, 2004 12:58 pm

ff een lijstje met de Tsjechische NHL'ers die teruggekeerd zijn naar hun thuisland... voor wie geïnteresseerd is...

HC Moeller Pardubice: Hejduk, Bulis, Hemsky
HC Hamé Zlín: Roman Hamrlík, Petr Čajánek, Martin Erat
HC Rabat Kladno: Jágr en Frantisek Kaberle
HC Ocelári Třinec: Radek Bonk, Pavel Brendl
HC Znojemstí Orli: Patrik Elias, Karel Rachunek, Tomas Vokoun
HC Liberec: Jiři Fischer, Ales Kotalik, Radim Vrbata
HC Vsetínská Hokejová A.S.: Roman Cechmanek, Rostislav Klesla
HC Sparta Praha: Tomas Kloucek, Josef Melichar, Petr Nedved (maar heeft canadese nationaliteit)
HC Slavia Praha: Josef Vasiček (en Zigmund Palffy ook, maar da's een Slovaak)
HC Plzen: Milan Kraft, Jaroslav Spacek, Martin Straka
HC Vitkovice: Pavel Kubina, Marek Malik, Martin Prusek, Vaclav Varada
HC Ceské Budejovice: Radek Martinek, Vaclav Prospal
HC Chemopetrol Litvínov: Martin Skoula

Geplaatst: Di Sep 21, 2004 7:00 pm

Tis wel jammer allemaal, maar ik begrijp het wel..De bom is nu gebarsten en er moet heel veel gebeuren om die bom weer te maken..Nu begrijp ik ook waarom alle "oude" spelers vluchten naar hun eigen landje..Misschien wel iets leuks voor de Nederlandse IJshockey League... Brian Leeds en Karpa bij de Tilburgse Trappers..BETER !

Geplaatst: Di Sep 21, 2004 7:03 pm

dennis7808 schreef:

Brian Leeds

Leetch?

Geplaatst: Di Sep 21, 2004 7:25 pm

Jeroen schreef:

dennis7808 schreef:

Brian Leeds

Leetch?

Ja sorry Leetch, dat ik die verkeerd typte, wel heel erg..mijn excuus..

Geplaatst: Di Sep 21, 2004 9:17 pm

Whahahaha... Can't stop... the laughter...

Geplaatst: Wo Sep 22, 2004 9:19 am

http://www.nike.com/canada/nikehockey/lockout/

Nike comercial

Moderator Geregistreerd op: 4-7-2004 Berichten: 446

Pracht commercials maken hoef je Philip Knight en zijn mannen niet te leren. Dit is maar weer eens het bewijs!!

Players backing union

As we hit the week mark into the NHL's lockout, players are starting to voice their opinions.

While certain players are clouded over situation, others are hanging tough.

"As a union, we have to stay strong," Tampa Bay Lightning captain Dave Andreychuk said after last night's Original Stars Hockey League game.

Many players are playing in Europe and the OSHL to remain in game shape, and Andreychuk believes, "It's a good way for us to stay together".

Moderator Geregistreerd op: 4-7-2004 Berichten: 446

Wilko schreef:

Quote:

Hijs is weer begonnen hoor!

En hoe.......!!! Noteer even mee:

- 18 september: Rouyn-Noranda Huskies - Rimouski Oceanic 3-6 (1 goal en 2 assists)

- 19 september: Foreurs Val-d'Or - Rimouski Oceanic 4-7 (1 goal en 3 assists)

- 21 september: Les Sequenéens Chicoutimi - Rimouski Oceanic 9-2 (1 goal en 1 assist)

Deze maand komt Sidney en zijn Oceanic nog 3 maal in actie (24 september spelen ze voor het eerst thuis tegen Drummondville Voltiquers(record 2-0-1), twee dagen later komen de Victoriaville Tigres (record 0-2-0) op bezoek en 29 september krijgen ze de kans om revanche te nemen op Les Sequenéens Chicoutimi (record 3-0-0).