nhl strike...

more observations:

clearly, this origin of this strike/lockout is the owners. they are the sole makers of they're troubles. who put the gun to their heads to pay these exhorbitant player salaries? no one. don't they have business models to follow? most of them must have been successful business people before they bought nhl franchises. what happened when became franchisees? runaway egos or just stupidity. now that you've opened pandora's box of skyrocketing player's salaries and expectations, try to close it.

i heard several times yesterday that the owner's proposal of a salary limit or cap is in fact protection from one another. my take on the whole matter is to get rid of the irresponsible owners who year after year jack up player salaries. you know, give them a 5 minute match penalty - intent to injury, 10 minute game misconduct, AND criminal charges for assault causing injury to hockey. the nhl granted the franchises and could revoke the same franchises.

now the players. they've got to recognise the changing economic times. the league doesn't have a big time tv contract like football, basketball, and baseball. yah, the owners are idiots. but as a group they've treated you well. i'm not sure but what other business on the planet shares 75 percent of it's revenues with it's employees? that's 75 percent of 2 billion dullah. that's mindboggling. i'm not against earning lots of cash. they must be commended for it. they are the product. no one put a gun to the owners' heads, but that's a whole lotta cash (an average nhl player takes home 1.3 million USD). they demand that their salaries be determined by the "free marketplace", but is linking the payout to expenditures really unreasonable?

the positions taken by the players and owners are so polarised. the owners point to economic viability. the players say the economic numbers aren't as bad. in situations like these, the truth belongs in the middle somewhere. the animosity between the parties might get in the way of negotiations. get rid of nhl commissioner bettman (never did like him) and NHLPA executive director bob goodenow.

to tell you the truth, i won't really miss having the nhl around. i, a fan, will not "suffer the most". the product for years has been really diluted. HNIC, with it's maple leaf games, is dull. they only saving grace in the last decade was the calgary flames making the playoffs last year. probably the best things that could come out of this fiasco is the demise of the southern american teams and the emergence of franchises in places like winnipeg, quebec city, and even hamilton. you know, good ol' fashion canadian towns, places that care about hockey.