No NHL untl at least 1/14/2013

[OpIv37]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nhl/2012/12/20/nhl-lockout-canceling-games/1782863/

And there you have it folks.

They didn't officially say it, but IMO that's the new drop-dead date. If there are no games on 1/14, there will be no season. Any later than that and they wouldn't even get half a season in, and I don't think they'd come back for such a short period of time.

I hope these greedy, self-centered ****s realize how much money they are costing themselves in both the short and long terms.

[ckg927]

Re: No NHL untl at least 1/14/2013

Op: They don't care. They're not going to care until the fans get some balls and start putting the financial screws to the NHL, its teams and its sponsors.

Unfortunately, like lemmings, they'll come back en masse when it's all over.

[OpIv37]

Re: No NHL untl at least 1/14/2013

Op: They don't care. They're not going to care until the fans get some balls and start putting the financial screws to the NHL, its teams and its sponsors.

Unfortunately, like lemmings, they'll come back en masse when it's all over.

Well, let me give you one example: The Washington Capitals.

DC is very much a winner's town. The Caps were drawing 10k on weeknights coming out of the last lockout. Then Ovechkin arrived, the team started winning, and the fans came back. Fortunately, the Skins, Nats, and Wizards all sucked, so the bandwagoners came out en masse.

Well, the Nats are playing very well and things are looking up with the Skins with RGIII (but the Wizards still suck). And hockey fans are pissed about the lockout. If the Caps struggle after the lockout, then the NHL just killed yet another cash cow (and on a related note, I want nothing to do with playing the Caps because you know the refs will put the screws to us). You can't count on those fans to come back.

The NHL got out of the last lockout largely because of Ovie and Crosby. Well, Ovie hasn't been dominant lately and Crosby can't stay healthy. Who's gonna pull the NHL out of this one? Skinner or Stamkos in the hockey void that is the American south? Patrick Kane? Malkin? None of those guys are as marketable as Crosby or Ovechkin.

I think you are right in that fans will flock back, but not nearly as many as before. Hockey is a tough sell in a good portion of America and this isn't going to make it any easier.

[DraftBoy]

Re: No NHL untl at least 1/14/2013

Well, let me give you one example: The Washington Capitals.

DC is very much a winner's town. The Caps were drawing 10k on weeknights coming out of the last lockout. Then Ovechkin arrived, the team started winning, and the fans came back. Fortunately, the Skins, Nats, and Wizards all sucked, so the bandwagoners came out en masse.

Well, the Nats are playing very well and things are looking up with the Skins with RGIII (but the Wizards still suck). And hockey fans are pissed about the lockout. If the Caps struggle after the lockout, then the NHL just killed yet another cash cow (and on a related note, I want nothing to do with playing the Caps because you know the refs will put the screws to us). You can't count on those fans to come back.

The NHL got out of the last lockout largely because of Ovie and Crosby. Well, Ovie hasn't been dominant lately and Crosby can't stay healthy. Who's gonna pull the NHL out of this one? Skinner or Stamkos in the hockey void that is the American south? Patrick Kane? Malkin? None of those guys are as marketable as Crosby or Ovechkin.

I think you are right in that fans will flock back, but not nearly as many as before. Hockey is a tough sell in a good portion of America and this isn't going to make it any easier.

I truly believe the answer is contraction and I dont mean just 2 or 4 teams. I think you need to cut out a decent percentage and re-focus the league on niche markets (Buffalo, Boston, Detroit, Chicago, Toronto, Winnipeg, and some others). Re-Brand the league and then maybe one day in the future you get as big as you once were.

[mightysimi]

Re: No NHL untl at least 1/14/2013

Op: They don't care. They're not going to care until the fans get some balls and start putting the financial screws to the NHL, its teams and its sponsors.

Unfortunately, like lemmings, they'll come back en masse when it's all over.

The only issue is these owners don't make their money off NHL teams. They made their money in other business ventures. So no hockey doesn't really affect them like you would think. I truly believe that people own hockey teams to find places to lose income for tax time.

[TheGhostofJimKelly]

Re: No NHL untl at least 1/14/2013

The good news is the next cuts won't be for two weeks, it will be the season. That can't come fast enough, we can all stop caring.

[ckg927]

Re: No NHL untl at least 1/14/2013

The good news is the next cuts won't be for two weeks, it will be the season. That can't come fast enough, we can all stop caring.

I stopped caring as soon as the lockout began. We've got a LOT of options to sate our hockey fix in the region, even if we have to travel a little bit.

[ckg927]

Re: No NHL untl at least 1/14/2013

I truly believe the answer is contraction and I dont mean just 2 or 4 teams. I think you need to cut out a decent percentage and re-focus the league on niche markets (Buffalo, Boston, Detroit, Chicago, Toronto, Winnipeg, and some others). Re-Brand the league and then maybe one day in the future you get as big as you once were.

Let me put this up for discussion: Which teams do you cut?

Were it me, here's who I'd eject right out of the league: Florida, Columbus, Phoenix and Nashville...just for starters. Right there, you've ejected 1/6th of the NHL's deadweight. Granted, the Preds are the most successful of that bunch, but they haven't done much...and the other 3 teams have done less. However, if the Preds go down, I'd love to see David Poile become the Sabres new GM. Maybe bring Pete Weber back to the broadcast team, too, in some capacity. (He's very missed in Buffalo, at least IMO.)

DB: Agree, but extend the footprint to all of Canada. If you had to add another Canadian team, Saskatoon might be a worthwhile option; the Credit Union Centre(aka SaskPlace)is the most NHL-ready of all major arenas in Canada that don't have an NHL team, as it has 15,000 or so permanent seats. Such a team could be a team embraced by the entire province, much like the Roughriders are in the CFL(despite them playing in Regina). Also, I'd get Quebec back in the mix too when their new arena is ready. Keep Pittsburgh and Philly in the mix. Cleveland, I think, can embrace an NHL team; the AHL's Lake Erie Monsters do very well attendance-wise. Keep L.A. and Tampa Bay in the mix.

[DraftBoy]

Re: No NHL untl at least 1/14/2013

Let me put this up for discussion: Which teams do you cut?

Were it me, here's who I'd eject right out of the league: Florida, Columbus, Phoenix and Nashville...just for starters. Right there, you've ejected 1/6th of the NHL's deadweight. Granted, the Preds are the most successful of that bunch, but they haven't done much...and the other 3 teams have done less. However, if the Preds go down, I'd love to see David Poile become the Sabres new GM. Maybe bring Pete Weber back to the broadcast team, too, in some capacity. (He's very missed in Buffalo, at least IMO.)

DB: Agree, but extend the footprint to all of Canada. If you had to add another Canadian team, Saskatoon might be a worthwhile option; the Credit Union Centre(aka SaskPlace)is the most NHL-ready of all major arenas in Canada that don't have an NHL team, as it has 15,000 or so permanent seats. Such a team could be a team embraced by the entire province, much like the Roughriders are in the CFL(despite them playing in Regina). Also, I'd get Quebec back in the mix too when their new arena is ready. Keep Pittsburgh and Philly in the mix. Cleveland, I think, can embrace an NHL team; the AHL's Lake Erie Monsters do very well attendance-wise. Keep L.A. and Tampa Bay in the mix.

Pretty simple, you cut the 6 of the lowest revenue generating and seat filling teams. You don't expand one bit, at least not at first. I don't have the exact numbers in front of me but for me, I'd look at the 6 lowest revenue generating teams, and then look at the 6 lowest attended team by arena capacity not by total seats.

Any teams that overlap are contracted and their owners are given a severance package. Per ESPN here are the 6 lowest teams by attendance pct: Phoenix, NY Islanders, Dallas, Columbus, Carolina, Colorado. The 6 lowest revenue teams per Forbes are St. Louis, Phoenix, Columbus, NYI, Carolina, and Nashville. You have four of your 6 cuts right there. With four other options based on my simplistic approach and neither Tampa or Florida even qualified for the worst of the worst.

[TheGhostofJimKelly]

Re: No NHL untl at least 1/14/2013

I stopped caring as soon as the lockout began. We've got a LOT of options to sate our hockey fix in the region, even if we have to travel a little bit.

We can ALL stop caring.

We are discussing the NHL here, they won't cut any teams, they are going to add two teams. That way the owners will be able to recoup their losses from this season. "IT ALL MAKES SENSE!!!" - said no one.

[OpIv37]

Re: No NHL untl at least 1/14/2013

I had NHL radio on in my car last night and they said it seems like the two sides haven't come any closer together. A few weeks ago they seemed to have a little confidence that something may happen but now it's as bleak as it's ever been.

I'd say we're looking at a 99.9% chance that the season is done.

[DraftBoy]

Re: No NHL untl at least 1/14/2013

Pierre LeBrun just reported NHL made a new offer apparently there was movement on contract terms, buyouts, and something else.

[OpIv37]

Re: No NHL untl at least 1/14/2013

Pierre LeBrun just reported NHL made a new offer apparently there was movement on contract terms, buyouts, and something else.

Fool me once....

It's good that they're at least talking and at least one side has made some concessions, but it feels like we've been here before. I'll believe it when there are signatures on paper and players on the ice.

[Skooby]

Re: No NHL untl at least 1/14/2013

Fool me once....

It's good that they're at least talking and at least one side has made some concessions, but it feels like we've been here before. I'll believe it when there are signatures on paper and players on the ice.

The players better take this deal, I'll be on Meds if there's no Buffalo sports over the winter.

[OpIv37]

Re: No NHL untl at least 1/14/2013

The players better take this deal, I'll be on Meds if there's no Buffalo sports over the winter.

And it's even worse because the Bills were so bad that half the season was meaningless. There weren't any Buffalo sports in the fall either.