Head of NHLPA steps down

[Zurvan]

Link

No real surprises here... Goodenow steps down after his Executive Committee forces him to negotiate a salary cap. No way he can stay on.

If only Bettman has the good sense to do the same.

[alta_chuttes]

bettman was and has alwyas been right, he may be looked poorly upon but so was paul tagliabue. The NHLPA is a joke, they screwed the majority of their members to save face and protect the elite few. the lockout killed guys making little (most of the league) and the cap only really hurts the super elites. cut of their nose to spite their face.

bettman has many flaws but the labor situation is not one of them. tv, sponsorships, expansion, scheduling, rules changes, marketing... on the other hand

[Zurvan]

[ QUOTE ]
bettman was and has alwyas been right, he may be looked poorly upon but so was paul tagliabue. The NHLPA is a joke, they screwed the majority of their members to save face and protect the elite few. the lockout killed guys making little (most of the league) and the cap only really hurts the super elites. cut of their nose to spite their face.

bettman has many flaws but the labor situation is not one of them. tv, sponsorships, expansion, scheduling, rules changes, marketing... on the other hand

[/ QUOTE ]

I totally disagree with your first paragraph, but I really don't feel like getting in to that arguement again, so we'll just have to agree to disagree. Except for this - the minimum salary is way up, which is very good for the little guy.

And it's all of Bettman's non-labour related flaws that have caused the current problems in the league. If you consider that in 1993 the Rangers won the cup & hockey was at its highest popularity, they could have done so many good things. Instead, they had a lockout - which was the beginning of the end.

[alta_chuttes]

no argument, just curious to hear another perspective. I won't argue back or attack your points, i'd just like to hear them, cause all I ever hear is bettman is bad but never the *why*

is a salary cap good or bad long term?

could a salary cap come into existence without a lockout?

is there a better solution that is also practical?

what specifically regarding the labor issues did bettman do/fail to do?

[Zurvan]

I don't like salary caps at all. Why? Look at the NBA - to make a trade, you have to look at salaries, not players. So, instead of trying to improve your team, you're trying to improve your cap position. Also, it tends to squeeze out the middle of the line player - reference the NFL. The stars get the money. Then, teams fill their roster with a bunch of min salary guys. That leaves the average players out in the cold, and IMO lowers the overall standard of play.

In addition, it makes it tough to build a dynasty. I listen to all these people whining about every team getting a chance, and I just cringe. Fan bases are built with long-term success. A team that's good for 2 or 3 years, then loses all their players and starts to suck will not build a fan base. They'll have bandwagon jumpers while they're good, and very few hardcore fans. Long term success builds fan bases like the Leafs, Canadiens, Dallas Cowboys, Yankees, etc., where the team still attracts fans even when they lose.

As far as I'm concerned, the best solution is good revenue sharing & strong luxury taxes. This rewards teams that consistently puts a winning team on the ice, but still keeps weaker teams afloat during bad times, until they can rebuild. It also creates more consistently performing teams, that can build a winner, pay their FA over the tax threshold, and make money doing it. When the team can no longer succeed, they go in to a rebuilding phase, and do it again. That's how sports should work.

Bettman (this year) did everything he could, based on what the majority of the teams wanted. The lockout was needed. But, they didn't need to extend the agreement so they could play in the last Olympics, and in Nagano. That's his fault.

The reason people don't like Bettman is beecause he expanded the league too quickly, in to areas where hockey is not popular. Those teams are dragging down the league - Phoenix, Carolina, etc. He made several bad rule changes - removing tag-up offsides and moving the nets out - both of which are being changed back. He put in the instigator rule, which just makes me want to scream. He screwed up the league's US network TV deals, when he proceeded to dump NBC, then FOX for a better offer. When hockey tanked on TV, ABC wasn't interested anymore, and the other networks were pissed off. So they're stuck with getting no rights fees, and are in a profit sharing arrangement with NBC.

Other than all that, he hasn't done anything wrong.