Flyers Season thread

[BigEd76]

NHL rejects the union's offer and is still hellbent on a cap

[PhillyGirl]

You've got to be mother farging kidding me.

[joneszilla]

ahhh farg.  Flyers in 2006!


damn.....after football is over there will be nothing to watch on TV.   

[PhillyGirl]

I hate Gary Bettman. He has ruined hockey.

[BigEd76]

Death to the Rangers and Jaromir Jagr!

[MDS]

I really dont miss hockey, and agree with the owners that they need a hard cap. Bettman is a douchebag, but kudos to the owners for staying strong. The players will crack sooner or later, they cant go this long without playing.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

I hate Gary Bettman. He has ruined hockey.

no one side's hands are clean in this. both sides had a equal share in ruining the NHL.

*DING*

[PhillyGirl]

Gretzy's opinion

[Geowhizzer]

Afraid that the news still isn't good.

NHL Cancels Board of Governors Meeting

[Geowhizzer]

I really dont miss hockey, and agree with the owners that they need a hard cap. Bettman is a douchebag, but kudos to the owners for staying strong. The players will crack sooner or later, they cant go this long without playing.

Problem is that there are many other places in the world to play for nearly as much, or even as much, as the NHL can pay.  Sweden, Russia, and a lot of those Eastern European elite leagues will willingly take players to make their leagues better.

I agree with the concept of a cap, but why do the owners expect a player rollback?  They agreed to the contracts?  And, heck, the players were willing to give it to them and the owners refused to budge.

Buttman and co. will bring death to major-league hockey in the U.S. if something isn't done soon.

[MDS]

I've propsed legit and logical contraction plans. Betman is against that, but maybe if they cut down the number of teams, the owners won't have to go to a strict hard cap. There will be less players to play, and revenue shouldnt fall too far off considering I suggested to get rid of teams that barely fill half the building.

Or, move teams. If the owners back off a strict hard cap and go for something a bid lighter, it could work. Move teams from the south to northern areas that like hockey. No, they don't have big arenas there. No, ownership won't be able to generate enough money in those markets to compete with the big ones. But, with a cba favoring the owners (but not a hard cap), those markets could compete. I'm talking about Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Connecticut, Wisconsin, North Dakota and anywhere in Canada. Those places, hockey is a top sport. It barely registers in Florida, where they have two teams.

Hockey is a niche sport. It's mostly a northeastern and northcentral sport. It has spread to places like Colorado, Dallas and LA (where the teams do draw well). Places like that can keep teams. But Atlanta? Tampa? Phoenix? Come on.

[PhillyGirl]

MDS, great post.

[Geowhizzer]

I've propsed legit and logical contraction plans. Betman is against that, but maybe if they cut down the number of teams, the owners won't have to go to a strict hard cap. There will be less players to play, and revenue shouldnt fall too far off considering I suggested to get rid of teams that barely fill half the building.

Or, move teams. If the owners back off a strict hard cap and go for something a bid lighter, it could work. Move teams from the south to northern areas that like hockey. No, they don't have big arenas there. No, ownership won't be able to generate enough money in those markets to compete with the big ones. But, with a cba favoring the owners (but not a hard cap), those markets could compete. I'm talking about Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Connecticut, Wisconsin, North Dakota and anywhere in Canada. Those places, hockey is a top sport. It barely registers in Florida, where they have two teams.

Hockey is a niche sport. It's mostly a northeastern and northcentral sport. It has spread to places like Colorado, Dallas and LA (where the teams do draw well). Places like that can keep teams. But Atlanta? Tampa? Phoenix? Come on.

Hey!    You trying to deprive me of live hockey? 

Funny thing to go to a Flyers game in Tampa or Sunrise (still about 30-40 minutes from Miami).  There are at least as many Flyers fans in the stands as there are for the home team.

And we're louder. 

[Geowhizzer]

A more serious response:

I think that the Florida teams could still work.  There are enough snowbirds and transplanted foreigners down here that love hockey that the teams could draw well, even if not necessarily for the home team.

I live in Naples, Flordia, which is nearly at the midpoint between Tampa and Miami.  The local ECHL affiliate, the Florida Everblades (Eastern Conference Champions, I might add  ) sells out almost every night. 

I can see your point about Atlanta, Charlotte or some of the other Southern cities.  But Tampa and Miami are not typical Southern cities.  Not at all.  Heck, hardly anyone down here even has a southern accent!  We're all from the Northeast or the Midwest.  Even my students that were born in Florida, their parents are from the north.

Of course, there's more to do down here in December, January and February than to go to a hockey game.  There's South Beach, Ybor City, etc.  It was 84 today, by the way. 

I believe that either Tampa or Miami would draw better than Hartford.  And Vermont?

Also, contraction of that many teams could be disastrous for the NHL when those cities, with arenas with long-term leases, sue the pants off the other owners.

[MDS]

I see your point. Based on attendance, Florida and Tampa Bay haven't drawn poorly. They haven't drawn well, but have stayed around the middle of the pack for the last 4 years.

Carolina, Nashville, Atlanta, Anaheim have all done very poorly despite some of these teams going to the cup finals. The Islanders and Devils also don't draw well, and I think its more New York over kill having 3 hockey teams in one area. I would attempt to move those teams, even the Islanders and Devils. 6 teams. Move one to Hartford, one to Milwauke, one back to Winepeg, one to those dirty bastiches in Quebec (I'm sorry, I dont like French Canadians), one to somewhere else in Canada (Saskatchewan, Manatoba, they all love hockey up there), one to somewhere in New England and the other to North Dakota.

I realize contraction would be a difficult process, but something has to be done. How much of a profit can these owners make of no one is coming into the building, the teams isnt winning, no one cares--even if they get their wish of a hard cap? Those places will sell the building out, would generate interest in the team, would put hockey where hockey belongs (imagine, walking to a hockey game with snow on the ground and not 85 and sunny).