Would a lockout be dangerous?
The Philadelphia Inquirer Blog - Flyers Report: Broad Street Bull
Would a lockout be dangerous?
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
Gary Bettman, the NHL commissioner, says fans will return to games even if the league has another lockout.
Based on history, he's probably right.
But Bettman, whose league lowered some of its demands in Tuesday's negotiating session - gradually moving to a 50/50 share of the revenue, and not rolling back existing players' contracts - is being naive if he thinks a lockout won't hurt his sport.
Fact is, the NHL must make an all-out effort to avoid a lockout. Why? Because if there's a third lockout in the Bettman era, I have a feeling the NHL will confront the most dangerous word in sports: apathy.
I'm already hearing fans say if the season is delayed for, say, two months, they won't lose any sleep. There's plenty of football to watch and, besides, the NHL's regular season means little. Look at last year, when an eighth seed (Los Angeles) and sixth seed (New Jersey) reached the Finals.
In other words, Bettman will probably have to keep lowering his demands. If not and a lockout ensues, fans might think a 50-game schedule is more than enough - and the NHL needs 82 games to keep its revenue stream flowing.
The clock is ticking.
Follow Sam Carchidi on Twitter @BroadStBull.
The more I think about it, the more I hope they lockout the whole season. The season should only be about 50 games, and this can be realistic if they cut the fat, ie: get rid of Columbus, Nashville, Florida, Carolina, Phoenix. The talent pool would be much tighter too. Plus maybe the Flyers could land Weber.Come on Buttman, I know I can count on you! (HTML deleted)— th- The more I think about it, the more I hope they lockout the whole season. The season should only be about 50 games, and this can be realistic if they cut the fat, ie: get rid of Columbus, Nashville, Florida, Carolina, Phoenix. The talent pool would be much tighter too. Plus maybe the Flyers could land Weber.
Come on Buttman, I know I can count on you!— th - The positives of a lockout..less games we have to suffer watching BRYZ in net— flyers1000
Loo on the bright side. If therek ain't any season, the Flyers won't have to choke in the playoffs.— Atomic Fury- loo on the bright side. if therek ain't any brains in your head, maybe you'll choke on a spoon.
- I am a Flyers season ticket holder and even I do not really get into hockey until January.— Justicek
- I never get into hockey until January anyway. The season is too long and there are too many teams. A 50 game season would be perfect!— rjw817
- Will Cousins play this year?— Sidney Crosby
- @Cindy,
He is trying to get in touch with Big Ben's attorney to get the charges dismissed. Although Cousin's doesn't have the money that BB does, he might have to consult with BB for a loan!!!— Flockey_Hockey - A 50 game season isn't going to pay debt service and all of the other costs associated with running a professional hockey team in Philadelphia or any other city. Although it's a form of entertainment, it's also still a business!— imustgoih82bl8
- If the season was lost, I would be happy in the fact that Nashville would have had to pay Shea Weber $26 million by June 30, 2013 per his contract. They already paid $13M when he signed it and he would be due another $13M on June 30, 2013. That money is lockout safe and must be paid. I say lockout the players and let's see how deep the owners pockets in Nashville really are.— NYFlyersFan
- Richards and Carter win the Cup. No Parise. No Suter. No Weber. Carle walks. Jagr walks. Meszaros injured. Lilja injured. Top prospect possibly involved in sexual assault. Possible lockout. Can this off season get any worse for Flyer fans?— zeke128
- Bettman has been one of the worst Commissioner's in the history of the sport. Do not believe he has helped in making the sport grow to its fanbase, which is one of the most unique in all of sports. He took a sport that had a VERY specific fanbase and distanced the league from most of those fans to appeal to the masses, which IMO has not come to fruition. It amazes me that he has lasted this long. The guy kept adding teams in ghost markets and markets where teams have failed in the past only to see them fail again (Atlanta). Removed teams from Canada, the sports backbone, to expand in the South which again has failed (Miami, Tampa, name it) except for a few rare places (Dallas). Only to begrudgingly need to move them back or lose the shared revenue (winnipeg). To make it worse the man seems like a real weasel. Just pathetic. The league needs to get their s*** straight now, which can start by firing that scumbag.
-not bob levy
-not bob levy— remyy - This lockout talk makes me ill. Have they not learned anything from the season that was cancelled in 2004-05? I guess not. Meanwhile, the ticket prices are thru the roof as it is. So now the ticket prices will become even higher? Talk about greed. I wish the player salaries would be capped at $5M. If you can't survive on $5M a season, go play in USSR or find another line of work that pays more than that.— BobbyD
