NHL Franchise Boys

Drum roll please…….. Get ready boys because this one will get going fairly quickly!

Here is a look at the NHL lockout by the numbers:

3 The number of times the NHL has locked out its players since Gary Bettman has been commissioner.

1,230 The number of games missed when the NHL cancelled the 2004-05 season.

468 The number of games missed when the NHL locked out its players in the 1994-95 season.

57 The percentage of hockey-related revenue (HRR) players were entitled to under the expired CBA.

49 The percentage of HRR the league is offering players in first year of new CBA (dropping to 47 percent by the end of a six-year agreement).

54.3 The percentage of HRR the NHLPA has said it will take in the first year of a new agreement (dropping to about 52 percent by the end of a five-year deal).

1.873 The total, in billions, the NHL paid its players last season.

2.45 The average salary, in millions, for NHL players last season.

1 The number of NHL players, according to ESPN, who have been part of all four work stoppages since 1992 (there was a players’ strike for 10 games in 1992). That would be Jaromir Jagr.

49 The low end, as a percentage of revenues, NBA players agreed to accept in their new CBA. It will range up to 51 percent.

47 The low end, as a percentage of revenues, NFL players agreed to accept in their new CBA. It will range up to almost 49 percent.

0 The number of NHL fans who can understand why the two sides can’t figure out how to divide up $3.3 billion.

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It’s that time of year again… the days are getting shorter, the mornings are cooler, the kids are back in school and Labor Day officially marks the end of franchise poolies’ hibernation. Normally at this time I would be running out to buy all the hockey pool magazines and prepping for our 17th franchise hockey pool season, however it appears we are headed for a third lockout in 17 years.

Who to side with… NHL or NHLPA? I hate the fact that the owners are so inept at running their teams that they need rules in order to control their spending. The main reason a CBA exists is to stop owners from being idiots and over spending. The last CBA was basically everything the owners wanted: it’s making them money but it isn’t pocketing them enough money… what a disgrace! I don’t understand how owners can give huge salaries and only realize their plan is flawed when they see a Scott Gomez making $8 million per season. On the other hand, it is due to a powerful NHPLA that the NHL doesn’t have performance based salaries!

Regardless, Bettman is willing to push these CBA talks far to the brink because he’s not afraid of using the lockout as a bargaining chip. He certainly doesn’t care about hockey – he cares about the business of hockey and the wealth of his owners, which is what he is paid to do. They’re not afraid of you or I leaving. They say all of the right things to make us feel “considered” but the truth is that we don’t factor into it. Sure we can do all kinds of things such as stop buying merchandise, tickets, TV packages, etc… but they know that dedicated hockey fans will come running back the minute they strike a deal and the puck drops. Some casual fans may leave and never return, but the season ticket holders and diehards will all be back. We’re not going anywhere, and everybody knows it. We’ll buy tickets and we’ll watch the playoffs in record numbers.  Hey NHL and NHLPA… you’ve got until September 15th to figure this out!  Oh and thanks for sucking the fun out of one of the most exciting times of the year for fantasy hockey. Douches!

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