THE OFFICIAL 2012-2013 NHL Thread !

[Behshad]

[Ehwmatt]

They are locking out again? Wasn't that just 2 years ago? Glad I'm not a hockey fan.

[RedWingFan]

They need to just let the league go the way of the USFL and ABA. Screw it.

[Squidward24]

They are locking out again? Wasn't that just 2 years ago? Glad I'm not a hockey fan.

Almost, it was 8 years ago, the 2004-2005 season.

I am 39. I've been watching the Wings since I can remember. My first memories are watching them in B&W TV on the old Channel 20 in Michigan, back when they were the Dead Things. I lost touch for a while. Then the shortened season in 94-95 happend I got back into hockey. I was a regular watcher after that and started to attend games in the 1996-1997 season. I suffered through the 2004-2005 lockout, but I returned with caution when it ended. I noticed that while I was happy to have hockey back my fanaticism was not what it was. The last 2 years I didn't watch as many games, I stopped watching the ASG altogether and only have watched 2 of the WC games, CHI-DET and BOS-PHI. I stay away from the NHL Awards and Draft altogether.

It seems to me the league was better off without a cap.

I am a firm believer that Gary Bruce Bettman has sanitized and brought down the talent level of the NHL with his expansion(s). There are players in the NHL that really don't/didn't belong, for example: Sean Avery, Colby Armstrong are just two. They are mediocre players and yet because of the 30 teams they get drafted. Contraction is the answer. I have a simple formula that will help determine what teams stay and go.

1) All Original 6 teams are safe.
2) All the 1968 expansion teams are safe. That means Dallas because they are a result of the combination of the California Golden Seals/Cleveland Barons and Minnesota Northstars.
3) Any team that has won the SC more 2 times or more (COL, NJD, NYI, EDM). And not in the above two choices.
4) The remaining Canadian teams (VAN, CAL, WPG, OTT).

That is a total of 20 teams. The rest figure in a complex formula of years in the league, wins vs losses, money put in, money taken out. Average attendance. Then you take the top 4 of those and you have a 24 team league. You cut away the flotsam and you have a strong 24 team league, 12 per conference. You play every team at least twice a year.

Just my POV, others will probably disagree.

[Liam]

What's the NHL, aye?

[Deb]

They are locking out again? Wasn't that just 2 years ago? Glad I'm not a hockey fan.

Almost, it was 8 years ago, the 2004-2005 season.

I am 39. I've been watching the Wings since I can remember. My first memories are watching them in B&W TV on the old Channel 20 in Michigan, back when they were the Dead Things. I lost touch for a while. Then the shortened season in 94-95 happend I got back into hockey. I was a regular watcher after that and started to attend games in the 1996-1997 season. I suffered through the 2004-2005 lockout, but I returned with caution when it ended. I noticed that while I was happy to have hockey back my fanaticism was not what it was. The last 2 years I didn't watch as many games, I stopped watching the ASG altogether and only have watched 2 of the WC games, CHI-DET and BOS-PHI. I stay away from the NHL Awards and Draft altogether.

It seems to me the league was better off without a cap.

I am a firm believer that Gary Bruce Bettman has sanitized and brought down the talent level of the NHL with his expansion(s). There are players in the NHL that really don't/didn't belong, for example: Sean Avery, Colby Armstrong are just two. They are mediocre players and yet because of the 30 teams they get drafted. Contraction is the answer. I have a simple formula that will help determine what teams stay and go.

1) All Original 6 teams are safe.
2) All the 1968 expansion teams are safe. That means Dallas because they are a result of the combination of the California Golden Seals/Cleveland Barons and Minnesota Northstars.
3) Any team that has won the SC more 2 times or more (COL, NJD, NYI, EDM). And not in the above two choices.
4) The remaining Canadian teams (VAN, CAL, WPG, OTT).

That is a total of 20 teams. The rest figure in a complex formula of years in the league, wins vs losses, money put in, money taken out. Average attendance. Then you take the top 4 of those and you have a 24 team league. You cut away the flotsam and you have a strong 24 team league, 12 per conference. You play every team at least twice a year.

Just my POV, others will probably disagree.

GREAT post! Agreed.

[Squidward24]

GREAT post! Agreed.

I'm not a big Iginla fan, but I love your picture.

[Squidward24]

Also I'd like to mention the practice of charging extra for certain teams. This idea was introduced by Ted Leonsis, owner of the Washington Capitals. He decided that he would charge extra for when elite teams like Detroit, Montreal, etc came to town. This practice was quickly picked up by other teams. A ticket to Joe Louis Arena to see the Detroit Red Wings vs. Chicago Blackhawks went from $25 one season to $37, then $49, all so the owners can extract more money that we the fans were willing to shell out.

I was one of those fans. I would make yearly trips to the Joe to see the Wings/Blackhawks/Bruins/Leafs/Habs/Rangers and select others: Blues/Devils. I made it a tradition to go to the last game of the season with my dad. That game was usually against the Blackhawks. We'd go to a restaurant in Greektown called "Fishbones", take the people mover to the Joe, watch the game, go back to "Fishbones" for a beer.

Anyway. Thanks to that fat pig Ted a normal $25 ticket went up $24 dollars in 2 years for those "premium" games. Had the season not been cancelled (for now I am going with the fact it will be) the only game I'd be going to would have been the final game. If the season happens I doubt I will go.

I have no sympathy for either the owners or players. They brought this on themselves. Each wanted more than the other and neither was willing to compromise. The players crumbled and accepted a salary cap in 2004-2005, profits rose, owners wallets got fatter, players were paid more and more. Contracts became asinine in their structure: a 15 year contract, front loaded to go around the cap and decreasing in value as the player got older and their skills diminished. Teams quickly followed and more contracts were handed out.

Until the short season in 1994-1995 the NHL was the 3rd watched sport in North America behind the NHL and MLB. The NBA was a distant 4th and maybe 5th. After the 1994-1995 season the NBA shot to 3rd and the NHL was in 4th place trying to get it's ratings back. The lockout of 2004-2005 helped poker - POKER get better ratings. I can't remember the article or exact numbers but the NHL at one time was getting ratings on par with MLS.

As I said in my first post I've been watching hockey for as long as I can remember. The Red Wings and Tigers were always on in my house. Hockey had become my favorite sport, but the 2004-2005 season really put my loyalty to the test. Another lockout will for sure break it.

That is all for now.