Re: The NHL Thread (where home field advantage matters!)
 

And now the NHL cant reach a similar compensation agreement for 18. So because $, but they are selling this as a player safety move, which :lol

Re: The NHL Thread (where home field advantage matters!)
 

well of course, they're trying to spin it into some sort of positive, which is dumb

but it's the right move by the NHL on literally all fronts.

Re: The NHL Thread (where home field advantage matters!)
 

Except that it causes strain on the relationships between league and players and league and fans. Though I guess that's unimportant in your opinion.

Re: The NHL Thread (where home field advantage matters!)
 

Yeah I don't buy that. Like at all.

Re: The NHL Thread (where home field advantage matters!)
 

Why is it the right call? Just so he doesnt piss off the owners?

This will undoubtedly have negative repercussions on CBA agreement. Owners know they will give it back during next round of negotiations, but theyre using it so they can hold on to something else.

The only 'front' this was the right move for was for the owners.

Re: The NHL Thread (where home field advantage matters!)
 

Also :lol at those polls. 73% in the US against it? yeah sure okay.

Re: The NHL Thread (where home field advantage matters!)
 

in the grand scheme of things, yes, it's unimportant.

first: because fans have no real reason to be pissed other than to whine about not getting what they want. let's call a spade a spade here. i'm very much pro-NHL for the Olympics, but i can put my selfish emotions aside for a second and see this is the right call for the NHL.

second: i don't see how the "relationship" between players and the league can get worse anyway. i mean, 4 lockouts in 23 years kind of says it all. and i really don't think this will cause as much strain as people think.

players will huff and puff and threaten to play anyway but a week after the 2018 games it'll be forgotten.

well, i guess that's part of it. But mainly because the NHL gets no benefit from letting it's players play. none whatsoever.

Re: The NHL Thread (where home field advantage matters!)
 

well, that's how you collectively bargain. not gonna blame the league for being good at it. NHL players need to be better at it.

same goes for the NFLPA...NFL players have been notoriously bad at negotiating new terms. hard to blame the owners for that.

there's plenty of other stuff to blame the owners for, but being good at business is where i'll draw the line.

Re: The NHL Thread (where home field advantage matters!)
 

What about the stats they say suggest that the team with the most olympians is the easiest playoff out. That also smells like total bullshit.

Re: The NHL Thread (where home field advantage matters!)
 

Why don't the fans deserve to have their opinions matter?

I'm also just not really sure that what the league gains by not going is really all that significant either. I mean, it's not like the teams don't play the same amount of games anyway, they've killed the player safety argument with the World Cup, and I fail to see how losing two and a half weeks every four Februarys is really is a big deal.

Fair point that things can't get much worse between the league and the NHLPA.

edit: all of this is to h2p

Re: The NHL Thread (where home field advantage matters!)
 

You don't put any blame on the collection of owners?

Re: The NHL Thread (where home field advantage matters!)
 

I haven't seen said stats but I would be interested to

Re: The NHL Thread (where home field advantage matters!)
 

This is probably my biggest complaint is the BS spin.

Just come out and say it's not in their financial best interests.

Re: The NHL Thread (where home field advantage matters!)
 

This still makes absolutely 0 sense. If this is the result of him "doing his job", then he absolutely shares blame here.

Bettman isn't just a puppet that walks into a room, polls the owners and goes "duh ok tanks guys! i'll go tell everyone that now".

Re: The NHL Thread (where home field advantage matters!)
 

In the same article

Re: The NHL Thread (where home field advantage matters!)
 

And who's fault is that, exactly?

Sorry owners/Bettman, you can't just screw the pooch and not include that, then realize it, and blame the rest of the world for it.

Edit: That's also what I meant - it's not in this CBA. Sorry, but you can't just decide to bargain later. You have an agreement and didn't include the Olympics, stop forcing everyone else to pay for your fuck up. Want to revisit this? Do it when you can opt out in 2019, until then, deal with that the players are going.

Re: The NHL Thread (where home field advantage matters!)
 

the fans do deserve to have their opinions heard, but they don't deserve to have a say in how the league is run. hockey fans will keep watching no matter what and the NHL knows that.

having pro players in the Olympics has not helped the game of hockey or the NHL grow AT ALL since it started in 1998, so the casual fan argument is bunk.

the league gains a lot by not allowing the players to go, first of which is money. second is not having to shut down the league for 3 weeks (this matters mostly for TV, as they'll lose advertising dollars to the IOC and are not allowed to show Olympics footage during NHL broadcasts). and third is a huge, i mean HUGE, bargaining chip for the next CBA.

Re: The NHL Thread (where home field advantage matters!)
 

I mean, theres a clear reason beyond players associations need to "be better", owners have ALL the leverage in professional sport, this is just a showcase of it. God forbid something be done in good faith.

Re: The NHL Thread (where home field advantage matters!)
 

i'm with you there :thumbsup

i really don't know what you're talking about. i'm sorry, i'm trying to follow you but i just can't.

i think you're forgetting the "collective" part of collective bargaining agreement. both sides agreed to the current terms of the CBA.

Re: The NHL Thread (where home field advantage matters!)
 

You're not wrong there.

Re: The NHL Thread (where home field advantage matters!)
 

I just don't see how they can stop players from going. No upside, all downside for the NHL.

Re: The NHL Thread (where home field advantage matters!)
 

sorry but i'm not with you on the bolded. it's a business and the players should know better.

good faith rarely exists in pro sports. not saying that's right or wrong but it's reality.

Re: The NHL Thread (where home field advantage matters!)
 

but, as i've just laid out over the last couple pages, it's the exact opposite.

there's literally no upside for the NHL to let the players go.

it's a financial burden to the league and it brings in no new fans or exposure.

Re: The NHL Thread (where home field advantage matters!)
 

Continuing to make that argument is so futile when they have been a part of it since 98 and you know the next CBA will allow it. Those are nothing more than excuses/talking points they are using.

This is a bargaining chip and no more.

Re: The NHL Thread (where home field advantage matters!)
 

that's not true at all though

the only reason players have gone every year since 1998 is because the NHL did not have to bear the financial burden. either the IIHF, IOC, host country, or a combo of the 3 have picked up the financial hit.

it's absolutely not an excuse, it's business

and again. the Olympics give the NHL zero exposure or new fans

Re: The NHL Thread (where home field advantage matters!)
 

Agreed.

I do not understand how the league gains significantly by not losing 3 weeks in February. The TV advertisements and arena revenues will still be there as all 82 games will be played regardless.

It is solely being used as a bargaining chip and makes the NHL look awful.

But h2p you are correct that hockey fans will still watch regardless. Just sucks the NHL treats it like this. I get it, it's a business, but it's dumb and it makes the league look really really bad. Again.

Re: The NHL Thread (where home field advantage matters!)
 

This.

The gradual growth of the sport is 100% important. This is hurting the NHL in lost opportunity to put the best players on the highest stage of athletics. This is actually money and value being taken away from the league


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Re: The NHL Thread (where home field advantage matters!)
 

Right - which doesn't have an Olympics clause. A.k.a. the players can go. The NHL might interpret that as "well, it doesn't say they CAN'T go", while the NHLPA is interpreting that as "well, they can go".

However, they're asking the IOC and IIHF to pay for it. That's the issue. Why the hell would they? The NHL knows they won't, so they're putting impossible demands on it, then saying "well no one wants to talk to us, so guess they aren't going".

You know what? I was just typing a metaphor scenario (which I've now replaced with this) and may have talked myself to the other side. I need to think about this more. :lol

Re: The NHL Thread (where home field advantage matters!)
 

It all just boils down to money and the NHL being the same shitty NHL we know.

They couldnt make an exception this one time for the sake of their players and make it work. Its shitty no matter how you try to spin it.

I feel most for young guys like Kuznetsov.

Re: The NHL Thread (where home field advantage matters!)
 

But also the NHL isn't getting paid right? The NHL wanted the IOC to give them a portion of the revenues this year and the IOC offered the same deal as last time and the NHL said not enough.

That sounds like greed to me.