Joe Nieuwendyk has already made some tough decisions to since taking on the role of Dallas Stars GM in 2009. The non-trade of Brad Richards, letting Mike Modano walk away to the Red Wings, trading for Alex Goligoski, trading away Steve Ott and having to deal the Tom Hicks mess. The moves he made this past offseason really signaled the changing of the guard and the beginning of the Nieuwendyk stamp on the team as the young players on the team would be brought in under his tenure. This looked like the critical year in his plans and a lockout could blow all that away. What happens in the next couple of seasons will determine whether the team extends him or whether his time is up as GM of the Stars.
From the Regina Leaderpost and the Edmonton Journal
So who blinks first if there’s an NHL lockout in less than 30 days? The billionaires or the millionaires? The NHL owners or the hired hands?
If we don’t have hockey in October or November or into December, we all know the owners win because they’re not forking over any salaries. But we also know when the NHL home office will get very, very nervous — Jan. 1, 2013.
“I don’t think it’s going past the outdoor game,” said agent Igor Larionov, the Hall of Famer who now represents Nail Yakupov and was in Edmonton the last few days.
With NBC giving the NHL $200 million in that long-term arrangement, the Winter Classic is the league’s great advertising baby to showcase their product to U.S. folks who wouldn’t know Evgeni Malkin was if he was in their soup.
This year, the event is at the University of Michigan’s football stadium that seats 100,000-plus, with the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs on the marquee.
So while NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, who does the owner’s bidding, says the league is locking out the players on Sept. 15 when the current collective bargaining agreement ends and there’s no new deal with the players, it seems inconceiveable that we’ll get another season where NHL rinks are dark throughout the winter as it was in 2004.
In 1994, we got 48 games after another lockout, with players risking life and limb to play about every second night from Jan. 11 on.
Larionov says Yakupov will either play in the Kontinental Hockey League for his hometown Russian team Niznekamsk, or possibly in Sweden or Finland if there’s an NHL lockout, for however long it takes. He won’t be returning to junior in Sarnia, even though he has junior eligibility left.
But playing in the KHL is a more convenient pit stop for Yakupov than with North Americans, and 25 of the team’s league games will be played in the first two months, which would be a boon for KHL teams who could get Malkin and other Russians back.
There are limits on imports in the KHL, though.
“KHL teams can only have five imports, although I guess (KHL president Alexander) Medeved could change that. And in Sweden and Finland, there’s only two imports a team,” said Larionov.
How soon before NHLers look abroad if there’s a lockout Sept. 15?
“Sept. 16,” said Larionov, who didn’t go back to Russia or anywhere else in Europe to play league hockey during the lockout-shortened 1994-95 season, when he was with the San Jose Sharks. He played a few exhibitions and hung around, but it was boring. He was used to be at a hockey rink, like all players. Practising, playing.
“But at least I didn’t have (former Soviet national team coach Viktor) Tikonov in my ear,” said Larionov.
The NHL is a $3.2-billion business right now, admittedly about a third of the NFL and less than the NBA (two leagues that recently hammered out new 10-year CBAs).
“The game then (in 2004-05) wasn’t in such a good position as it is now. I’m an optimist, more than some people (that it won’t be long lockout),” said Washington Capitals forward and former Oilers winger Jason Chimera, referring to the season eight years ago when the players flat-out refused to entertain a salary cap before capitulating; also giving up 24 per cent of their salaries in a rollback.
If we don’t have hockey in October or November or into December, we all know the owners win because they’re not forking over any salaries. But we also know when the NHL home office will get very, very nervous — Jan. 1, 2013.
“I don’t think it’s going past the outdoor game,” said agent Igor Larionov, the Hall of Famer who now represents Nail Yakupov and was in Edmonton the last few days.
With NBC giving the NHL $200 million in that long-term arrangement, the Winter Classic is the league’s great advertising baby to showcase their product to U.S. folks who wouldn’t know Evgeni Malkin was if he was in their soup.
This year, the event is at the University of Michigan’s football stadium that seats 100,000-plus, with the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs on the marquee.
So while NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, who does the owner’s bidding, says the league is locking out the players on Sept. 15 when the current collective bargaining agreement ends and there’s no new deal with the players, it seems inconceiveable that we’ll get another season where NHL rinks are dark throughout the winter as it was in 2004.
In 1994, we got 48 games after another lockout, with players risking life and limb to play about every second night from Jan. 11 on.
Larionov says Yakupov will either play in the Kontinental Hockey League for his hometown Russian team Niznekamsk, or possibly in Sweden or Finland if there’s an NHL lockout, for however long it takes. He won’t be returning to junior in Sarnia, even though he has junior eligibility left.
But playing in the KHL is a more convenient pit stop for Yakupov than with North Americans, and 25 of the team’s league games will be played in the first two months, which would be a boon for KHL teams who could get Malkin and other Russians back.
There are limits on imports in the KHL, though.
“KHL teams can only have five imports, although I guess (KHL president Alexander) Medeved could change that. And in Sweden and Finland, there’s only two imports a team,” said Larionov.
How soon before NHLers look abroad if there’s a lockout Sept. 15?
“Sept. 16,” said Larionov, who didn’t go back to Russia or anywhere else in Europe to play league hockey during the lockout-shortened 1994-95 season, when he was with the San Jose Sharks. He played a few exhibitions and hung around, but it was boring. He was used to be at a hockey rink, like all players. Practising, playing.
“But at least I didn’t have (former Soviet national team coach Viktor) Tikonov in my ear,” said Larionov.
The NHL is a $3.2-billion business right now, admittedly about a third of the NFL and less than the NBA (two leagues that recently hammered out new 10-year CBAs).
“The game then (in 2004-05) wasn’t in such a good position as it is now. I’m an optimist, more than some people (that it won’t be long lockout),” said Washington Capitals forward and former Oilers winger Jason Chimera, referring to the season eight years ago when the players flat-out refused to entertain a salary cap before capitulating; also giving up 24 per cent of their salaries in a rollback.
The owners are giving the players 57 per cent of revenue now. They would likely settle on a 50-50 deal.
“We (NHLPA) put together a good proposal where the profitable clubs could help the little clubs (in better revenue sharing; right now the maximum is $10 million per club to the weak sisters) to sustain their spot in the league. It’s good for teams like Nashville and Florida. I’d have to think some of the owners looked at it and said, ‘Yeah, that’s a pretty good proposal.’ We’re still keeping the cap,” said Chimera. “First, the owners have to agree on something (from the players), though, and then maybe things will fall into place.
“They gave us a proposal where they wanted us to take another 24 per cent off after doing it before. Last time, we kept saying no cap, no cap. This time, there’s things to work off.”
Chimera said he doesn’t have the stomach for another lockout, like a lot of older players.
“I lost a whole season once before and I don’t want it to happen again. I’m 33 years old,” he said.
“Their first proposal, though, also had a player having to play 10 years before he was a free agent. That’s fine for guys who start at 18, but how many of those are there? Bouw (Jay Bouwmeester), Sidney Crosby, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Not many. Lots of guys aren’t getting to the NHL until they’re 24,” Chimera said.
The hard thing for players to get their heads around is the misdirection from owners.
They proposed a five-year limit on salaries, yet the Philadelphia Flyers just signed Wayne Simmonds and Scott Hartnell to six-year deals and the Montreal Canadiens (with Max Pacioretty) and Carolina Hurricanes (with Jeff Skinner) just did the same. Plus, Philadelphia made that wildcat long-term offer sheet on Nashville Predators’ Shea Weber. Throw in Minnesota Wild owner Craig Liepold luring Ryan Suter and Zach Parise for 13 years and about $100 million each in free-agent deals, and many players shake their heads at the apparent hypocrisy.
“I know Philadephia has lost some players and I can see why they did it (tried to get Weber), but 14 years? And (Nashville) matched it and are paying him, what? Twenty-seven million the first (calendar) year?” said Oilers defenceman Ladislav Smid.
Chimera admits the hockey fan has a tough time watching an owners versus players fight.
“What gets lost in all of this is the people who work at the rinks, who work the (game-night) parking ... we don’t want those people to lose their jobs,” said Chimera. “There’s other people’s livelihood’s in mind.”
“We (NHLPA) put together a good proposal where the profitable clubs could help the little clubs (in better revenue sharing; right now the maximum is $10 million per club to the weak sisters) to sustain their spot in the league. It’s good for teams like Nashville and Florida. I’d have to think some of the owners looked at it and said, ‘Yeah, that’s a pretty good proposal.’ We’re still keeping the cap,” said Chimera. “First, the owners have to agree on something (from the players), though, and then maybe things will fall into place.
“They gave us a proposal where they wanted us to take another 24 per cent off after doing it before. Last time, we kept saying no cap, no cap. This time, there’s things to work off.”
Chimera said he doesn’t have the stomach for another lockout, like a lot of older players.
“I lost a whole season once before and I don’t want it to happen again. I’m 33 years old,” he said.
“Their first proposal, though, also had a player having to play 10 years before he was a free agent. That’s fine for guys who start at 18, but how many of those are there? Bouw (Jay Bouwmeester), Sidney Crosby, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Not many. Lots of guys aren’t getting to the NHL until they’re 24,” Chimera said.
The hard thing for players to get their heads around is the misdirection from owners.
They proposed a five-year limit on salaries, yet the Philadelphia Flyers just signed Wayne Simmonds and Scott Hartnell to six-year deals and the Montreal Canadiens (with Max Pacioretty) and Carolina Hurricanes (with Jeff Skinner) just did the same. Plus, Philadelphia made that wildcat long-term offer sheet on Nashville Predators’ Shea Weber. Throw in Minnesota Wild owner Craig Liepold luring Ryan Suter and Zach Parise for 13 years and about $100 million each in free-agent deals, and many players shake their heads at the apparent hypocrisy.
“I know Philadephia has lost some players and I can see why they did it (tried to get Weber), but 14 years? And (Nashville) matched it and are paying him, what? Twenty-seven million the first (calendar) year?” said Oilers defenceman Ladislav Smid.
Chimera admits the hockey fan has a tough time watching an owners versus players fight.
“What gets lost in all of this is the people who work at the rinks, who work the (game-night) parking ... we don’t want those people to lose their jobs,” said Chimera. “There’s other people’s livelihood’s in mind.”
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