Inflatable Wallets
Wednesday, August 11, 2004

Posted by GSH-Editor

Well folks, it’s time to talk about inflation.

No, this isn’t the preface to an article of an Adult nature, I’m of course talking about the NHL salaries that have increased 252% since the last collective bargaining agreement. That would be all fine and dandy except for one detail; unfortunately league revenues have only increased 163%, with $300-million in apparent losses in the 2002-2003 season.

Although the NHLPA doesn’t believe a lot of the economic statements made by the league, the fact remains that Bettman claims that the players are currently earning 76% of total league revenue. That is by far the most in any major sport, and that is the largest reason that the NHL is going in the direction that it currently is.

The major mistake according to this reporter is the fact that Bettman was greedy when it came to expansion over the last 10-15 years. I don’t care that the league may be “watered-down” as some say, because let’s face it, it gives more Canadian lads the chance to play in the show. That opportunity means that there needs to be enough AHL teams to support the minor league needs of the NHL so more guys get to play semi-pro, and so the ECHL has to expand etcetera. This is good for hockey. The thing that bugs me, is that there are too many teams in cities that can’t support NHL franchises. Not due to population, not due to economy-due to the fact that NO ONE CARES ABOUT HOCKEY in most of these places, except when the team eventually makes the playoffs for a couple rounds.

Talks were set to resume between the NHL and the NHLPA on Wednesday the 21st, however this will be only the third time that the two sides have spoken since October when labor talks began, which brings a total of six hours of negotiations to work with.

Should a deal not be reached before the NHL regular season opens up on October 6th, we could see a lockout that makes the ’94-95 lockout look like the Christmas break.

Let’s hope the WHA starts up strong enough initially to get a quick deal between the players and the owners, because that just may be what it takes to get these guys talking.