Nazem Kadri’s Facebook Timeline

And the players don’t run the league, they merely play in it. 

Currently the Quebec players are keeping busy doing a little all star tour. Someone posted a list of teams for each province if all players went home. That league would blow the NHL away, no imitation there. lol

Both are only temporary parts of the game. Kessel and Phaneuf will retire and Rogers will sell at some point down the road.  I see what you’re saying, but the best players would be in the best league, and the NHL and the owners – however corrupt or foolish or whatever else – feel they are in a position where they are going to be able to present the best league no matter what the circumstances.  They have the best rinks, the established teams, jerseys, system, ability to access the games, etc…

I agree with you on supporting the players this time around and the owners should be taking the hit this time. The 57% revenue going to the players should stay the same because they are the ones putting the product on the ice. My suggestions before were to stop the bleeding with these ridiculous contracts and cap issues but then again the owners are mostly at fault. I personally believe that Bettman does not deserve 8 mil. a yr should take  his salary down to 43% first.

You’re talking about logistics…and you’re right of course.

But if, hypothetically, each side were to sever their relationship with the other in order to create a brand new league with everything they desire whose league do you think people would watch? That’s the litmus test to me.

I honestly can’t for the life of me understand why anyone would be on the philosophical side of the Owners. They provide nothing that someone else can’t provide and they’re the ones who keep fucking things up.

I think the owners would still win that hypothetical situation, with relative ease.
-
The players would have to hold their games in second class arenas.  The Jets could play in the 3000 seat Selkirk arena.  For some cities, good options would be available, but for many other existing hockey cities, they’d be scaling it back big time.  It’s still a gate league, so the league wins that battle immediately.  It would be 2 weeks before the players caved and realized that on their own, they’d have to spend years and years establishing something new.  They’d cash in their 50K new league pay checks to go back to their league average 1.85 million without too much deliberation…I would think. 
-
But yes, in the hypothetical situation where the owners also give up all their capital and decide to make their arenas fair game, sure, the players would have the better league.  But that’s the same thing as asking the players to give up all their hockey skill.  

I’m not talking about where the money would be…I’m talking about what you would watch. And if you’re honestly saying you’d watch a bunch of second rate players just because they had the Jets logo on their jersey and played in the nicest building then you are stone cold nuts.

I made this point to show what’s more important in this struggle…the product or the package. And once you accept the product is more important (and I have) then you can’t be on the Owners side philosophically.

Of course they could…lol. They don’t have to be the Owners in this new league. You don’t think they could rustle up another 20-25 wealthy businessmen? Easy…but it might take as long a 3 days.

Isn’t that interesting? Might be easier than even I think. Throw in all the NHL calibre arenas without a team and you have a 20 team league pretty damn easy.

It was called the WHA. I wonder how many Russian oil guys would like to set up shop in North America?

Yes, but the issue the new league would face, would be low ticket revenue as they would be relegated to smaller seat arenas. This would translate into significantly lower salaries.

Ya but thats down to 3000 seat I think