With NHL CBA talks about to begin between the NHL and the NHLPA, new union head Don Fehr has already proven to have more PR moxy than former head Bon Goodenow. Millionaire players rarely have the public on their side in these types of negotiations. Its one of the few times where the much wealthier owners actually have the fans on their side. Players often come across as petulant, greedy and out of touch with the average wage earning fan. That is a PR hurdle the NHLPA in its modern incarnation has never been able to scale.
New boss Don Fehr has already started laying some very subtle PR land mines for the owners to step on. Rejecting the leagues plan to restructure the divisions and revamp the schedule. The NHLPA claims it wasn’t properly consulted. Odd since the former union boss Paul Kelly said publicly that the plan the league came out with was almost exactly the plan the players wanted and asked the league for during his tenure.
Fehr claiming the league could easily start on time without a new CBA but simply operate under the old system until a new deal is reached thus guaranteeing fans their hockey fix. Smart play since if a lockout did occur in October the NHLPA could claim the owners are the villains who shutdown the game and not the benevolent players who offered to endure under the old system which pays them 57% of league revenues. The projected floor for the cap this coming season is 54.2 million. As many as 10 teams will lose millions just getting to the floor of the cap.
Fehr is very smart to have over 30 active players on the negotiating team. That will go a long way in alleviating player fears of the past, that a small pack of insiders within their group controlled everyone’s fate while having their own personal and secret agendas. Players are wise of to be skeptical of their own leaders since the NHLPA is 100% perfect in having both corruption and/or controversy at the top. Since the onset of the NHLPA, every single executive director has departed amid controversy. Some went to jail, some dismissed for contravention of internal bylaws and procedures and others simply because there was a rift amongst members because of the actions of the executive director.
In this CBA negotiation the players have some great points. They made major concessions in the last CBA and the owners inability to control themselves has again put many franchises in financial trouble. The lack of true revenue sharing means that despite a business model which has seen revenues grow from roughly 2.1 billion seven years ago, to the estimated 3.3 billion per year now, we still see too many franchises in financial trouble. The players can rightly point out that revenue generation is not the problem but rather the leagues wealthier teams unwilling to truly share the profits with the weaker teams.
What does not work in the players favor is comparables. In arbitration, free agency and almost every facet of NHL life, comparables are used to decide everything. Yet players will try to deny they compare to football or basketball. Players in both those sports receive roughly 50% of the leagues revenues in sports which generate far higher total revenues than the NHL does. It is still difficult to convince any working person that an employee deserves to make more than his employer who has to take all the risks and provide the entire infrastructure for the athletes to perform their magic.
What has been proven true in almost every sports labor dispute in the last 25 years will ultimately occur here too. The only question is how much will the players lose and the fans suffer to get to that reality. In the NHL up to half of the teams owners will lose less if there are no games than they would if there are games. Until the owners are facing true financial hardship across the board, why would they stop until they get the deal they want?
Sadly my guess is there will be another NHL lockout in October and my guess is the player (just like last time) will end up agreeing to something extremely close to what they were offered at the beginning of the process. We will again all be left wondering why the game had to stop and the players will be left wondering how they will ever recoup the money and (for some) the careers they lost.
See you at the rink.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Friday, June 22, 2012
Nobody wants the Russians.
With the NHL entry draft just hours away, the biggest question is, will Russian Nail Yakupov be taken first overall? The real question is, how many Russian players will even be chosen. The rarely spoken about drought of Russian born players is not accidental. Many NHL teams simply don't want the headaches which often come with having Russian players on their team or in their system.
Each season roughly a thousand players dress for at least one NHL game. Last season 22 Russian skaters and 5 Russian goalies played regularly in the NHL (more than 10 NHL games). Even if you add all the former Russian satellite countries which are now independent (Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Latvia, Uzbekistan, Ukraine ) the number isn't much higher. Just 30 skaters and 5 goalies.
The old line thinking that Russian players just don't care enough is both untrue and unfair. There are just as many or more floaters from other countries. The KHL does however play a major part. If a player from Russia is not going to be a highly paid star here why would he stay? For example why would a player offered six hundred thousand dollars to play in the NHL stay when he can make two million tax free in the KHL. It means often their allegiance to their NHL team isn't as strong as their desire to make as much money as they can during the short working life of a pro hockey player.
For most North American born players, playing in the KHL is their last choice. For most Russian players its their 2nd choice and becomes their 1rst choice if they don't get the kind of money they want and/or a guarantee they will play in the NHL and not the AHL.
With this very real possibility of losing a drafted player to the KHL, many NHL teams are choosing to simply not draft many Russian players and avoid the possible soap opera.
Pro hockey is a business and what we here in North American simply can't get over is the thought that a player would choose money over a chance to have an NHL career. Many Russian players can't understand why anyone wouldn't go where the pay is the highest.
Its a difference in perspective which is not going to change and as long as the KHL exists, this situation won't change. That means we are likely to see fewer Russians in the NHL in the future and not more of them.
See you at the rink.
Each season roughly a thousand players dress for at least one NHL game. Last season 22 Russian skaters and 5 Russian goalies played regularly in the NHL (more than 10 NHL games). Even if you add all the former Russian satellite countries which are now independent (Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Latvia, Uzbekistan, Ukraine ) the number isn't much higher. Just 30 skaters and 5 goalies.
The old line thinking that Russian players just don't care enough is both untrue and unfair. There are just as many or more floaters from other countries. The KHL does however play a major part. If a player from Russia is not going to be a highly paid star here why would he stay? For example why would a player offered six hundred thousand dollars to play in the NHL stay when he can make two million tax free in the KHL. It means often their allegiance to their NHL team isn't as strong as their desire to make as much money as they can during the short working life of a pro hockey player.
For most North American born players, playing in the KHL is their last choice. For most Russian players its their 2nd choice and becomes their 1rst choice if they don't get the kind of money they want and/or a guarantee they will play in the NHL and not the AHL.
With this very real possibility of losing a drafted player to the KHL, many NHL teams are choosing to simply not draft many Russian players and avoid the possible soap opera.
Pro hockey is a business and what we here in North American simply can't get over is the thought that a player would choose money over a chance to have an NHL career. Many Russian players can't understand why anyone wouldn't go where the pay is the highest.
Its a difference in perspective which is not going to change and as long as the KHL exists, this situation won't change. That means we are likely to see fewer Russians in the NHL in the future and not more of them.
See you at the rink.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
The good and the bad of the LA Cup win
Congratulations to the LA Kings for their Stanley Cup win. An 8th seed winning the Cup gives every playoff team in the future the example they need to realize its anyones championship to win if you get in. There is such a small difference now between the best teams and the teams which just barely make the playoffs. It also shows you how close this league is and how close it will continue to be. Montreal was last in the East and missed the playoffs by 14 points. That amounts to just 1 win in each month of the regular season. That's the tiny difference between making it and finishing last.
Now the bad. I fear that the Kings will now suffer through exactly what Tampa did when they won the cup. If you remember back, the Lightning won the cup and hoped to ride their success to a repeat the following year. They had hoped to capitalize on the excitement in their market to sell more season tickets and sponsorships. Tampa never got the bang they were hoping for because the following year the NHL locked out the players and the entire season was lost.
The LA Kings may well end up in the same boat. Their first Cup win in 44 years and they may not get the bang they deserve. No ability to carry over the buzz on the LA sports scene. No ability to convert the excitement into seat and sponsorship sales for next season if the NHL and the NHLPA again go to war over the CBA. That agreement expires in September and many are predicting a long delay to the start of the season or possibly the cancellation of another season. Either would kill the Kings chance to take full advantage of their Cup Victory.
Congratulations to the Kings and I hope to you get all the rewards a franchise is supposed to receive from winning the Cup.
See you at the rink.
Now the bad. I fear that the Kings will now suffer through exactly what Tampa did when they won the cup. If you remember back, the Lightning won the cup and hoped to ride their success to a repeat the following year. They had hoped to capitalize on the excitement in their market to sell more season tickets and sponsorships. Tampa never got the bang they were hoping for because the following year the NHL locked out the players and the entire season was lost.
The LA Kings may well end up in the same boat. Their first Cup win in 44 years and they may not get the bang they deserve. No ability to carry over the buzz on the LA sports scene. No ability to convert the excitement into seat and sponsorship sales for next season if the NHL and the NHLPA again go to war over the CBA. That agreement expires in September and many are predicting a long delay to the start of the season or possibly the cancellation of another season. Either would kill the Kings chance to take full advantage of their Cup Victory.
Congratulations to the Kings and I hope to you get all the rewards a franchise is supposed to receive from winning the Cup.
See you at the rink.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
A Newspaper-less world is a bad world.
Here in Ottawa this week it was announced that the Ottawa Citizen will discontinue its Sunday Edition and layoffs were announced. The Parent company is also making similar adjustments to other newspapers across Canada. This scares me.
We all in the Radio and TV business have undergone massive change in the last ten years because of technology and mass ownership with the pain of layoffs and mergers which have changed the business completely and changed the lives of both the group still in the business and those sadly who were forced out of the business.
The Newspaper business has been slowing going through the same process and now it seems to be speeding up. That is expected but the larger problem is the journalistic side of this process. Newspapers are hugely important to a democratic society whether the average person perceives it or not. The type of journalism newspapers have historically engaged in is the spade work. The tough, long and important work. The investigative reporting that sometimes requires years to get to the bottom of a story. That is very expensive work and the kind of work which has never been matched by the electronic media. In fact the electronic media reads multiple newspapers each day to find stories they want to chase and expand upon. You may get the story first on TV or Radio, but its origin may have been a newspaper story.
Newspaper reporting is what has often kept politics in check. Prime Ministers in check. Big business in check. On a less important scale, it has kept sports in check. Without newspaper reporting would we know about Watergate, Abscam, and in the sports world, Graham James?
The younger generation has become accustomed to getting their news online. Sometimes from online newspapers but too often from other sources. Those other sources often have no journalistic ethics, integrity or accuracy. Too many Internet only users mistake blogs and twitter as actual, true and accurate news.
The decline of the newspaper industry puts all of us at risk of having fewer checks and balances to protect all of us. Without the light the newspaper industry shines on both the good and bad we have less opportunity to cheer hero's and expose villains.
As the newspaper industry transitions more and more to the online world, we all have to hope that the journalistic bar does not drop or we all suffer.
Read a newspaper today. Please.
See you at the rink.
We all in the Radio and TV business have undergone massive change in the last ten years because of technology and mass ownership with the pain of layoffs and mergers which have changed the business completely and changed the lives of both the group still in the business and those sadly who were forced out of the business.
The Newspaper business has been slowing going through the same process and now it seems to be speeding up. That is expected but the larger problem is the journalistic side of this process. Newspapers are hugely important to a democratic society whether the average person perceives it or not. The type of journalism newspapers have historically engaged in is the spade work. The tough, long and important work. The investigative reporting that sometimes requires years to get to the bottom of a story. That is very expensive work and the kind of work which has never been matched by the electronic media. In fact the electronic media reads multiple newspapers each day to find stories they want to chase and expand upon. You may get the story first on TV or Radio, but its origin may have been a newspaper story.
Newspaper reporting is what has often kept politics in check. Prime Ministers in check. Big business in check. On a less important scale, it has kept sports in check. Without newspaper reporting would we know about Watergate, Abscam, and in the sports world, Graham James?
The younger generation has become accustomed to getting their news online. Sometimes from online newspapers but too often from other sources. Those other sources often have no journalistic ethics, integrity or accuracy. Too many Internet only users mistake blogs and twitter as actual, true and accurate news.
The decline of the newspaper industry puts all of us at risk of having fewer checks and balances to protect all of us. Without the light the newspaper industry shines on both the good and bad we have less opportunity to cheer hero's and expose villains.
As the newspaper industry transitions more and more to the online world, we all have to hope that the journalistic bar does not drop or we all suffer.
Read a newspaper today. Please.
See you at the rink.
Friday, May 25, 2012
You want the dirty words too?
There is a debate about the broadcast position between the benches during NHL games. Some believe that Pierre McGuire from NBC and Glenn Healy from HNIC should have told viewers what was being said between the two head coaches in the NYR/N.J series. Really? Does anyone really believe the journalistic integrity of either broadcast was cheapened by not repeating the insults and swearing between the two coaches?
The short sighted nature of this request is the fact that, the position between the benches is not one the teams have to allow. If commentators start relating exact verbiage of coaches or players exchanges it would not be long before teams refused to allow access to that area and then the viewer’s get nothing from that perspective. The other reality is families watch these broadcasts. You don't want kids hearing those words.
The print journalists who are up in arms over this are hypocrites. I don't know any print journalists who don't keep off the record conversations private; knowing that burning a source means they will never trust you again. You might be a star for one day, but then never get another piece of important information from that source. The perspective of keeping some information private to allow you to have a relationship with a source which will get you the big story later is not new and in fact happens every day. The print journalists who claim "viewers have a right to know" make me laugh. Print journalists withhold juicy information every day but somehow they are journalists and the men between the benches are shills?
If you want the between the bench perspective live, you have to accept that they will tell you about what they are yelling about but not the words they use. They will tell you a player is injured but not what the injury is. They will tell you about the general theme of a coach's speech to his players, but not the exact script. More than that means the privilege of being between the benches will be revoked.
The contention that a separate audio feed could be provided for a fee so fans who want to hear every word is also not realistic. The cost of a separate feed could never be recouped and how many fans really want to hear coaches and players swearing? Is it really that big a thrill? Players and coaches also have to be able to vent emotion within the field of play without being embarrassed in the media for it. They have to be allowed to have some parts of the game which remain theirs alone.
See you at the rink.
The short sighted nature of this request is the fact that, the position between the benches is not one the teams have to allow. If commentators start relating exact verbiage of coaches or players exchanges it would not be long before teams refused to allow access to that area and then the viewer’s get nothing from that perspective. The other reality is families watch these broadcasts. You don't want kids hearing those words.
The print journalists who are up in arms over this are hypocrites. I don't know any print journalists who don't keep off the record conversations private; knowing that burning a source means they will never trust you again. You might be a star for one day, but then never get another piece of important information from that source. The perspective of keeping some information private to allow you to have a relationship with a source which will get you the big story later is not new and in fact happens every day. The print journalists who claim "viewers have a right to know" make me laugh. Print journalists withhold juicy information every day but somehow they are journalists and the men between the benches are shills?
If you want the between the bench perspective live, you have to accept that they will tell you about what they are yelling about but not the words they use. They will tell you a player is injured but not what the injury is. They will tell you about the general theme of a coach's speech to his players, but not the exact script. More than that means the privilege of being between the benches will be revoked.
The contention that a separate audio feed could be provided for a fee so fans who want to hear every word is also not realistic. The cost of a separate feed could never be recouped and how many fans really want to hear coaches and players swearing? Is it really that big a thrill? Players and coaches also have to be able to vent emotion within the field of play without being embarrassed in the media for it. They have to be allowed to have some parts of the game which remain theirs alone.
See you at the rink.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Time for the Media to walk out on Tortorella
Today's mandatory media briefing with Rangers head coach John Tortorella lasted all of 68 seconds. These daily NHL mandated get togethers were a joke during the Ottawa/NYR series. They were no better in the 2nd round and now in the Conference Final they continue to be a complete waste of every one's time.
Here is the transcript of today's epic exchange.
Q. The guys you brought up, how do you use them, not in the series, but what is the thought behind having them up here?
COACH TORTORELLA: Just have players ready to play in case we run into injuries.
Q. What has been the key do you think of your strong recent third periods?
COACH TORTORELLA: Staying with it.
Q. Being aggressive?
COACH TORTORELLA: Staying with it.
Q. John, if you've got a guy who is not going offensively that you know can. What has historically been your tactic? Do you talk to him? Do you just ride it out?
COACH TORTORELLA: Depends on the player. Depends on the player, depends on the situation. It's a question that I can't answer because it all depends on the situation.
Q. So if I asked you about Ryan Callahan?
COACH TORTORELLA: I won't answer.
John Tortorella is behaving in a completely childish and unprofessional manor. It is just that simple. I know and admire John as a coach but this is an embarrassment to both him personally, the Rangers and the NHL.
Like it or not, the media is the conduit to the fans. If you treat the media this way you are snubbing and disrespecting the fans of the game. That is unacceptable.
Tortorella is clearly still angry over the fines he was forced to pay this season for his public opinions and the words he used to express himself, many of them of the four letter variety. He always tells his players to let things go and be professional. To have restraint and skate away from situations which could hurt the team. The coach needs to listen to his own advice.
Every question from the media is not going to be an award winner. There will be some dumb ones. Show some professionalism and answer as politely as you can and move on to the next questions. Refusing to answer any questions about players, their health, systems, situations and general tactics is out of line. Those questions are legitimate and are top of mind with the fans. That's who you are really answering to. The fans.
John's boss Glen Sather needs to step in and help his coach here. If Glen can't impart his experiences and more help is needed then dip into the massive Ranger budget and get him some anger management help.
Below is a link to a USA today story about how the Yankees handle their media training with the players and coaches. It is enlightened and realistic. The Yankees face far more scrutiny every day than the Ranger coach faces in an entire season. If they can find a way to professionally deal with the media I'm sure John Tortorella can too.
Or he can continue the angry child routine which has been soooo worth while for everyone involved.
It might be time for the media to get up and walk out when he takes the podium. He is under the impression they are wasting his time while the fact is he is wasting all of ours and thumbing his nose at the fans in the process.
See you at the rink.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/al/yankees/story/2012-04-12/Yankees-player-media-training/54238364/1
Here is the transcript of today's epic exchange.
Q. The guys you brought up, how do you use them, not in the series, but what is the thought behind having them up here?
COACH TORTORELLA: Just have players ready to play in case we run into injuries.
Q. What has been the key do you think of your strong recent third periods?
COACH TORTORELLA: Staying with it.
Q. Being aggressive?
COACH TORTORELLA: Staying with it.
Q. John, if you've got a guy who is not going offensively that you know can. What has historically been your tactic? Do you talk to him? Do you just ride it out?
COACH TORTORELLA: Depends on the player. Depends on the player, depends on the situation. It's a question that I can't answer because it all depends on the situation.
Q. So if I asked you about Ryan Callahan?
COACH TORTORELLA: I won't answer.
John Tortorella is behaving in a completely childish and unprofessional manor. It is just that simple. I know and admire John as a coach but this is an embarrassment to both him personally, the Rangers and the NHL.
Like it or not, the media is the conduit to the fans. If you treat the media this way you are snubbing and disrespecting the fans of the game. That is unacceptable.
Tortorella is clearly still angry over the fines he was forced to pay this season for his public opinions and the words he used to express himself, many of them of the four letter variety. He always tells his players to let things go and be professional. To have restraint and skate away from situations which could hurt the team. The coach needs to listen to his own advice.
Every question from the media is not going to be an award winner. There will be some dumb ones. Show some professionalism and answer as politely as you can and move on to the next questions. Refusing to answer any questions about players, their health, systems, situations and general tactics is out of line. Those questions are legitimate and are top of mind with the fans. That's who you are really answering to. The fans.
John's boss Glen Sather needs to step in and help his coach here. If Glen can't impart his experiences and more help is needed then dip into the massive Ranger budget and get him some anger management help.
Below is a link to a USA today story about how the Yankees handle their media training with the players and coaches. It is enlightened and realistic. The Yankees face far more scrutiny every day than the Ranger coach faces in an entire season. If they can find a way to professionally deal with the media I'm sure John Tortorella can too.
Or he can continue the angry child routine which has been soooo worth while for everyone involved.
It might be time for the media to get up and walk out when he takes the podium. He is under the impression they are wasting his time while the fact is he is wasting all of ours and thumbing his nose at the fans in the process.
See you at the rink.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/al/yankees/story/2012-04-12/Yankees-player-media-training/54238364/1
Friday, May 4, 2012
Who is the NHLPA protecting?
The NHLPA is appealing the 25 game suspension of Raffi Torres for his illegal hit on Marian Hossa. Understandable that the union wants to give a dues paying member the representation he pays them for but who is the association really protecting? Is Hossa OK with this? Was Hossa asked if he disagrees with the union (he also pays massive dues to), asking the league to reduce the punishment for the man who devastated him?
This association too often sides with the offenders and forgets about the victims. Has the NHLPA ever considered applying its own internal sanctions against players who intentionally injure other dues paying members? If you walked up to someone in your office and tried to take their head off you would likely be fired and the victim would have the right to file both criminal and civil charges with the full backing of his/her union. Does Hossa have any of these rights?
The other bothersome part of this is the utter uselessness of it. With Commissioner Garry Bettman being the sole adjudicator, he has never overturned or lessened a suspension. This one will not be the first.
The situation only points out again, that third party arbitration is required. The league already does this with salary arbitration where independently hired judges handle all arbitration cases. Why not third party arbitrators to handle suspension and supplementary discipline appeals?
The answer is a simple one. The NHL never wants to allow an outside voice to judge the type and severity of discipline it hands out. Salary arbitration is a simple dollars and cents procedure based on publicly available salary and statistical comparables.
Using the NHL's past history of suspensions and fines measured against the actions which caused the discipline, would only point out and embarrass the NHL. An independent adjudicator would have to try and make heads or tails of the jumble of mixed messages, star weighted decisions and inconsistent rulings and non-rulings over the years. In other words the NHL would never want a third party to shine a light on how badly they have managed this area of their business over the years.
See you at the rink.
This association too often sides with the offenders and forgets about the victims. Has the NHLPA ever considered applying its own internal sanctions against players who intentionally injure other dues paying members? If you walked up to someone in your office and tried to take their head off you would likely be fired and the victim would have the right to file both criminal and civil charges with the full backing of his/her union. Does Hossa have any of these rights?
The other bothersome part of this is the utter uselessness of it. With Commissioner Garry Bettman being the sole adjudicator, he has never overturned or lessened a suspension. This one will not be the first.
The situation only points out again, that third party arbitration is required. The league already does this with salary arbitration where independently hired judges handle all arbitration cases. Why not third party arbitrators to handle suspension and supplementary discipline appeals?
The answer is a simple one. The NHL never wants to allow an outside voice to judge the type and severity of discipline it hands out. Salary arbitration is a simple dollars and cents procedure based on publicly available salary and statistical comparables.
Using the NHL's past history of suspensions and fines measured against the actions which caused the discipline, would only point out and embarrass the NHL. An independent adjudicator would have to try and make heads or tails of the jumble of mixed messages, star weighted decisions and inconsistent rulings and non-rulings over the years. In other words the NHL would never want a third party to shine a light on how badly they have managed this area of their business over the years.
See you at the rink.
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