We Lost 1/2 A Season For??

1) Finally, there will be NHL hockey.  Both sides hammered out a new CBA after a marathon session this past Saturday in New York.  From what we have heard it could have gone either way, but in the end the players decided it was best to accept security than uncertainty regardless that they took a bath. We don't buy for a millisecond the story line that 'the players stood there ground', etc. They lost, big time!  Perhaps not quite as decisively as 8 years ago, but a loss is a loss.

2) The question we have to ask, is "What took so dam long"???  As we have written on numerous occasions, once "Hockey Related Revenue" and how it will be split are agreed upon, all other issues (other than revenue sharing) don't change the ultimate goal of reducing the amount players collectively receive.  50% is fifty percent (half)  The number of years on a contract, how each year varies, the age of UFA, etc are all secondary once we know the primary split of the money.  Certainly NOT issues that we should have lost 1/2 a season for!  In our opinion once the season was in jeopardy the players should have disbanded the union. Yes, it would have meant the season would be lost BUT it would also prevent the owners from avoiding multiple costly law suits. We bet that as soon as the players invoked the dissolution of the union that the NHL would have no choice but to relent to almost any NHLPA demand. The players blinked first. 

3) So now going forward we will likely NOT have another lockout for 10 years. Like before, the players won't opt out early (8 years) as most who are playing then will not have been involved in this labour dispute and be comfortable at their current (50%) share. As we mentioned last time, we fully expect the owners to further ratchet down the players share in 10 years to around 40-43% . By that time both the NBA and NFL will have similar splits as well.  The time to stem the 'bleeding' is past. The players lost the potential to win big, but instead chose safety. We cant totally blame them, but are disappointed that it took so long to get so little. So on to the season.  Looks like 1/19/13 is going to be the starting date on the abbreviated season. We will post our Reader's Digest' predictions, and other pertinent posts in the upcoming days.
As always, keep it here for all the latest!