HOCKEY FANS: salary cap mayhem

[skydiver30960 0]

Pick your favorite source of hockey gossip and check out the mass destruction that is happening to your favorite team because of the new salary cap. Franchise icons are getting tanked left and right:

Hatcher
McCarty
Whitney

all getting the boot from the Wings, and

Forsberg
Foote

bidding adieu to the Avalanche. Also,

LeClair
Amonte

not with the Flyers anymore.

Without a doubt, between the team changes and the rule changes, it's going to be a COMPLETELY different league on October 5, for better or worse...

not sure how I feel. I'll be sure to keep you informed as emotions gel, as I'm sure you won't sleep well until you know my opinon in this matter.

Elvisio "I PAY to skate, instead of getting paid" Rodriguez

[ccowden 0]

Although, I am not really happy with the fact that some franchise players have to be cut loose, namely John LeClair, I DO feel that this is a good thing for hockey. It will be a bit crazy for the first year, but in the end it will make it a much more competitive league and also give many teams, who were close to going under, a rebirth.

As far as the rule changes, I like most. Speeding up the game flow is the main objective with the elimination of the two line pass, the new tag up rule for offsides, not allowing the goaltender to play the puck in the corners, and the linesmen's ability to wave off icing in more situations. I like all of these rule changes. I am not, however, a fan of the shootout. I like the overtime and ties the way they were.

I am so glad hockey is back, and I am really excited to see the "new" NHL.

Go Flyers!

[DeNReN 0]

Hockey???....isnt that what amature golfers do in the winter?

[skymedic 0]

I'm a huge fan of the shoot out's....great idea. I think they still need to reduce the size of the goalie pads and move the goal line back about 5feet to open up more offensive opportunities.


but I am overall happy with the salary cap. it was needed. hockey was bleeding from over paid players with no revenue to support some of them in smaller markets..errr... make that less supportive markets.

Marc
otherwise known as Mr.Fallinwoman....

[Clite 0]

I can understand letting go of the big tough guys who play a physical game. Since the new rules favor the fast puck handler and goal scoring machines. I too have mixed feelings about the upcoming season and hate seeing teams I grew to like changing so drastically. I am willing to bet alot of these player may actually resign with the same teams for lesser money once they realize noone can afford them. Bring on the mayhem, its a hellofalot better then nothing.

[FreeflyChile 0]

the whole hockey lockout thing was stupid in that they considered themselves one of the "big 4" in US sports. had the players realized that the big four is now baseball, football, basketball and (unfortunately) nascar, they may have actually used common sense. while i am all for the atheletes trying to get as much as they can, i can't say i agree with their stand which essentially proved the irrelevancy of hockey when it comes to the american viewing public. after all they wanted to stay with a salary system that actually paid more per player (average) than football. i'm not a big hockey fan, or really a hockey fan at all....so i hope i dont anger anyone with this rant...but i do find the dynamic of a league strifing with itself when its biggest problem is an apathetic public fascinating and i am interested to see how the rule changes play out.

i also think the league needs to fix things so that one of the major cities (NY, Chicago, or LA) has a winning team to drum up interest. as i see it in chicago, i'd place the interest in the blackhawks probably below the Chicago Fire soccer team....

oh yeah, im kinda drunk as i type this....

[cocheese 0]

McCarty needs to come back for another skydive, then we'll go see his rock band again.
Pro sports need to start over. $10 tickets
$1 hot dogs, $2 beer.
I'd rather watch a student land than some over paid guy thinking he's all that.

[kingbunky 3]

fixing the nhl would have been much simpler if they'd taken my advice

rule 1: all nhl teams must play at least one home game per year on natural ice. phoenix, tampa bay, san jose etc, yer outa there.

rule 2. all nhl players must have lived within 200 miles of the team they play for for at least 10 years. you wanna root for your home team, they should be hometown boys, not some overpaid import.

rule 3. cut it back to about 16 teams. the talent pool is getting too shallow.

that should about do it. but what do i care, i'd rather watch paint dry than most professional sports anyway, and i'm a nascar fan besides.

"Hang on a sec, the young'uns are throwin' beer cans at a golf cart."
MB4252 TDS699
killing threads since 2001

[masterrig 1]

It was all about Gary Bettman! He got what he wanted. When he first became the 'commish' of the NHL, he wanted another expansion. Hockey hasn't gone-over well in those 'espansion' cities. He watched the minor league teams as to their 'method' of playing the game and brought those ideas to the NHL, ie the 'shoot-out, to avoid tie games. Bettman wanted the game sped up. He wanted a salary cap so that those teams that were 'hurting' could stay-up with the 'big boys'. That way, he could say that his idea of expansion worked. To the 'purist', the new game will be a hard pill to swallow. The goalie pads have been reduced in size, the net has been moved back by 2'. The center line is gone and icing penalties will be difficult to asess because two-line passes will be allowed. Bettman 'swears', it's all for the fans. I'm not buying it. It's all about Bettman. There's talk also, he will step-down as comissioner of the NHL at the end of the up-coming season, if not, the end of this year. The way the game is now, older players won't be able to keep up. It'll be all about youth and speed. I agree, with the idea of reducing the League by about 10-teams. The 'player pool' is, way too shallow. We'll have to see how it goes!


Chuck

[lawrocket 3]

Well, my beloved LA Kings got back beloved Luc Robitaille. So it looks like the Kings are busy signing and not yet dumping. We better keep Palffy.

As far as the rule changes, I think they will speed up the game and seek to avoid a lot of the neutral zone trapping that has been the norm the last few years. It was a joy for me to watch (I love defensive games) but most people would rather see scoring. This is aided by the removal of the two line pass.

I also like the reversion to smaller goalie pad dimensions. Go back to old films of Ken Dryden and Rogie Vachon and look at the padding on them. They were more exposed to contact but worked harder. The goalies shouldn't look like the Michelin Man.

On the whole I like the changes, and for this reason - the NHL Competition Committee has players on it. You've got Linden, Blake, Iginla and Shanahan on the committee to go over rule changes. Then you've got four general managers. Only one owner. Players having a strong say in the rules is a good thing. Keep the GMs and owners in check.

Specific rule changes:
1) Net back 2 feet (11 feet from boards) will allow less crowding in the slot.

2) Decreased neutral zone leaves more space for attacking - taht extra two feet in each attack zone will make a difference.

3) Two-line pass allowed - will speed the transition and make for some higher risk plays. It will mitigate Jacques Lemaire and his disciples somewhat because those defensive schemes pounced on NHL rule changes that sought to even the league with Edmonton in the early 1980's that robbed the game of speed. This will be a much faster games.

4) Tag-Up Rule reinstated - no automatic offsides if a player is in the attack zone before the puck crosses the blue line. The offensive players can tag up. I think this is the most interesting. There will be plenty of choices to be made in counter attacks and linechanges with this.

5) Icing - The team that ices the puck cannot change lines for the faceoff. This puts great onus on the coaches and the players. VCan imagine the last 90 seconds of a game with a sixth attacker and the defensive team just spent from defending it and icing the puck will only give them a few seconds of rest? This I think is another highly interesting rule change that will certainly put the coaching to test. (You can probably tell I love the coaching aspects)

6) Goalie pads - discussed above.

7) Goalie may only play the puck behind the goal line only in a trapezoid-shaped area defined by lines that begin six feet from either goal post and extend diagonally to points 28 feet apart at the endboards. I see this rule as a counter rule to the smaller goalie pads rule - it prevents jarring contact and checks on the goalie. With smaller pads, the risks to the goalie need to be mitigated and this mitigates a lot of it. It also speeds up play.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[livendive 8]

Now if only we could get a salary cap in baseball.

Blues,
Dave

"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!"
(drink Mountain Dew)

[tharv17 0]

I like a lot of the rule changes and I think players are going to be very sensitive to the fact that alot of hard core fans are pissed and alot of regular fans havent missed hockey at all. I thought Shanahan did a great job at the press conference. Bettman and Goodenow are both idiots.

I was practically starving all winter! Drove all over the place to catch games in the A and the Coast as well as some college games.
Really looking forward to hit up some NHL games in the fall. Sucks that alot of character guys for some teams are being offloaded. Thats why its good to be a ranger fan, we have no character guys anymore.

[masterrig 1]

I think, it's going to take some getting used to, what with the rules changes and all. The smaller goalie pads I think, will sort out the goalies from the real goal tenders. Terry Sawchuck had narrow pads and Gump Worsley had smaller pads. Along with a few others over the years, Dryden and etc., we'll see if Giguirre is so good now! I can't believe, Colorado is dumping Forsberg! there's teams out there, would give their left testicle for him. that guy is amazing on the ice! Too bad he has such a high price-tag. I'm kind of anxious to see how it all works-out. I'm not sure I like some of the rules changes but, we'll see. It's been a long dry spell.


Chuck

[tharv17 0]

Keep in mind that Forsberg has a history of collective injuries that have seen him miss almost an entire season. Some people say that even as the tough and absolutely amazing player he is, he would prefer to play in his native Sweden. I would not be so sad in colorado....Joe Sakic, tanguay, hejduk, svatos had a good year in hershey too last year.

I would have liked to see the instigator rule removed. I think giving enforcers the ability to beat someone up for a cheap hit or even any hit on a smaller or franchise type player allowed the players to police themselves. The way it is now players get creamed and there is nothing you can do about it. As crazy don cherry says, Wayne GRetzky rarely got hit because anyone who wanted to knew they would have to answer to either Marty Mcsorley, or KEvin McClelland or both.

[masterrig 1]

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Keep in mind that Forsberg has a history of collective injuries that have seen him miss almost an entire season. Some people say that even as the tough and absolutely amazing player he is, he would prefer to play in his native Sweden. I would not be so sad in colorado....Joe Sakic, tanguay, hejduk, svatos had a good year in hershey too last year.

I would have liked to see the instigator rule removed. I think giving enforcers the ability to beat someone up for a cheap hit or even any hit on a smaller or franchise type player allowed the players to police themselves. The way it is now players get creamed and there is nothing you can do about it. As crazy don cherry says, Wayne GRetzky rarely got hit because anyone who wanted to knew they would have to answer to either Marty Mcsorley, or KEvin McClelland or both.

________________________________________

Maybe, it's the sentimentalist in me but, Forsberg (when he's healthy) can be magic on ice with a stick and puck. Marty McSorley was a 'goon's goon'! Some of his actions on ice were shy of a 'felony'. I think, he was charged with one! I believe, the days of 'goon squad' hockey are gone. I think, we'll be seeing higher scoring games and a lot less blood on the ice. One of the slickest players of the game, for causing injuries to other players, was Gordie Howe! He rarely got caught. I'll see, how I feel about the 'new' hockey next June.


Chuck

[murrays 0]

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One of the slickest players of the game, for causing injuries to other players, was Gordie Howe! He rarely got caught. I'll see, how I feel about the 'new' hockey next June.


Chuck

Gordie was a "franchise player" that didn't need anybody to fight his battles for him. He never lost a fight. I saw him this winter when he came to Saskatoon for a special night honoring him at a Saskatoon Blades game. He looks damn good for a man in his mid-70's!!

During one of the presentations they lined up for pictures and Gordie was faking elbows to the jaws of the people standing next to him..it was pretty funny.

--
Murray

"No tyranny is so irksome as petty tyranny: the officious demands of policemen, government clerks, and electromechanical gadgets." - Edward Abbey

[masterrig 1]

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One of the slickest players of the game, for causing injuries to other players, was Gordie Howe! He rarely got caught. I'll see, how I feel about the 'new' hockey next June.


Chuck

Gordie was a "franchise player" that didn't need anybody to fight his battles for him. He never lost a fight. I saw him this winter when he came to Saskatoon for a special night honoring him at a Saskatoon Blades game. He looks damn good for a man in his mid-70's!!

During one of the presentations they lined up for pictures and Gordie was faking elbows to the jaws of the people standing next to him..it was pretty funny.

___________________________________

Neat story!
Things were a lot different in Gordie's day! He was pretty good with his elbows and stick. His book is pretty good, too. Lot of good stuff in it . "and... Howe". One of the many cool things Gordie got to do was play professional hockey with his two sons; Mark and Marty. That was the old World Hockey League and they played for the Houston Aeros. One team that was not 'absorbed' by the NHL. The three Howes, recieved 1-million (U.S.D.) a year.


Chuck

[crotalus01 0]

anything that gets the sport back up and running...i will see if i like the new rules or not when the season finally starts. a year without hockey is like a year without skydiving to me (although given the choice....)

As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD...

[masterrig 1]

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anything that gets the sport back up and running...i will see if i like the new rules or not when the season finally starts. a year without hockey is like a year without skydiving to me (although given the choice....)

___________________________

I know, what you mean.


Chuck