What happened to the draft thread? I thought you guys got a bracket going?

Nice deflection. Yes, cities are dumb because they overpay for the benefit, but everyone already agrees arenas make a revenue stream, and it's by far not all local dollars. A large part of that money comes from outside the city limits. So whether or not the mayor gave a team too much is completely irrelevant.

Big business does not work like this. Every penny is scrutinized. You are confusing Joe Billionaire buying a limited production Ferrari and a Patek instead of an Omega and M3. Both do basically the same thing but he can afford it so he does and nobody else is affected. This type of whim cannot be exercised at the corporate level unless you are the sole owner which would be rare. Even the "sole" owners usually have family and other financial commitments within the corporate structure. Everyone invested is looking to get as big a piece of the pie as possible and spending the pie to win RANGZ will not work for most investors because...well.... they are investors.

That's the nice answer.

So if the group of owners that are pushing this thing also have the most to lose if a season is lost, isn't the clear play for the NHLPA to just wait them out?

Damn. It would be ideal then if we could just get a bunch of guys like Mark Cuban to buy up all 30 franchises. But that is Bettman's worst nightmare since he single handedly destroyed Jim Balsillie and Blackberry along with it.

Really, no one attributes the downfall of Blackberry to Gary Bettman, but the start of the downfall is directly correlated to Balsillie getting blocked on his NHL purchases. Bettman ruined him. What a ****er.

Anyways, I'm sure the families of Molson, Bell and Rogers are pleased to get as large of a piece of the pie as they can. Poor Molson, Bell and Rogers. Working so hard for their money.

No while Ballsillie worried about the hockey team the braintrust at Rim didn't work on their own browser/operating system or look to licence googles, apples or even MS's. One of those steps had to be taken. They got and are now so far behind its almost pointless. They have lost half their users in the last year.

I just don't think arenas generate all that much incidental business around the arena. Like I said, the immediate vicinity of the arena will suffer, but most other cities offer non-hockey entertainments. Plus, it's not like these arenas go totally dark - there are still concerts and the like, and for many of them, there's also the NBA.

I am pretty sure I saw a study done on the 2005 lockout that tried to find the effects and had a hard time finding them. I also saw a study cited about what happened when the Winnipeg Jets moved to Phoenix - other businesses picked up what was lost by the Jets leaving.

No, because the PA members still lose money they won't get back by doing so. I mean, yeah, I think the NHL's best offer will come in about a month and that's when we will see this lockout end.

Im calling it now- 60 game season, Caps win the cup. They're used to choking in games 83 and on, so the playoffs will feel like regular season to them.

so i went to an AHL game last night (Chicago @ Abbotsford)

not much to report, still a pretty risk-adverse league with guys trying to make it to the show as a depth player by not making mistakes in the minors. Kassian scored a pretty easy goal to open things in the 2nd, came down the left wing, goalie gave him way too much room short-side so he took it. he got MAD in the 3rd and fought Piskula, didn't see what started it tho. scored a nice forehand-backhand deke goal in the shootout as well. (Chicago won 3-0 in the SO)

Geddy will probably be happy to hear that one of the only people who stood out at all was Svensanity Baertschi. made a bunch of nice skill plays, toe-dragged and burned Tanev on one, got a mini-break late on. looked really slick, wouldn't be at all surprised to see him with the big Flames this year just based on this game, ya know, if there's a season. Horak looked decent too, had a nice tip goal, made a few plays as well.

oh, found the highlights, if anyone cares to look at them: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eF7mxz8fV7k

and they play again tonight on Sportsnet One if anyone is interested (7pm PST/10pm EST)

i stand corrected, the Wolves/Heat game is now on Sportsnet Pacific, West, & ONE

they're also showing the Bulldogs/Marlies game in about 30 minutes, on all the Sportsnet channels

Marc Bergevin, General Manager
Sylvain Lefebvre, Head Coach
Donald Dufresne, Assistant Coach
Ron Wilson, Assistant Coach

wait, is that the Ron Wilson?

It's very depressing that right now on CBC I *SHOULD* be seeing Ron McLean present SCOTIABANK: HOCKEY TONIGHT with an elite panel including Mike Milbury, Glen Healy and P.J. Stock.

Instead there is some CBC news special about dentistry.

Holy **** this is sad.

lol Eager, still a clownshoes idiot

and lol LOiLers for paying him to play hockey (in theory)

no i bet it's the other ron wilson who used to play for the habs. can't imagine a dude who's coached a million games in the NHL would immediately run to an assistant coach job.

thought it was obv that i was being mostly rhetorical

also he neither played for nor coached the Habs

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/p...y.php?pid=7913

in the AHL?

would figure he has more than enough money to not immediately jump to an assistant gig in the A and chill while waiting for something better, but i guess he's pathological about coaching or something

am i being leveled? it's the other ron wilson. you didn't realize there are two ron wilsons. or you did and you're making fun of me for reasons i don't understand.

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/p...y.php?pid=5760

it's this guy, who played for the habs.

yeah i forgot the other guy existed (weird they're born a year apart), and once again thought you were being sarcastic



edit: lol the one Ron Wilson actually played for Coachy Ron Wilson in Moncton of the AHL

jesus. i can be sincere. although that sentence needs a comma ('no it's the other ron wilson, who played for the habs' identifies him as a different ron wilson as opposed to a sarcastically different one)

KADRI WHEELS

THIS IS ALMOST AS GOOD AS HNIC

run hotter Marlies

lol Habs!

lol sorry



not quite sure why it keeps happening, mis-reading things, thinking that the insult comic dog is [censored] with me or something, idk...

Marlies running all over the Bulldogs up 5-0, now Louis Leblanc hurts himself in a scuffle with Blackers, limping badly as he's helped down the tunnel...

rut roh?

ROGER MILLIONS doing this Heat/Bulls game

"**********, I was doing so well!"

I have that Zamboni

Zack Kassian BEAST MODE

yet another snipe, dominating without even doing much, just by being huge