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NHL Lock-out, you can help!

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Malakhov

Banned
Since September 11, 2001, Americans and Canadians have come together as never before in our generation. We have banded together to overcome tremendous adversity. We have weathered direct attacks on our own soil, wars overseas, corporate/government scandal, layoffs, unemployment, stock price plunges, droughts, fires, mad cow, SARS, high gasoline prices, and a myriad of economic and physical disasters both great and small. But now, we must come together once again to overcome our greatest challenge yet.

Hundreds of Professional Hockey players in our very own nation are going to be locked out, living at well below the seven-figure salary level. And as if that weren't bad enough they could be deprived of their life giving pay for several months, possibly longer, as a result of the upcoming lockout situation. But you can help!

For only $20,835 a month, about $694.50 a day (that's less than the cost of a large screen projection TV) you can help an NHL player remain economically viable during his time of need. This contribution by no means solves the problem as it barely covers the annual minimum salary, but it's a start, and every little bit will help!

Although $700 may not seem like a lot of money to you, to a hockey Player it could mean the difference between spending the lockout golfing in Florida or on a Mediterranean cruise. For you, seven hundred dollars is nothing more than a month's rent, half a mortgage payment, or a month of medical insurance, but to a hockey player, $700
will partially replace his daily salary.

Your commitment of less than $700 a day will enable a player to buy that home entertainment center, trade in the year-old Lexus for a new Ferrari, or enjoy a weekend in Rio.

HOW WILL I KNOW I'M HELPING?

Each month, you will receive a complete financial report on the player you sponsor. Detailed information about his stocks, bonds, 401(k), real estate, and other investment holdings will be mailed to your home. Plus, upon signing up for this program, you will receive an unsigned photo of the player lounging during the lockout on a beach somewhere in the Caribbean (for a signed photo, please include an additional $150). Put the photo on your refrigerator to remind you of other peoples' suffering.

HOW WILL HE KNOW I'M HELPING?

Your NHL player will be told that he has a SPECIAL FRIEND who just wants to help in a time of need. Although the player won't know your name, he will be able to make collect calls to your home via a special operator in case additional funds are needed for unforeseen expenses.

YES, I WANT TO HELP!
I would like to sponsor a locked out NHL player. My preference is (check below):

[ ] Forward [ ] Defenseman [ ] Goaltender [ ] Entire team (Please call our 900 number to ask for the cost of a specific team - $10 per minute) [ ] Jaromir Jagr (Higher cost: $32,000 per day)

Please charge the account listed below $694.50 per day for the duration of the lockout. Please send me a picture of the player I have sponsored, along with an Jaromir Jagr 2001 Income Statement and my very own Bob Goodenow (Executive Director of the NHLPA player's Union) pin to wear proudly on my hat (include $80 for hat).

Your Name: _______________________

Telephone Number: _______________________

Account Number: _______________________ Exp.Date:_______

[ ] MasterCard [ ] Visa [ ] American Express [ ] Other

Signature: _______________________

Alternate card (when the primary card exceeds its credit limit):

Account Number: _______________________ Exp.Date:_______

[ ] MasterCard [ ] Visa [ ] American Express [ ] Other

Signature: _______________________
 

Matrix

LeBron loves his girlfriend. There is no other woman in the world he’d rather have. The problem is, Dwyane’s not a woman.
It's time for a field Hockey league.It's time the man stopped keeping the field hockey players down...SHOW THEM THE MONEY!


hockey.gif
 

Malakhov

Banned
darscot said:
This letter is so lame. I swear it was started by an owner.
Taking sides with greedy millionaires is lame.
Both the players AND the owners are in the same boat and like the usual, it's the fans that will pay for it. How about we do a lockout because of ticket prices etc.. ?
 

TheQueen'sOwn

insert blank space here
HAH! :D That's awesome!

Damn greedy bastards can have a lockout for all I care... maybe it's time they learn that they aren't really worth 3-4 million dollars (cause if they don't, the NHL is going to go tits up).

If they really want to be successful they should learn from the NFL and impose salary caps.
I will only feel sorry for those who don't care about the money and aren't able to play because of a lockout (Stevey Y for instance, someone who might only play one more year... or not at all because of a lockout).
 

Shinobi

Member
lol.gif
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I thought that was good stuff.

If I had to pick a side it would be the players, simply because I don't blame them for accepting the ridiculous money that these idiotic owners were paying for the last ten years. Why should the players help the owners fix their mistakes? Of course the flip side is that if owners vastly reduced their spending, the players union would cry collusion. Then again, couldn't they cry that now?

Either way I couldn't care less what happens. I'm sick of having hockey being thrown into my face 24/7 in this town anyway, and the best thing that could happen would be to see them gone for two years, just so idiot Leaf fans can get a fucking life and realize that there are other things they can do to pass the time.
 

Malakhov

Banned
Well if I had to really pick a side, I'd pick the owner's side because I'd love a salary cap of maybe 35-40 millions. It would give us way better hockey since the teams couldn't buy their way to the cup. You want that 10 millions a year player? Fine, go ahead with it but then you won't have much to surround him with.

Aw well, we just have to wait and see.
 

Fifty

Member
I'd pick the owners side as well. The players are playing in a sport that's far from top-tier in the public's eye. (in the US, where the money is)

They want to get paid like football and basketball players, but the league is in disarray....Bowling is more popular (on TV)

They know that if a cap comes into place, they won't get these disgusting contracts, so they're doing everything they can do keep it in place. Of course I'm going to side with the owners, even if they haven't mangaged the situation as good as they could have.
 

darscot

Member
I'm going to pick my season ticket today. So don't cry to me about what it costs. The owners have done this to theselves now their crying to the players to fix it. I'm for doing whatever it takes to being the salaries down but let's not pretend its the players fault.
 

Shinobi

Member
Malakhov said:
Well if I had to really pick a side, I'd pick the owner's side because I'd love a salary cap of maybe 35-40 millions. It would give us way better hockey since the teams couldn't buy their way to the cup. You want that 10 millions a year player? Fine, go ahead with it but then you won't have much to surround him with.

The idea that a salary cap would suddenly improve the quality of hockey is a crock of shit. We already saw the most competitive NHL in the last twenty years where there was no clear favourite for the cup, where teams were seperated by one, two or three points going all the way down the line, where a third of the playoff spots weren't decided till the last day of the season, and where every team in the playoffs had a realistic shot of advancing at least past the first round with the exception of the Islanders. And that was all done with the current system. Teams finally decided to make the CBA work for them, a deal where players can't even think of going to another team until they're 31, and where restricted free agency is nothing but a joke. So really, what's the problem? WTF didn't these dumb fuck owners do this before?

As for the quality of hockey, having a bunch of teams playing at the same medicore level isn't going to change that. It'll make it more competitive, but it's still gonna be the same boring ass dump and chase/trap crap. Hell, with talent being spread even more thin throughout the rosters, the defense first style of play would become even more prelevant. That's the last thing this league needs.

Keep in mind that I'm not saying salaries shouldn't come down. They've been obscene for years...a league that has always had a piddly TV deal, is gate driven, and these days is closer to the MLS and Arena Football League in terms of popualrity then the new big four (NFL, NASCAR, MLB and NBA in that order), the salaries in this league have never made any sense. And it isn't the star players making the big ticket that's been the real killer, though it hasn't helped...it's third or fourth line players who score ten goals and thirty points a year getting 2.5 mill that's thrown the entire financial situation out of whack. But if you're that third or fourth line player, would you turn that down? You're a fucking liar if you say so.
 

TheQueen'sOwn

insert blank space here
Shinobi said:
Hell, with talent being spread even more thin throughout the rosters, the defense first style of play would become even more prelevant. That's the last thing this league needs.

IAWTP !!
 

bishoptl

Banstick Emeritus
Yeah! A fucking liar! Who lies! and fucks!

Seriously, though, let's contract a few teams and hold a dispersal draft. That should up the quality of the league overall and get a few of these scrub players into the IHL or over in Europe where they belong. I nominate:

Atlanta
Florida
Carolina
Anaheim
Pittsburgh
Phoenix

I'd hate to kill off the Penguins, but unless they get a new arena and some community support (ingrates, don't you recognize what Lemieux has done for you?) they shouldn't have a team. Put a team in Winnipeg, another in Hamilton and disperse the remaining players...it's obvious that the hot-weather US locations don't give a shit about hockey, while Canadian cities are gagging for it. So why not go where your market is?
 

Malakhov

Banned
I really don't want to see pittsburgh go, I loved that team so much when I was young watching Lemieux play. Plus haven't they just gotten a deal involving slots machines in Pittsburgh that will help fund the Pens a bit?
 

Shinobi

Member
Yeah, I'd like to see Pittsburg stay if possible. They've had no reason to support the team the last few years with Mario just giving players away, but they've proved they'll support the team if there's a decent product or something of value to watch. I couldn't agree more on the other teams though...blow 'em the fuck outta here. The NHL should have no more then 24 teams, and even that might be pushing it. They also need to reduce the number of games played by about ten, though at least they're talking about that notion seriously (maybe there's hope for the league yet).
 

Shinobi

Member
I'll have to read this tomorrow (well, later today...heh).

BTW, how much entertainment has the WHA given you so far? So far it's made the XFL look like a polished product. "Hey, let's hold player draft two months before the start of the season, even though two of our teams don't have leases for buildings, and another franchise doesn't even have a city named for it yet!!" Unfuckingbelievable...
 
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