Lafleur blows off steam...

[Sniper#39 0]

Intersting comments from one of the "Greats"

Lafleur's Rant

[GekigangarIII 0]

Man, Guy took 'em downtown!

[Neo5370 132]

Damn straight. These players just don't understand.....................hockey isn't one of the Big Four anymore.

They (players) just bit the hand that fed them (the fans).

[Chadd 916]

How in the hell is this all on the players?

[ponty 0]

Agreed Chadd.

I have heard that it came down to six or seven teams rejecting the proposal. Boston and Chicago were to of those teams.

Figures ... they destroyed their franchise and now they have done the same to the NHL.

Lacroix in Colorado was steamed that it did not get done. Colorado is not exactly a hockey hot bed yet it is a very succesful franchise. What the hell is wrong with the rest of the league - outside of Canada of course.

[Eazy_b97 1]

The executive of the NHLPA is made up of "guys at the end of their career who've made their money, don't give a (expletive) about the future of the game and are only thinking about themselves and brainwashing everybody else";

-- If they are only thinking about themselves wouldn't they have took the 42 million rather than waiting till anothe deal can be worked out which will probably mean the end of their career and NO MORE MONEY for them?

Throughout this whole process the players have given up things that they actually have, the owners have just given up things they want. There's a big difference in my opinion.

[MDE3 0]

I loved him when he played, and his comments are as straight forward as was his play.

One of the problems in the whole hockey system, is that it is so controlling from the time a player is entered into the system. It is easy for players to feel they are being manipulated, because they have been manipulated in many ways throughout their carreer...starting as youth players.

I am not talking about house hockey so much, although there is even "politics" at that level, but so much of organized hockey is conducted through backroom meetings of the club officers, coaches etc., and decisions are made for many families and players that are not necessarily fair, or logical..in many cases.

This mentality is so rooted in the whole sport, that it becomes easy to be paranoid and illogical..because the "they" factor is always there..For all their lives "they" have been making decisions that affect the players....this "they" has never been approachable, or accountable from a player's perspective. Now that the players feel that they got "part of the pie", that "they" had been withholding for so long...the players refuse to believe that anything being told to them is not a part of some conspiracy by "they"...and the players are probably right....I just do not think they realize how broad a plan "they" really have, and now have played right into their hands.

By this I am not talking about a conspiracy by the owners to hide their real earnings...I firmly believe that the owners as a group are losing significant money on their investment.

I think what has happened is the old "cry wolf" syndrome....that fear factor that the "they" have been using to keep players in line for so long, has backfired. Now that the controlling interests of the league really need the union/playes to listen...their ears are shut tight. Once this happened, then the owners have decided to really "take control" and are going for a much broader level of control of the league salary conditions, than any cobbled together last minute CBA would have achieved. But the players are still positioned ostrich style, with their heads in the sand, and their ears closed, mumbling "it's all lies..lies.... lies". Much the same position as one who has "dropped the soap" in a prison context......

If the players though that this first go around was painfull...just wait.

[Jim Bob 0]

I have heard that it came down to six or seven teams rejecting the proposal.  Boston and Chicago were to of those teams.

Bettman needed 8 teams to side with him to turn down an offer he didn't like.

If there were 23 or 24 teams willing to take a deal, they could have overridden Bettman and accepted the offer.

[Chadd 916]

I have heard that it came down to six or seven teams rejecting the proposal.  Boston and Chicago were to of those teams.

Bettman needed 8 teams to side with him to turn down an offer he didn't like.

If there were 23 or 24 teams willing to take a deal, they could have overridden Bettman and accepted the offer.

The owners were too divided. There were at least 8 owners willing to kill almost any deal.

[DrMolotov 0]

I could never have said it better, hats off to Guy Lafleur.

If today's players are so smart, why don't they buy a (expletive) franchise and they'll see what's going on.

When the players talk about all the money being made, do they bother to factor the salaries of rink workers, cost of equipment, travel....?

A local Toronto broadcaster had it right when he pointed out , the leagues biggest mistake ever made, was to allow the teams to file for bankruptcy to continue to exist. As a result of allowing those teams to continue there has never been a consequence to the NHLPA in terms of, jobs lost from the team being folded. How many teams were on the brink of collapse before the 94 CBA?

What will it take for the players to realize they're in trouble?

[Jim Bob 0]

I have heard that it came down to six or seven teams rejecting the proposal.  Boston and Chicago were to of those teams.

Bettman needed 8 teams to side with him to turn down an offer he didn't like.

If there were 23 or 24 teams willing to take a deal, they could have overridden Bettman and accepted the offer.

The owners were too divided. There were at least 8 owners willing to kill almost any deal.

Bettman only needed 15 teams to approve a deal that he liked and only needed 8 teams to kill a deal he didn't like.

The 8 hard liners would likely have been SOL if the NHLPA had taken the NHL's last offer.

[Jim Bob 0]

If you thought Guy ripped into the players, check this article out:

http://www.boston.com/sports/hockey/articl...7/ice_breakers/

[Chadd 916]

If you thought Guy ripped into the players, check this article out:

http://www.boston.com/sports/hockey/articl...7/ice_breakers/

He's a columnist, and not one I agree with very often.

[McCabe#1 0]

Good column by that guy in Boston. Players take 95% of the blame here! Just ridiculous that they are offended by a cap of 42.5 million, for a sport that has a TV deal that doesn't guarantee any money, and is about the 10th most popular sport in the US. The players should stick to playing hockey, and not talking money.

[Eazy_b97 1]

It's not the players fault that the game is going down the crapper. They just play the game the way they are told to. They are doing their job just like they were when the game was thriving and growing. They gave into every NHL demand, except 1. From the numbers I am seeing most of the problems in the league are from teams that shouldn't be there.

[Smith 0]

It's not the players fault that the game is going down the crapper. They just play the game the way they are told to. They are doing their job just like they were when the game was thriving and growing. They gave into every NHL demand, except 1. From the numbers I am seeing most of the problems in the league are from teams that shouldn't be there.

The players should be happy thoses teams are there. A lot more jobs.

[Eazy_b97 1]

I am sure they are happy. I don't think they had alot of players asking for more teams though.

[McCabe#1 0]

If you want to blame expansion for it, then you must realize without expansion the last 10 years or so the max. team payroll would probably have been 35 Million. You can't use it both ways. Without expansion, the players have never made much money. You're right in saying it was a false revenue stream, but the players didn't complain then, and they shouldn't complain now when it is all gone.

Teams shouldn't be there, but players never would've made the money they have, if it didn't happen. Don't use it for both sides of the argument.

[Eazy_b97 1]

I am on the players side. I don't use it both ways. I am saying owners came in who don't have the money to compete and come into the situation hoping for a cap, hoping for revenue sharing.

Can't have what both ways? That the payroll would've been $35 mill? I don't disagree it would've been, but now its not and in my opinion the NHL is asking for an awful lot of stuff they've already given. They couldn't control themselves and I believe the 49 million capped what they couldn't control. "I couldn't compete with Detroit at $70 million" is what MacLean said, well you've taken $25 million off of that and given a fresh start with limit of $20 million less than what the top team was paying.

[Chadd 916]

Good column by that guy in Boston.  Players take 95% of the blame here!  Just ridiculous that they are offended by a cap of 42.5 million, for a sport that has a TV deal that doesn't guarantee any money, and is about the 10th most popular sport in the US.  The players should stick to playing hockey, and not talking money.

It's not the 10th most popular sport in the US and it BS to claim that it is. I'm so tired of seeing people bitch and complain and say that the players should take whatever they're offered and be happy about it. It's a lot easier for people who just want some resolution and have no actual stake in it to say things like that. You should be able to talk about their money and they shouldn't? Nice logic.

[McCabe#1 0]

What risk do the players offer into this? NOTHING! I think 42.5 was more than fair. The players gave up nothing. They have no chance of losing any money, the owners do.

I would have no problem watching all AHL players from now on, and all the guys in the NHL can go get a real job if they don't like 1.3 million.

I think if the NHL offered an average salary of 1 million, and said if you don't like you don't have to play, I think there would be no problem finding enough guys for good hockey.

As Bob McCown on the Fan said to Nick Kyprios, "You've never had a real job in your life. You have lost touch with reality"

[McCabe#1 0]

What did they give up???

[Eazy_b97 1]

I'm sorry, but these guys work incredibly hard. I have friends who are drafted, I worked out with an OHL all-star for most of my life. I had to stop because I couldn't keep up.

Players work all of their life for this and even then ALOT don't make it. If they put their time and devotion into other aspects I'm sure they'd be able to work in 90% of the jobs in the world. Do you think 90% of the world would be willing to give the effort and time, but also be able to serve the public as well as these guys?

1.3 million dollars is alot to us. $10/hr is alot to a homeless man, because its alot to them should be working for enough money to keep us above the poverty line?

The players are risking the first half of their lives. They risked it to get to the NHL and they are risking it by playing in it. At any point in time they can be pushed out by another player, or by the league folding, if apperantly they are in that much trouble.

The NHL has the best players in the world and charge the top fee's in the world. Without either of them its the CFL.

I don't want to see fringe hockey players, you pay to see the best of the best. If wanted to see average hockey I can go watch OHL, Tier II or even AHL for next to nothing compared to the NHL. Is it fun? Yes. But it's not the NHL, it will never have the prestige.

[McCabe#1 0]

Theo, I agree with your statement, I can't teach the blind how to see either. You guys just don't get it.

[Eazy_b97 1]

I get exactly what you are saying. I just don't agree with it.