Buzz Hargrove joins NHLPA

[IHeartHabs]

A strike is coming for sure

http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=250403&l...headlines_main

[narduch]

There will be no strike. If anything there will be another owner caused lock out.

[hockeyislife]

Either way, Buzz Hargrove joining the NHLPA is bad news for hockey fans. I fully expect that next year at this time, we will be preparing to see another increase in Texas Hold\'em on TSN, The Score et al.

I guess hockey players just can\'t survive when the average salary is over a million a year.

[narduch]

Again, why are people blaming the players? The league now has a negotiated salary cap with a minimum and maximum. The money has to go to someone. I can\'t fault the players who have receive nice fat contracts post-lock out. That\'s the nature of the game.

The current CBA can be re-opened after this season. But NHLPA holds the exclusive right to re-open the CBA. But the way things are currently going so well in the player\'s favour it is highly doubtful that they will want to see any changes.

Just to re-iterate my point, if there is further labour strife in the future, you can directly blame the OWNERS. They shoved this current salary cap down the player\'s throats and forced hockey fans everywhere to miss a full NHL season and the league isn\'t any more financially stable.

Don\'t let your blind hatred of unions or Buzz Hargrove blind your judgement.

[The Comish]

I thought the players were only allowed to make xx% of revenues. How can the owners possibly claim that they are not making money?

I realize there are many differences between the clubs regarding parking/concession rights, TV rights, marketing, etc, but if you are penny pinching as an NHL owner, you should sell your team (if Lord Bettman allows it) to someone who can afford the cost of doing business in today\'s NHL.

Buzz equates GM with General Motors, not General Managers. Not sure how this can be a good thing

[narduch]

Just a few more points:

-Hargrove was in power for the CAW for about 10 years and during that time they only went on strike once (I believe it was in 1996 with GM). This is for multiple unions.

-He is being hired in an unpaid advisory position as part of a committee to help the NHLPA make key decisions. Its not like he is going to be involved in the day-to-day operations of the union.