The end of the NHL?
On Wednesday, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced the inevitable: the 2004-05 season has been canceled.
It marks the first time a major North American sport has been shut down for an entire season due to labor strife.
The blame goes both ways, equally with the players and owners, but it comes down to one word -- greed. Owners continued to spend liberally to compete with leading clubs, and the players continued to drive up their values beyond what market forces would bear.
Bettman deserves some of the blame, as well. He presided over league administration while growth escalated, and openly encouraged the expansion of the league when some voices warned years ago that the NHL was getting too big for its britches.
The nightmare isn't over, either.
A number of veteran players are nearing (or past) age 40, and by the time the league finally resumes, many of those players may retire. The exodus of future hall of famers will change hockey forever.
The league still has to resolve the salary cap issue, but there are no signs of talks resuming anytime soon.
And when hockey comes back, there will be serious talk of league contraction. The NHL is now made up of 30 teams, including cities like Miami, Phoenix, Columbus, Charlotte, Nashville, Atlanta, and Anaheim. That's at least four teams too many. The league has almost doubled in size from 1978-79, when there were 17 teams just before the merger with the WHA. The NHL now exists in several cities that wouldn't have had a prayer of hosting a team in the 1970s. The league as it stands today is simply too big to support the kind of market the NHL draws. Supply has far outgrown demand.
Ever wonder why the league average salary was allowed to balloon to $1.8 million, allowing minor-league-quality muckers and grinders to live as millionaires? I've wondered for years.
The NHL will never be able to compete with the top three sports in North America, but salaries and expansion have grown beyond the point of reason. I expect -- no, I demand -- to see several teams fold from the NHL in the coming few years.
The tragedy of the NHL's demise is almost criminal, and Gary Bettman should be liable for aiding and abetting.
It marks the first time a major North American sport has been shut down for an entire season due to labor strife.
The blame goes both ways, equally with the players and owners, but it comes down to one word -- greed. Owners continued to spend liberally to compete with leading clubs, and the players continued to drive up their values beyond what market forces would bear.
Bettman deserves some of the blame, as well. He presided over league administration while growth escalated, and openly encouraged the expansion of the league when some voices warned years ago that the NHL was getting too big for its britches.
The nightmare isn't over, either.
A number of veteran players are nearing (or past) age 40, and by the time the league finally resumes, many of those players may retire. The exodus of future hall of famers will change hockey forever.
The league still has to resolve the salary cap issue, but there are no signs of talks resuming anytime soon.
And when hockey comes back, there will be serious talk of league contraction. The NHL is now made up of 30 teams, including cities like Miami, Phoenix, Columbus, Charlotte, Nashville, Atlanta, and Anaheim. That's at least four teams too many. The league has almost doubled in size from 1978-79, when there were 17 teams just before the merger with the WHA. The NHL now exists in several cities that wouldn't have had a prayer of hosting a team in the 1970s. The league as it stands today is simply too big to support the kind of market the NHL draws. Supply has far outgrown demand.
Ever wonder why the league average salary was allowed to balloon to $1.8 million, allowing minor-league-quality muckers and grinders to live as millionaires? I've wondered for years.
The NHL will never be able to compete with the top three sports in North America, but salaries and expansion have grown beyond the point of reason. I expect -- no, I demand -- to see several teams fold from the NHL in the coming few years.
The tragedy of the NHL's demise is almost criminal, and Gary Bettman should be liable for aiding and abetting.
posted by Administrator at 6:37 PM
1 Comments:
Excellent point about NASCAR -- they are without any doubt one of the four major sports in North America, and they are showing no signs of slowing down.
I just saw a clip today in our local Los Angeles Times that the recently televised Westminster dog show carried higher ratings than ESPN had for last year's Stanley Cup Finals.
I mean, I like dogs and all, but that has the hockey fan in me feeling sick to my stomach. So hockey is still trying to catch up to figure skating and dog shows. And monster trucks. And the X Games.
Sigh.
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