From: htran@vax2.concordia.ca (HUNG TRAN)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.hockey
Subject: NHL strike (what else ?)
Date: 10 Apr 92 22:17:00 GMT
Organization: Concordia University
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41

Hi, my first post to the net. From Montreal, a hockey-crazed city, with 
a few local news (and facts), and my own views on this event.

First, I'm trying to be impartial but not neutral about this , but I feel
I 've got to say what I've got to say. I'm a big fan of the hockey players
(and its superstars, i.e. Gretz, Lemieux, Hull, ...) and I don't want to 
pass judgement on the players, but a lot of facts speak against them.

Fact 1 : After 10 days of strike, what have the players lost financially ?
Answer : zip pennies. The owners lost revenues from scratched games. Remember,
the players got their full pay for the season by the time they start the 
strike. One could argue that the owners will try to recover the excess
pay (?) but that would take lenghty procedures, and , more likely, will
be addressed and settled in the player's favor, as a condition to return
to work. Bob Goodenow will see to it, and assuredly, would have told the
players so.

Fact 2 : Should the strike go on to the point that the playoffs are
cancelled (which they are not at this point), who loses what (in dollars)?
Players : $25,000 at most for whoever goes all the way, winning the Cup.
They have denounced this paltry pay, BTW, so trust me if I say it's
no great loss to them, and yet they would appear "sacrificing".
Owners : $300,000 - $400,000 profit per game, as from Ronald Corey,
President of the Canadiens, before the strike started. So, for the
Canadiens, should they play 10 playoff games (a reasonnable expectation),
this amounts to 3 millions, not a paltry sum. BTW, Corey also said
that his club would clear about 2 to 2.5 millions for the regular
season (of 80 games). So , all told, it's big money for the owners to
have the playoffs.

Fact 3 : I see the players babble a lot when it comes to what they
are proposing, and what are the major issues, whereas the owners are
cristal clear (to a point) about what is proposed, at least in their
last proposal (7 th April). BTW, a little anecdote from Montreal :
on April 7, before the hour at which the proposal was tabled, a
Montreal AM station (CJMS) announced that the players will reject
the proposal, on basis of a feed from its reporter. According to
that reporter, he called a couple of players and it went like :
Reporter to player : "I hear you will get a good offer from the
owners. Essentially, they'll relinquish their rights on the cards, a
major stumbling block. So will we have the playoffs ?".
Player : "Are you crazy ? there is no goddamn way we'll accept it !".
Reporter : "Huh ? How come ? ".
Player : "None of your business, but there's no goddamn way."
And as it happened, the offer was rejected, by their negociating
committee, without any consideration for a vote by the membership.

How to make sense of this ?
My theory : Bob Goodenow, as a shrewd negociator as he must be, has
established the following strategy and told the players about it.
We, the players, have little to lose if we ditch the playoffs; the
owners got lots to lose. So as long as the playoffs might be
jeopardized and need rescuing, it's the owner's move. So give me 
and the negociating committee full powers not only to push for
gains, but to decide WHEN to accept, since the later in time, the
more likely the greater gains. So the players went with it.
At April 7, the owners made their move, offering some real gains,
thus validating Bob's strategy. For sure, he took full marks, and
convinced them there could be more, or at least, just as much. So
reject it, you don't have to bother about what are the gains.

As of April 10, is the season and the playoffs irremediably lost ?
IMHO, no. 
The playoffs could be shortened to best-of-5 series, or at worst,
best-of-three series. Assuming the playoffs got to finish by June 10,
and it's all best-of-3, it will be (4 series * 3) = 12 games = 24 days,
or say, 30 days, conceivably, the playoffs could start as LATE as
10 May 92. Of course, the players got to try to keep themselves in
shape, which they are doing, working out in gyms, ... (not best
for hockey shape, but, given the circumstances ...).
What about the season ? 
There remains only the question of who makes the playoffs, and who
gets home ice. To this, only one game, winner takes all. This would
involve Toronto vs. Minnesota, Winnipeg vs. Calgary (for a
playoff spot), Pitts vs. New Jersey (for home ice). One game means
1 to 2 days, at most.

So, in my mind, the impasse will magically resolve by the first
week of May. Then , everyone gets what they want. The players ,
their pride and glory for playing hockey after all their
"sufferings", the owners a bit of their money, the fans their fix
and relief and oblivion that they're being pickpocketed now
and forever.

Signing off. H Tran.