Upon Further Review

NFL

It works, cities that are not the 5 million plus in population can keep a team because there is revenue sharing and a cap. The cap is good because it allows teams that would normally go buy players they are forced to develop and create a culture where players will play for less to win. (ie: Patriots).

Dynasties can be built but not with money but with making every aspect of your franchise first class then U are the place everyone wants to play for so you get discounts....

I think most of those commenting on this article miss the point. Parity is ok, but very boring. There are too many teams which waters down the product on the ice. As for the cap, the major problem with it is that a team like Pittsburgh will be penalized in a couple of years for drafting well when they were a very bad team. Under the cap, there is no way that they can keep the team they have together, and that's a crying shame. The NHLPA will cry foul if the players take less money to stay, and the team will never be able to pay market value for these players under the cap. This has bred a boring NHL where teams have one or two good players and a bunch of mediocre filler. The NHL needs to lose some teams and change the way the cap works, or better, remove the cap. If a team cannot set a budget and stick to it, that's their own problem. Vancouver (with Burke) did an amazing job with that and put a very talented team on the ice. Better teams with better players = more attendance = more money, pure and simple.

The idea of following Major League Baseball's model sickens me. I don't even hate the Leafs, like so many hockey fans do, but I am so glad that they can't just BUY a playoff team anymore. Absolutely Love it. They'll have to earn their winning years with good management and some good breaks.

Short memory, pre cap days sucked. The best leagues to watch were your team if managed propery has a chance to win are the NBA and NFL. Both capped leagues, envolved from the NHL but the NHL cap will grow as well. No dynasty in New England, probably the best team ever and what about those San Antonio Spurs, pretty much a dynasty.

Where have the trades gone, see No Trade Clause. Parity is good. Now Bettman needs to favour future rules so the talented teams, player and management included, can succeed and the not so talented teams (see Toronto - poor management) end up where they deserve. JFJ bought his way into this mess and he shouldnt be able to buy his way out. I am glad the Leafs are stuck with McCabe, his no-trade clause isnt preventing him from being traded its his over-priced salary! I heard the rational for no trade clauses was so players could raise their families in one city, give me a break, with all the money they have I am sure the hard ship of nannies, private schools, two very nice cars and a wife who doesnt have to work, minimizes the burdens most families have.

I'd say you remark:
I think we can all (well, except the 30 NHL owners) agree that the salary cap forced down the players throats has hurt the game from a fans perspective more than anything else contained in the agreement.
is only your first blunder in this article. From reading the other comments, most everyone likes the new system.
1. Trading everyone like musical chairs is not any better than the few trades the new systems brings.
2. Death of the dynasty is a good thing, period.
3. To fix the system, all what is necessary is to outlaw the no trade clause in any future contracts.

Hey, all you posters are GREAT, eh! I live only a 100 miles south of the 49th parallel but we have no passionate hockey coverage. US sports writers do not "get" hockey so our coverage is minimal; behind womens college soccer.
The NHL has no national presence in the US nor will it ever. Ever. There are dominant dynasties (Detroit defined); colorful franchises with some glory in past(chicago, philly, boston); a Canadian team dressed up in purple(avalanche); teams touched by Gretzky-midas-touch (Kings, Coyotes) and enough Sun-Belt teams that have touched Lord Stanleys Holy Grail(Carolina, Tampa, Dallas).
The problem with the NHL in the US is that it is epic 82 game (+ 4 rounds of playoffs) struggle to capture the toughest championship in pro sports.
The US has many true hockey fans(mostly clustered around those cities or along the border) but 200 million more casual customers who want something short, brutal and juicy to watch before CSI or American Idol reruns.
USA stands for "Union of Short Attention."

Keep our game Canadian. Use our petro loonies to bring OUR teams back to Quebec city & Winnipeg. Get teams in every province. I agree Bettman is an idiot but we cannot sell our game to the rank and file USA fan, so forget you crazed owners. At least 1/2 teams in Canada, then we could have the Can/US playoffs that would create some interest for 1-2 weeks a year.

Two things.

As long as the CBA permits no-trade clauses in contracts, players are entitled to stand on them. A contract is a contract - the only way to change it is by agreement,and if the player doesn't agree, that's it. I agree with the analysis - the player gave up something to get the clause.

As far as the cap goes - every system has its unforseen consequences and some need to be dealt with here. I also like the idea of the dynasties we used to see in hockey - none lasted forever - but the legends were built in Montreal, Edmonton and other cities with those great teams. Even so, there has to be protection for the small market teams in today's league. I could not disagree more with the comparison the baseball and the Yanks. When I was a kid, Mantle and Maris were my heroes and I slept with a Yankee's cap every night. Today, I have reached the point where I have to stifle a retch at the prospect of watching a Yankees game. Enough is enough.

"sports talk radio's brightest stars"...You must be kidding!!! Maybe in Leafs land! This is another example of Toronto media thinking everything should revolve around what the Maple Leafs need/want! You can't tell me that the race for top spot in the East is not exciting! Or the race for the last playoff spot! The real problem is the no trade clause which JFJ was very quick to give out to anyone who wanted it!

I gotta agree with the other comments and say this article is dead wrong! The team with all the money should not be the team gunning for the championship every year. The league is going great this year, so why say anything is ruining it, unless of course, your team is losing! Blame you GM and GM's of years past rather than the league rules.

Actually, the cap has helped! There are problems and I think the system could be, maybe even needs to be, more flexible in some respects. But I don't want hockey to have a NY Yankee equivalent! I hate the Yankees and all that they stand for and that they can afford to field a massive-payroll every year. I don't need to have a flurry of trades, sure I miss it a little bit, but when I say little, I mean it. Do we really play 60 or so games just so we can have a few hours of trade excitement? By the way, for how many teams does all that trading for rent-a-players benefit? One, the one that wins... everyone else often loses those players right away after having given up good young players or draft picks.

Sorry, but following most of the suggestions in this article is, to me, a step backward. Parity is good. Dynastys are done, most likely, and so what? Keep things how they are, but with maybe a few tweaks here and there to improve things.

My comments may be a little off the main topic, I am a fan of the dynasty teams and the excitement these teams bring to the sport as opposed to the parity in teams throughout the league. Many of the fans who were around than, have fond memories of the Islanders in the 70s, the Oilers in the eighties and to some extent, the Penguins in early 90s. To me, these teams were amazing to watch and the excitement it brought for the fans to watch other teams try to beat them was awesome, let alone the celebration that went on when the underdog did beat them. Take a look at the frenzy that the underdog Flames and Oilers created in the 2004 and 2006 playoffs. Both were eighth place teams, just squeaking into the playoffs whom went on to cup finals.

The problem started with Bettman back when he started trying to make the NHL a NORTH AMERICAN GAME. Fact is, the NHL is a REGIONAL GAME. You will never get the type of sell out crowds in Tampa, Phoenix, Nashville, or even L.A. Even after Tampa won the cup, they still had trouble the following season getting 15,000 fans to a game! I agree that salaries have gotten out of hand, but more importantly, so have the number of teams out there. Teams should be placed in cities that can support an NHL team by their fan base. Financial obligations will follow, but if it doesn't happen, that's when the team can apply for support, having to prepare and present a viable business case to obtain the support from the league. This will force the teams ownership to be a little more cautious before they make the big signing with ludicrous offers

Saying that the CBA has HURT the league is utter nonsense. Parity is not mediocrity! Parity is excitement!

In years past it disgusted me how teams like the Avalanche, Red Wings, Rangers, Leafs, etc, continually made deals and added players that other teams couldn't afford. How is that competitive sport?

The biggest things hurting the NHL right now are no-trade clauses, no-movement clauses (even worse than no-trade, because you can't even waive them!), and guaranteed contracts...or at the very least, a hefty buy-out clause.

A buyout should not be 2/3 of the contract, it should be 1/3, or 1/2 at most. Why should a player get a bonus for not earning his money? Hands up - who wants a bonus for poor performance? Guerin does it, and in just one year, he's chosen as a team captain!

If buyouts were 1/3, then the Ray-tuck-abe-ina problem could be taken care of this offseason, for the good of the league and the fans.

Gotta disagree as well.....and I'm a Leafs fan!

The game has got more interesting, with teams that never were able to form much of a team now able to compete and have a legit shot at actually putting together a heck of a team...

A level playing field is a heck of a lot better than watching a dynasty team dominate for several years....I would much rather be interested year to year in what is going to happen with teams and the direction they are taking...

Its been good for the game in my opinion....the Leafs weren't winning without the cap, and they arent winning now. I'm a die hard Leafs fan, but the loosing isnt because of the salary cap...its because of bad decisions and overpaid players that arent producing....

Well,not much "love" there,Jeff.I agree with the majority here as well...the cap is not the problem.Most of the problem is greed...on BOTH sides.Players basically have no more "loyalty" to a team.Except for the NTC players,the mentality now seems to be...get the most for the longest and this plays out as players floating through the middle of their contracts before showing up for their option year.Want to see good,meaningful hockey then there should only be 2 yr.with an option contracts.

Calling parity, "mediocrity" (and what's with the phrase "as some would call it"? *You're* writing the article, what do you call it?) is a serious mistake.

Financial parity doesn't mean that excellence isn't achieveable - it just means you can't *buy* it. How is this not a good thing? I'm looking at Detroit, who have consistantly excelled despite their playoff woes.

If teams are still transitioning in finding a new approach that doesn't depend on the chequebook, then that's a testiment to the youth of the cap and the strength of old habits.

Accurate article! From a fan's perspective, the NHL is a league more interested in maintaing owners profits, than producing a product which captures fans interest. How can these so-called fans, disagreeing with this article, think a team like Detroit, that doesn't sell out home games, and recently reduced play off ticket prices, has a fan base which supports the NHL. This is an original six team, whose fans are abdandoning them. I totally agree, the NHL is a league of mediocrity, with too many teams in locations that have no fans, and too many fans with no teams, like Hamilton, Winnipeg. The salary cap has allowed owners in Florida, Atlanta, Columbus, Nashville, etc. to keep their profits, without having to have a team which needs to be succesful to realize their profit.

Interesting question Jeff.

Would I take a paycut....???? (which Sundin really wouldn't be doing).

If I was told that I could come back in a few months, making more money than when I left, and that my working environment would be stronger because of my brief move, I'd be all over it.

Wow. Someone had the guts to actually say that the Salary Cap is hurting the NHL? If anything its brought the NHL back to a level that everyone can enjoy. Im glad teams like NYR and PHI cant "buy" players anymore. This gives a chance for other teams to go after the big name players. The NHL is level playing field now. Everyone has a chance...Look at the Eastern conference. I've never seen such a exciting race for top spot or the other playoff spots in recent history. The NHL is exciting again thanks to the Salary Cap. For the years before the Salary Cap is was practically the same teams in the playoffs every year. The Salary Cap hasnt hurt the NHL its brought it back from the brink of death. As for it preventing tons of trades at the deadline? Who cares. I dont watch the NHL for the excitment of who is going from Toronto to Anahiem or someone from LA to PHI. I watch it for the excitment thats been brought back to the game by teams like Montreal and Ottawa. Not by who has the bigger pockets...Salary Cap has mended the NHL.

The time of buying your way to a championship is gone.YEAH!NFL,NHL,CFL it's called a level playing field.Use your assets wisely,develop within,Now the wisdom of your sport comes into play ie.Trades,money left in your cap. Watching the Yankees,Boston buy their way to the show,to tell the truth bores me.Everynight the NHL standings change.It's a dogfight everynight.Show up or your out.That's all you can ask for in any league.
As for the trade deadline that you say is so lacking.Remember you can't buy your way back in.Use your brain instead of your wallet.What a concept.MLB could take lessons from the cap.Parity isn't a bad word in sports.

I have to agree with Jeff, as a Jays fan there is nothing more exciting than watching the Jays try to spend like the big boys (NY, Boston) to have a glimmer of a chance at the Wild Card.

Anything that can help the small market teams is a good thing. A few years ago, when the Cdn Dollar wasn't doing so well the smaller Canadian markets were in jeopardy. In the new NHL, you are not going to see Cdn teams going anywhere.

With all due respect Jeff, this might be the most absurd idea I've heard about the NHL this year.

I love the cap! It is a race for the playoffs like it should be sure it was fun to eat the rest of the teams for breakfast every day for us Oiler Fans in the 80's But I would rather see a great league than 10-15 great teams and the rest are in the bottom for ever. It will take 5 years to really judge how well the cap works. But I really like what I see. I will be even more happy to see a team back in Winnipeg They have a lot of great hockey fans and we need more teams in Canada.

The way the GMS have overpaid under the CBA is what has ruined the league. I'm no stats whiz but what is the Median salary in the NHL; i.e. how many players are making 1 million or less. How many are at the league minimum while 2-3 players take up a large portion of the salary cap. This system discourages your drafted players from getting too good. Someone else has to be moved off your roster becasuse you gotta pay the guy or let him walk ala Penner. What a mess.

I could not disagree more. This article is clearly written by someone from a large market with lots of money and a poor team record (sounds an awfully like Toronto). Are we interested in watching a league with parity, where any team can win on any given night?, or do we want to be entertained by a flurry of trade deadline activity?.

Let's compare this to the NFL, easily the most popular sport in North America (and no, Nascar is not a sport), trades are almost non existent. Does the NFL even have a trade deadline? Teams succeed through picking and developing young players and prioritizing the talent they pay to keep on the roster. This is exactly the strategy that recently successful NHL teams have used since the cap came into effect. I mean, where does Detriot keep getting these young guys?

As for the death of a dynasty, I would strongly suggest that Anaheim has a solid chance this year, and proably will for the next couple of years. Regardless, I would argue that the dynasty is more difficult now because there is more parity in the league. The team that wins now is the one who gels at the right time, is fortunate enough to be healthy, and the right players step up at the right time. For me it is absolutely exciting that 10 points separates first from tenth in the East. Any team that makes the playoffs has a chance and nearly every team, with the exception of 3 or 4 still have a chance to make the playoffs.

I say make the trade deadline in December, and hopefully this rental player phenomena will die along with the trade deadline craziness that happens every year.

Listen the CBA may have its downsides, but for the most part it has made hockey more exciting for every market. The media has a big problem with that because they lack the big stories. But for fans in Phoenix they are just excited that in Mid February there team still has a chance. To me the parity makes hockey more interesting that baseball where you pretty much know who has a chance before the season starts. Media hate this because they 1/ Lack big stories to report 2/They can't tell who is going to make the playoffs before the season starts. I think trade deadline day has become more exciting than ever because of the lack of trading and I don't think that hurts hockey.

I gotta say, I disagree completely with this article. If the salary cap leads to a drop in the number of deadline deals and player rentals, I say good riddance. Few people were happy to see Ryan Smyth sent to Long Island last year, least of all Ryan Smyth. Teams should be looking to build better relationships between fans and players, rather than seeing a player shipped out of town just when they are developing a connection to the city. One positive development since the lockout is the move toward long term contracts. If hockey needs trade deadline suspense to generate interest, then they are in big trouble.

As for the lack of dynasties - there hasn't really been a dynasty in the NHL since the early '90s... MAYBE Detroit. Still, this hasn't much to do with a salary cap that just came into effect. As a fan, I would much rather watch my team fight year in, year out for a playoff spot than watch one team dominate. This year's race is wide open, any of about a dozen teams has a legitimate shot at the cup and the race just to make the playoffs is extremely tight. I'm looking forward to the last quarter of the season - should have a lot of playoff style hockey. Go Flames GO!!!

Im sorry Jeff, but its ridiculous to think that the cap is whats ruining the league.

First of all, whats really wrong with the league other than the constant fueds between the PA and the NHL. Yes there is a few teams that are still floundering post-lockout, but theres 30 teams in the league, do you expect to have 30 winning teams ?? Some will do really well, some wont, thats the reality of sports that will happen every single year and im sure you'd get the same results with any system that gets implemented.

Second, "where have all the trades gone" ? I know you're joking if you think this is a cap issue. The NO TRADE CLAUSE is the reason for no more trades. The NTC is the dumbest thing Ive ever heard of. It doesnt matter if you make 1 mil or 20m if there is a team who needs your services to improve themselves, they would pay, even if its the dumbest move for that team, who cares, thats the job of a competent GM, but now because of the NTC that is an impossibility. If you dont have a cap on PLAYER salaries, there is no way you should have NTC's added to players contracts. I am a hockey fan, and I consider moves and trades as much part of the 'strategic game' as the one played on the ice, and to be honest I find myself loosing interest in a league that discourages such moves.

"Hands up who wants to take a pay cut ? "

whats the average, yearly Canadian salary ? maybe 30-40k er so

whats the average NHL player salary ?
Im guessing somewhere around 2-4m ..but yeah, I can see how thats a fair comparison........

"...I don’t see the NHL needing a model like the NFL, but one more like Major League Baseball where you have essentially a travelling all-star team (Yankees) which serves as a measuring stick that every other team judges themselves against."

Great idea. Come September, my only thought is "Will Boston or NY win the World Series?" Now that's compelling sports entertainment!

I'm also a bit confused how the author can advocate eliminating the salary cap to encourage more trade traffic while supporting the sanctimony of the no-trade clause. Anyone else confused by this?

Spoken like a true Leafs fan. Your team can't compete on with a level playing field with everyone else so the league should let them buy all the players they want.

Anyone who says the salary cap system has hurt the NHL must live in a city where money to pay hockey players is no problem. Why would someone in a NHL city that has a competative disadvantage financially compared to New York or Philadelphia for example, support a league that because of geography, treats them as second or third class fans? If you're going to have teams in Edmonton and Nashville, they should have the same ability to get good players like everyone else and a salary cap is the only way. It seems to me that the only people complaining about the lack of trades are a few GM's and a lot of media people who need something to fill air time and newspaper space with.
If you remove the salary cap, you will end up with fewer teams in the league as a whole and certainly in the long run, fewer teams in Canada and consequently fewer media jobs.

Well, you could listen to all this hooo-ha about trades n salary caps OR you could just be a fan of the Montreal Canadiens and enjoy your season watching a team that makes hockey interesting again.