Report: NHL investigating Chicago Blackhawks' contract with Mar...

[Chicagoan]

Ding ding ding, if the Hawks get hit for this, I expect the NHL should be taking double the action against Detroit.

Yeah right, I won't hold my breath. They'll ignore the blatant double standard and not even give Detroit a slap on the wrist. But who exactly does the NHL think the Hawks got the idea for this contract from? I'm not sure they were smart enough to come up with this on their own, Detroit did it first and more than once already.

Section 317 wrote:

I think the Hawks are getting picked on. The Zetterberg and Franzen contracts call from them to make just $1M over the last two years of their contracts which run through the 20/21 and 19/21 seasons, respectively:
http://www.nhlnumbers.com/overview.php...
I don't know who in the league started this investigation, but it seems the Hawks aren't the only team offering front loaded contracts to effectively circumvent the cap.
With the Cap around $53M, the Blackhawks are likely to have money to burn. Let's do some simple math. The average REGULAR SEASON Blackhawk ticket ran $52 last year. If you take into account the increase for the playoffs, then a conservative estimate of the average ticket price for the entire season including the playoffs would be around $60. The Hawks broke the one million mark in attendance for the 1st time in their history. So, the Hawks have their player salaries more than coverred in just ticket sales alone. Throw in concessions and parking, and the Hawks have extra cash to spend every year...as long as the sellouts/success continues.
Here's my source for the league average regular season prices. It shows the prices of typical concessions as well::::
http://www.nhlnumbers.com/overview.php...

[Zeppo in Florida]

Tony "Do ya think the Marx Bros. could do a better job running this team?"

Is that some sort of slam on Chico?:-)

[BigPete]

Sounds like league wide retribution against McDonough for firing Tallon so unceremoniously. I really wish McD would stay away from hockey operations like he promised...

[hyman]

good job Stan, your tenure has started off well, it must be nice being part of the lucky spe%m club

[Redeye]

Don't know what they're crying about. Sounds like a contract that recognizes that players skills deteriorate as their years pile up.

[Section 313]

dcd wrote:

<quoted text>
The NHL governors can do whatever they want by majority (even disregarding rules (ie the overturned automatic one-game suspension to Malkin who fought with Zetterberg and got an instigator penalty within last 5 minutes of a game this past playoffs).
or
Ever heard of the Sean Avery face- guarding rule and how quickly that was implemented.
the Marty McSorley rule, Claude Lemiux rule, Dale Hunter rule
Chicago's in trouble with this one according to the Canadian papers (from the Ottawa Sun):
<quoted text>
But as section313 would say $5M and loss of draft picks won't hurt next year's chance of winning so just enjoy and not worry about it.

Huge difference between those examples and this, pal. The examples you pointed out were on-ice rule changes. Where's the precedent for the league disregarding something related to the CBA?

This is a bunch of garbage. How can Bill Daly say that this is the "first of the long-term contracts that took a player out past the age 40"? WHAT!?!? Zetterberg? That contract takes him beyond 40. Franzen? That contract takes him beyond 40. This is a bunch of BS. If they wanted to prevent things like this from happening, why the heck did they negotiate the CBA to make the cap hit the average yearly salary?

dcd - if the $5 million fine would go against the cap and they would lose draft picks, then yes, that would be a HUGE loss, much to your delight.

[bob n]

I think Dale Talon knew this contract wasn't good and disagreed with McCub and the Bowman braintrust.That's why he got canned.

[Tim - Hockey Rules]

Section 313, 317, the other older regular posters here if you have a chance email me I have something I have to send to you. You can use [e-mail].

I don't understand what the issue is with the board of gov's. Detroit did the same with a few of their players so give me a break. But when Hossa gets on the ice with our other players it will be worth it, they are going to be very good this year. I can't wait for the season to start.

[Chico17]

Amazing! The soap opera continues....

[way to go]

The heck with the contract flap, no player is worth this kind of money anyway-anywhere, whether in the NHL, MLB, NFL or NBA.

But like lemmings drawn to the cliff, many fans think nothing of shelling out good money for what has become outrageous ticket prices to see their sporting heros. Ask yourself, are a few hours of "entertainment" worth the bang for the buck? How much are you willing to keep paying out to give these multi-millionaires the lifestyle you'll never have in this lifetime? Wake-up people, take your money and spend it on your kids, their education or go on a trip or extended vacation and enjoy life. This way you will be the one who is laughing all the way to the bank and not your sports heros.

Sorry, I've grown cynical and just tired of this whining about contracts, the gazillions of dollars these dolts get to merely play a "Game" while teachers, police, healthcare workers and others struggle because they get get paid so little.

[Section 313]

way to go wrote:

Ask yourself, are a few hours of "entertainment" worth the bang for the buck?

In one word: yep.

[Ken Holland]

Okay, so if the Blackhawks are being threatened with fines for offering contracts that allow a player to retire before the end of it's term then someone better line up the Red Wings under the same microscope... and look at the Franzen, Datsyuk, Zettenberg and Holstrom deals.

Takes one to know one Bill Daly.

[Observer]

The NHL had better go after the Red Wings too, then. Because Hossa's deal was patterned after the deals given to Franzen and Zetterberg.

[James]

What do the rules actually say?? Why can't you talk to a player about a potential contract? Shouldn't this be part of the negotiations, thats why it is called negotiation anyway, no??

NHL needs to get it's act together.

[CubTator]

way to go wrote:

The heck with the contract flap, no player is worth this kind of money anyway-anywhere, whether in the NHL, MLB, NFL or NBA.
But like lemmings drawn to the cliff, many fans think nothing of shelling out good money for what has become outrageous ticket prices to see their sporting heros. Ask yourself, are a few hours of "entertainment" worth the bang for the buck? How much are you willing to keep paying out to give these multi-millionaires the lifestyle you'll never have in this lifetime? Wake-up people, take your money and spend it on your kids, their education or go on a trip or extended vacation and enjoy life. This way you will be the one who is laughing all the way to the bank and not your sports heros.
Sorry, I've grown cynical and just tired of this whining about contracts, the gazillions of dollars these dolts get to merely play a "Game" while teachers, police, healthcare workers and others struggle because they get get paid so little.

Agree, Maybe a larger % of these gazillion dollar contracts should go to the city to help those type jobs and programs.

[tim from Canada]

Northside Neuman wrote:

How can they make them an example if they did what they supposedly did according to the existing rules? It doesn't seem fair that they change the rules after something they don't like and then penalize a team by playing by the original rules...
I not sure how they would prove retirement was discussed, Only the GM, agent and player would know, and I'm not sure how likely they are to incriminate themselves in wrong doing..

And perhaps only the agent and the player. In this deal where his price drops to 4 mil MAY be as far as Hossa is willing to predict he will play.The second five years (the back end of the deal) I think is what the league is sniffing around.

[Thin The Herd]

Only the NHL would be dumb enough to screw one of the biggest TV market teams in the league, after the team resurrected itself from years of terrible hockey.

Who's behind this? I wonder about Havlat's agent-- manipulating the players' union, and perhaps leaning on a couple teams that have free agents coming up next summer to make a complaint.

[Tim - Hockey Rules]

way to go wrote:

The heck with the contract flap, no player is worth this kind of money anyway-anywhere, whether in the NHL, MLB, NFL or NBA.
But like lemmings drawn to the cliff, many fans think nothing of shelling out good money for what has become outrageous ticket prices to see their sporting heros. Ask yourself, are a few hours of "entertainment" worth the bang for the buck? How much are you willing to keep paying out to give these multi-millionaires the lifestyle you'll never have in this lifetime? Wake-up people, take your money and spend it on your kids, their education or go on a trip or extended vacation and enjoy life. This way you will be the one who is laughing all the way to the bank and not your sports heros.
Sorry, I've grown cynical and just tired of this whining about contracts, the gazillions of dollars these dolts get to merely play a "Game" while teachers, police, healthcare workers and others struggle because they get get paid so little.

NHL Players are still very humble people. How many times do you hear of a Football or, Basketball or Baseball player talking to fans when they are out on the street. Or how about when they are at a resturant, or even at the gym. Hockey players do that all the time. Maybe they make alot more than the average person. But that is how it is in sports today, it is the price for entertainment. The same could be said for movie stars too. But Hockey players are genuine and will talk to the fans and sign any autograph. I have no problem what they are paying hockey players and the ticket prices are still the cheapest out there. How much does it cost to take a family to a football game, or a Baseball game. Blackhawk ticket prices are cheap, go to their site and check it out.

[Hells Last Inch]

Wow. The NHL's logic is so seriously flawed and this is such a clear witch hunt that I don't even know where to begin. For example, how does one even begin to prove that someone "contemplated" something???

[THE SOLUTION IS HERE]

The Hawks ought to pay these guys max,$2M each to stay far far far below the cap and get the best players they can. And at the same time a Chicagoan, who is an "interested party," with an ice hockey mind ought to start a company called "Chicago Style Hot Dogs at N Ave Beach" and put up a booth. The interested party would then transfer rights of stock to players for making a few commercials to be aired during the games...with a guaranteed payout of $5M per year as dividends for as long as they play in Chicago. Upon their retirement from the Blackhawks, the stock would automatically revert back to the owner of the hot dog stand business...case closed.

ALL athletes enter into contracts for TONS of different things...so what is to stop someone from doing this. Where is the fraud? I am sure it goes on. Nobody talks about it and the cap is a waste of time....

What a load of horsehockey!