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2019-20 Miscellaneous NHL/Hockey News Thread

Speaking of terrible news ... former Whalers player, coach and Canes assistant Tom Webster passed away yesterday. He was a beloved hockey lifer who also worked in the Compuware youth programs for Rutherford and Karmanos, coaching the OHL Windsor Spitfires before they morphed into the Plymouth Whalers.

www.detroitnews.com

Former Red Wings player, Windsor Compuware Spitfires coach Tom Webster dies, 71

He had 30 goals and 37 assists with the Red Wings in 1970-71. He later coached the team's AHL affiliate in Adirondack.
www.detroitnews.com
 
Paulie Walnuts said:
Brian Burke interview he does not think the season will resume

www.espn.com

Brian Burke on NHL playoff possibilities, memories of the Whalers, Phil Kessel stories and more

The former NHL GM and current commentator dives in on a variety of topics.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
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I read the article.

Pratt & Whitney never closed. They experienced a downturn in business and laid off a lot of people around the time Burke was Hartford's GM. I worked an 8 month co-op at Pratt & Whitney from Jan-Aug 1993. I can assure Brian Burke that Pratt & Whitney was open for business when he was Whalers GM.
 
Keep in mind that Sean's (DGB's) idea of "worst" includes something along the lines of the idea that the number isn't one that fits the career of a well known player. There were a bunch of those in that list, including Francis. Under that criteria, Brind'Amour was probably a candidate for 27. He wore that his first year in Raleigh and was fairly pedestrian by his standards.
 
Latest talk is next season starts in Nov. and that would mean no bye week or All Star game. I guess that assumes they still want to finish this season somehow.
 
You can see the reason why the NHL and NHLPA would want to do that. The players have been fully paid already for the season. Everything else that happens as part of the 19-20 season is about making whatever money could possibly be made. The escrow will largely be fully forfeited by the players after the final revenues are counted. The league makes a pretty large portion of their bank during the playoffs so its in both the NHL and NHLPA's interest to make additional money from the 19-20 season any way possible. The problem is that it doesn't look likely that any semblance of the remaining 19-20 season will be played in front of fans. That is devastating for league revenues. Even worse though will be no games at all. Aho should be sending Marc Bergevin and his agent a whole lot of thank you's because all of his signing bonus money is not subjected to escrows.

As already noted, I actually think the start of the 20-21 season is in jeopardy and the 19-20 season is already doomed. I hope I'm wrong.
 
cmaleski2 said:
You can see the reason why the NHL and NHLPA would want to do that. The players have been fully paid already for the season. Everything else that happens as part of the 19-20 season is about making whatever money could possibly be made. The escrow will largely be fully forfeited by the players after the final revenues are counted. The league makes a pretty large portion of their bank during the playoffs so its in both the NHL and NHLPA's interest to make additional money from the 19-20 season any way possible. The problem is that it doesn't look likely that any semblance of the remaining 19-20 season will be played in front of fans. That is devastating for league revenues. Even worse though will be no games at all. Aho should be sending Marc Bergevin and his agent a whole lot of thank you's because all of his signing bonus money is not subjected to escrows.

As already noted, I actually think the start of the 20-21 season is in jeopardy and the 19-20 season is already doomed. I hope I'm wrong.
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I saw an estimate that the league will have about a 20% shortfall in HRR if the season is cancelled. Whatever small potatoes the league can pick up by playing it out isn’t going to make an appreciable dent in that shortfall without the gate revenue. That’s going to make next year’s escrow onerous, unless the PA can negotiate the spread of that over a period of a few years. I think one of the contingencies the league should consider for 20-21 is a 60 game schedule in the east and 56 games in the west. Play 4 games against each team within the conference, no cross-conference games and be done with it.
 
andyt said:
Jim Matheson, whoever he is, tweeted that there are reports in Russian media that Bill Peters might be hired by Yekaterinburg in the KHL. Pavel Datsyuk plays there and may have recommended him.
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It’s official.

 
In a LeBrun twitter poll with 20,000 votes 42% want the season cancelled. Surprising results. The poll assumes no fans at games the rest of this season.
 
Paulie Walnuts said:
In a LeBrun twitter poll with 20,000 votes 42% want the season cancelled. Surprising results. The poll assumes no fans at games the rest of this season.
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Watch teams in November shape try to play playoff hockey on TV in front of nobody in August? I'm with the 42%. Let's just call it and move on, or come up with some scenario where this season's results count toward next season's playoff races, kind of like the first-half, second-half thing that MiLB has.
 
bagopux said:
Watch teams in November shape try to play playoff hockey on TV in front of nobody in August? I'm with the 42%. Let's just call it and move on, or come up with some scenario where this season's results count toward next season's playoff races, kind of like the first-half, second-half thing that MiLB has.
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Yeah. I'm with you. I'd just as soon see a "normal" 2020-21 as watch them try and cobble something together to salvage this season. But then again, I don't trust the NHL brain trust to think their way out of a wet paper bag, so the idea of them making a long string of good decisions under pressure is as big a factor as anything else. I think that pack of meatheads needs a nice long runway to pull off something simple. Let's stick to basics
 
Paulie Walnuts said:
Players are not paid for playoffs right? But can they get bonuses based on how far the team goes?
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I think the only players eligible playoff bonuses are those who signed a 35+ contract, like Justin Williams. I don’t think the bonuses in entry level contracts include playoffs.
 
Paulie Walnuts said:
Players are not paid for playoffs right? But can they get bonuses based on how far the team goes?
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The NHL and NHLPA make a bucket of money available for playoff payouts. The NHL funds the bucket. Its a modest sum...$16 million last season split across all 16 teams that made the playoffs. The NHLPA decides how to split that money unevenly based on playoff success and teams vote shares or partial shares. Not sure the exact splits last season, but the Cup winner might split something like $5 million. That might get split say 25 ways...$200k per player. So for the league minimum plugger it's real money. A 1st round loss might net a player $13k.

Article 28.1 of the CBA actually sets the total amount available for this every season. Its $16 million this season and $17 million for the next 2 seasons.

https://thehockeywriters.com/nhl-player-playoff-compensation/

Andy is correct that the only folks that can get contract bonuses related to playoffs are those signing 35+ deals or entry level contracts.
 
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Akim Aliu does a nice job when weighing in on Bill Peters being hired in the KHL...

www.tsn.ca

Aliu responds to Peters' hiring: 'I believe in second chances for everyone' - TSN.ca

Akim Aliu, the former NHLer who revealed former Calgary Flames head coach Bill Peters used racial slurs towards him during their time in the AHL, has responded after Peters was signed to a two-year contract by Russian hockey club Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg of the KHL.
www.tsn.ca www.tsn.ca
 
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