Ricky : "I ****** toe you so!"
Jul 19, 2005 17:00:53 GMT -5
Post by M. Beaux-Eaux on Jul 19, 2005 17:00:53 GMT -5
...In the comic relief department, Pierre Lebrun of the Canadian Press asks, "Will parity rule in the NHL under [the] new economic landscape?" and notes, "In the NFL, the salary cap has indeed given that league true parity." Normally Lebrun is an astute reporter, but in this case, one has to say, "Earth to Pierre!" During the past ten years, with the NFL operating under its salary cap, 16 of 31 or 32 NFL (roughly 50%) made the Super Bowl, with seven different teams winning (less than 25%) -- but with one team, New England, appearing in half of those ten Super Bowls and winning three of the last four. Meanwhile, with the NHL operating under its heinous free-market CBA, 12 of the league's 26 to 30 teams (roughly 45% on average) have been Stanley Cup finalists, with five having won the Cup -- but with no team reaching the finals as many times as New England has in the NFL. Over the past 15 years, there have been ten different Super Bowl champs compared to nine different Stanley Cup champs, 16 different Super Bowl participants compared to 19 Stanley Cup finalists. How much more parity can a league stand?
Lebrun quotes Devil GM Lou Lamoriello's answer to his question about parity ruling the NHL: "I believe it absolutely will. All you have to do is parallel to another sport and what transpires year to year in football." On the flip side, in his column on free agency, Brooks writes that "Lamoriello voiced strenuous objections to liberalized free agency, a source told The Post. Indeed, we're told [he] issued a passionate plea citing how further reduction would inflict grave damage on the traditional fabric of the game."
More belly laughs: Carolina, a militant small-market force in the lockout despite its owner being the architect of one of the dumbest contracts in NHL history (the playoff backloaded offer sheet to Sergei Fedorov that Detroit matched), may be the first team to prove that the new CBA isn't quite as idiot-proof as Gary Bettman wanted. Spector writes: "There's speculation the Hurricanes might have enough cap space to bolster their roster with a potential big name free agent signing or two. One player the Canes may be interested in is former Kings forward Jason Allison." That's right, with the most incredible line-up of free agents in NHL history poised to be plucked at bargain basement prices, spend your discretionary cap space on a 30 year old TSN.ca says has "below-average skating ability" who has combined good health and peak performance in no more than three of his twelve seasons of NHL service and who hasn't played at all since 2002 due to head injuries. We don't know whether to laugh hysterically or shriek in frustration.
- ordinaryleastsquare.typepad.com/blueshirtbulletin/2005/07/forward_looking.html
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The NHL was way too dynasty oriented. As we saw with our HABS or Edmonton or Calgary, if a team momentarily fell off the horse, it could take decades until it's competitive again and fans have to be fed "rebuilding plans" after "rebuilding plans".
Nothing much has changed in the NFL. The teams you mentioned had their day. The turn of the century dynasties are New England, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Green Bay and Tennessee.
In 2000 13/30 teams (43%) finished under .500
In 2001 16/30 teams (53%) finished under .500
In 2002 13/30 teams (43%) finished under .500
In 2003 16/30 teams (53%) finished under .500
In 2004 15/30 teams (50%) finished under .500
The NHL over the same period:
In 1999-00 8/30 teams (27%) finished under .500
In 2000-01 11/30 teams (37%) finished under .500
In 2001-02 10/30 teams (33%) finished under .500
In 2002-03 14/30 teams (47%) finished under .500
In 2003-04 10/30 teams (33%) finished under .500
Looking at the above numbers tells us that so far in the 21st century there has been greater competitive balance in the NHL (no cap) than in the NFL (cap).
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Superbowl scores (and participants' regular season winning .pcts)
2004 New England (.875) 32, Carolina (.688) 29
2003 Tampa Bay (.750) 48, Oakland (.688) 21
2002 New England (.688) 20, St. Louis (.875) 17
2001 Baltimore 34 (.750), N.Y. Giants (.750) 7
2000 St. Louis (.813) 23, Tennessee (.813) 16
Stanley Cup Finalists' games won (and their regular season winning .pcts)
2003-04 Tampa (.646) 4, Calgary (.573) 3
2002-03 New Jersey (.659) 4, Anaheim (.579) 3
2001-02 Detroit (.707) 4, Carolina (.555) 3
2000-01 Colorado (.720) 4, New Jersey (.677) 3
1999-00 New Jersey (.628) 4, Dallas (.622) 2
The last 4 Stanley Cup Finals have gone the full 7 games, the one before those, 6 games. 8 different teams made it to the Finals in the past 5 seasons (9 different teams in the Superbowl over the same time period).
If that isn't competitive, then what is? And that's without a salary cap.
Exciting hockey most of the time? Not hardly (but the same can said about the generally anti-climatic Superbowl). However, it's not a salary cap that's going to have fans oohing-and-aahing at on ice wizardry.
Lebrun quotes Devil GM Lou Lamoriello's answer to his question about parity ruling the NHL: "I believe it absolutely will. All you have to do is parallel to another sport and what transpires year to year in football." On the flip side, in his column on free agency, Brooks writes that "Lamoriello voiced strenuous objections to liberalized free agency, a source told The Post. Indeed, we're told [he] issued a passionate plea citing how further reduction would inflict grave damage on the traditional fabric of the game."
More belly laughs: Carolina, a militant small-market force in the lockout despite its owner being the architect of one of the dumbest contracts in NHL history (the playoff backloaded offer sheet to Sergei Fedorov that Detroit matched), may be the first team to prove that the new CBA isn't quite as idiot-proof as Gary Bettman wanted. Spector writes: "There's speculation the Hurricanes might have enough cap space to bolster their roster with a potential big name free agent signing or two. One player the Canes may be interested in is former Kings forward Jason Allison." That's right, with the most incredible line-up of free agents in NHL history poised to be plucked at bargain basement prices, spend your discretionary cap space on a 30 year old TSN.ca says has "below-average skating ability" who has combined good health and peak performance in no more than three of his twelve seasons of NHL service and who hasn't played at all since 2002 due to head injuries. We don't know whether to laugh hysterically or shriek in frustration.
- ordinaryleastsquare.typepad.com/blueshirtbulletin/2005/07/forward_looking.html
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mrbozo said:
Doc_Holliday said:
The NFL proved that it doesn't need San Francisco, Dallas and Miami to dominate the game every year in order to have a successful league.The NHL was way too dynasty oriented. As we saw with our HABS or Edmonton or Calgary, if a team momentarily fell off the horse, it could take decades until it's competitive again and fans have to be fed "rebuilding plans" after "rebuilding plans".
Nothing much has changed in the NFL. The teams you mentioned had their day. The turn of the century dynasties are New England, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Green Bay and Tennessee.
In 2000 13/30 teams (43%) finished under .500
In 2001 16/30 teams (53%) finished under .500
In 2002 13/30 teams (43%) finished under .500
In 2003 16/30 teams (53%) finished under .500
In 2004 15/30 teams (50%) finished under .500
The NHL over the same period:
In 1999-00 8/30 teams (27%) finished under .500
In 2000-01 11/30 teams (37%) finished under .500
In 2001-02 10/30 teams (33%) finished under .500
In 2002-03 14/30 teams (47%) finished under .500
In 2003-04 10/30 teams (33%) finished under .500
Looking at the above numbers tells us that so far in the 21st century there has been greater competitive balance in the NHL (no cap) than in the NFL (cap).
*
Superbowl scores (and participants' regular season winning .pcts)
2004 New England (.875) 32, Carolina (.688) 29
2003 Tampa Bay (.750) 48, Oakland (.688) 21
2002 New England (.688) 20, St. Louis (.875) 17
2001 Baltimore 34 (.750), N.Y. Giants (.750) 7
2000 St. Louis (.813) 23, Tennessee (.813) 16
Stanley Cup Finalists' games won (and their regular season winning .pcts)
2003-04 Tampa (.646) 4, Calgary (.573) 3
2002-03 New Jersey (.659) 4, Anaheim (.579) 3
2001-02 Detroit (.707) 4, Carolina (.555) 3
2000-01 Colorado (.720) 4, New Jersey (.677) 3
1999-00 New Jersey (.628) 4, Dallas (.622) 2
The last 4 Stanley Cup Finals have gone the full 7 games, the one before those, 6 games. 8 different teams made it to the Finals in the past 5 seasons (9 different teams in the Superbowl over the same time period).
If that isn't competitive, then what is? And that's without a salary cap.
Exciting hockey most of the time? Not hardly (but the same can said about the generally anti-climatic Superbowl). However, it's not a salary cap that's going to have fans oohing-and-aahing at on ice wizardry.
