John Jaeckel: Players Should Fire Fehr

John Jaeckel: Players Should Fire Fehr
- John Jaeckel

Fehr's doing what he should, being hard-headed in order to get the fairest deal for the owners. Any other guy, Bettman would roll over his ass by now. Bettman and the NHL wait for signs the PA is weak in order to take advantage. The PA made some concessions recently probably desperately, and now the NHL is trying to take advantage of this desperateness.

Why should the PA bend over backwards to a 5 year contract maximum? No need to, they shouldn't even have to negotiate it right now? It's another one of the things the NHL implemented that people have come to accept as necessary to get a deal done. Just like close to 50-50 split was.

No need for the PA to give in more, now it's the NHL's time.

Fehr's doing what he should, being hard-headed in order to get the fairest deal for the owners. Any other guy, Bettman would roll over his ass by now. Bettman and the NHL wait for signs the PA is weak in order to take advantage. The PA made some concessions recently probably desperately, and now the NHL is trying to take advantage of this desperateness.

No need for the PA to give in more, now it's the NHL's time.
- _Zippy_

Disagree.

Sure there's a CLEAR argument he is doing his utmost for the players. But that is only valid with tunnel vision; he is cutting off their noses to spite their faces.

The "brand" of baseball suffered immensely and never fully recovered form the last strike. Why? Don Fehr, greedy players and greedy owners.

It is now ALL ABOUT perception and Fehr is losing big time, as will, by association the NHLPA. He has made Gary Bettman a sympathetic figure. Think about that.

If this season is lost because Don Fehr's ego could not allow a compromise, it will have irreparable damage to the brand of the NHL—and that will hurt the players and not just the owners. They are, ultimately, all taking slices of the same pie.

Fehr is the rat in the pie.

Fehr's doing what he should, being hard-headed in order to get the fairest deal for the owners. Any other guy, Bettman would roll over his ass by now. Bettman and the NHL wait for signs the PA is weak in order to take advantage. The PA made some concessions recently probably desperately, and now the NHL is trying to take advantage of this desperateness.

Why should the PA bend over backwards to a 5 year contract maximum? No need to, they shouldn't even have to negotiate it right now? It's another one of the things the NHL implemented that people have come to accept as necessary to get a deal done. Just like close to 50-50 split was.

No need for the PA to give in more, now it's the NHL's time.
- _Zippy_

Zippy should Zip it!

Clearly a player stooge. Fehr directly Lied! He should be fired!

Fehr's doing what he should, being hard-headed in order to get the fairest deal for the owners. Any other guy, Bettman would roll over his ass by now. Bettman and the NHL wait for signs the PA is weak in order to take advantage. The PA made some concessions recently probably desperately, and now the NHL is trying to take advantage of this desperateness.

Why should the PA bend over backwards to a 5 year contract maximum? No need to, they shouldn't even have to negotiate it right now? It's another one of the things the NHL implemented that people have come to accept as necessary to get a deal done. Just like close to 50-50 split was.

No need for the PA to give in more, now it's the NHL's time.
- _Zippy_

You dont get to call yourself a fan of the game anymore then. This shouldnt be about one side f*cking the other to settle a 6 year old score. Concessions were made, on many issues. Fehr's penis must be incredibly small. He ruined baseball, and is ready to ruin the NHL, to compensate apparently. We want to see this game, and the players want to play. Fehr just wants to choke the owners.

The season is toast. It's over. The NHL will be damaged or doomed for years. Thanks to Don Fehr's ego. Neither is "helping" the players in the short or long run.

You dont get to call yourself a fan of the game anymore then. This shouldnt be about one side f*cking the other to settle a 6 year old score. Concessions were made, on many issues. Fehr's penis must be incredibly small. He ruined baseball, and is ready to ruin the NHL, to compensate apparently. We want to see this game, and the players want to play. Fehr just wants to choke the owners.
- millsp30

Bingo

This article is a good example of why some people are bloggers, and some are just commenters.

Excellent write up, John. Helps me feel more confident in the things I was taking away from this week.

John Jaeckel: Players Should Fire Fehr
- John Jaeckel

Even I - even I - have been convinced that this blog is correct (without absolving Bettman of blame).

If Crosby really is upset after all his efforts with Burkle, he must become the leader in forcing a vote (don't know about Toews).

The Fehr-Bettman game is like the computer in War Games, realizing the futility of trying to win at tic-tac-toe: the only way to win is not to play.

Stop playing games: get the deal done on the deal just supposedly taken off the table.

EDIT: Third Man on now, another excellent movie.

There will be a season.

And yes, Fehr is awful.

With regard to the owners wanting 5 year max contract length, I'm totally with them. If the players want to give up gaurenteed contracts I'd reopen the issue, but otherwise suck it the frank up. Was siding with players, am no longer..... sad sad sad.

There will be a season.

And yes, Fehr is awful.
- AceRatbang

I hope you're right on the first. I know you are on the second, thanks

This article is a good example of why some people are bloggers, and some are just commenters.

Excellent write up, John. Helps me feel more confident in the things I was taking away from this week.
- jimmyintheROC

Thanks, Say hi to my cousins in ROC

WHo decided in the NHLPA to hire this f ucker ? They have to see his track record ? The MLBPA can not be duplicated by the NHLPA. That will never happen. The Players could only have hired him knowing the season would be lost. Nothing will get resolved with this guy leading the NHLPA but lets not put all the blame on the players the Lock Out was because of the rat bastard owners. This really sucks because I thought yesterday we may have hockey Christmas night.

Fehr's doing what he should, being hard-headed in order to get the fairest deal for the owners. Any other guy, Bettman would roll over his ass by now. Bettman and the NHL wait for signs the PA is weak in order to take advantage. The PA made some concessions recently probably desperately, and now the NHL is trying to take advantage of this desperateness.

Why should the PA bend over backwards to a 5 year contract maximum? No need to, they shouldn't even have to negotiate it right now? It's another one of the things the NHL implemented that people have come to accept as necessary to get a deal done. Just like close to 50-50 split was.

No need for the PA to give in more, now it's the NHL's time.
- _Zippy_

For the record, while I disagree with you, I respect and applaud your civility, thanks again

46.7% of all retired NHL players as of 2008-2009, played in 80 games or less in their careers.

The last lockout had about 240 NHL players who played in 2003-04 and didn't return after the league came back.

Less than 10% of NHL players currently have a contract over 5 years in term.

Who is Donald Fehr fighting for again?

The same 10-15% that can go to Europe and still make good money.

The NHLPA is going to have a San Andreas sized fault line through it in the very near future, if not already.

Saddened by Fehr's stance, completely disillusioned now.

Pot, meet kettle.

The players haven't given up any percent. As of right now, there is no CBA in place....so the players have no ownership (not even 1%) to give.
- Pen15

Saddened by Fehr's stance, completely disillusioned now.
- LeftCoaster

Sucks right. We should be seriously trolling each other sites by now. We should be talking about Bollig's 25 game suspension for actually killing Raffi Torres. This sucks . I miss hockey so much , always thought this season was never going to happen but then yesterday I thought there was a chance just to be fooled again. Dammit.

The season is toast. It's over. The NHL will be damaged or doomed for years. Thanks to Don Fehr's ego. Neither is "helping" the players in the short or long run.
- John Jaeckel

It's amazing how some of you can actually side with Gary Bettman.
We just met Fehr, tough to hate him already.

46.7% of all retired NHL players as of 2008-2009, played in 80 games or less in their careers.

The last lockout had about 240 NHL players who played in 2003-04 and didn't return after the league came back.

Less than 10% of NHL players currently have a contract over 5 years in term.

Who is Donald Fehr fighting for again?

The same 10-15% that can go to Europe and still make good money.

The NHLPA is going to have a San Andreas sized fault line through it in the very near future, if not already.
- Gunner Staal

That's why I say, move swiftly and kill the rat, get back to the table. Everyone is losing money. Lots of little people (families with kids) are losing jobs. Why, so millionaires can squeeze a little more out of billionaires—when they had a good deal done?

The game will suffer because of this.

What really kills me is that at other points of this negotiation I was able to understand how the players thought they were signing a bad contract. I would love to hear the arguements against this contract from those same players now. There is nothing that the NHL has deemed essential that would infringe on the players from prospering under the seemingly now dead proposed CBA.

It's amazing how some of you can actually side with Gary Bettman.
We just met Fehr, tough to hate him already.
- Scooby_Doo

You might have just met him. He is well known to those of us in the US. Fehr has made Bettman look good. Can't you see that?!

That's why I say, move swiftly and kill the rat, get back to the table. Everyone is losing money. Lots of little people (families with kids) are losing jobs. Why, so millionaires can squeeze a little more out of billionaires—when they had a good deal done?

The game will suffer because of this.
- John Jaeckel

I think for the first time tonight (especially for the majority of the league's 3rd/4th liners), the real rat has been exposed.

It's only a matter of time until the union collapses on itself. My prediction is that we're going to see a spike in players questioning the union leadership in the coming days.

You might have just met him. He is well known to those of us in the US. Fehr has made Bettman look good. Can't you see that?!

- John Jaeckel

Hate the fact that we have unions, that's the real problem.