My Thoughts on Replacement Players
After the NHL meeting that lasted five hours with the board of governors, the possibility of replacement still remains according to TSN.ca
And replacement players are an unspoken option.
“I think that we can move forward and plan to play a season however it happens this coming year,” Edmonton Oilers chair Cal Nichols said. “I think that in itself is what our fans want to see, so we’ll just see how it works out in the summer. I think everybody still has a preference to work with the union and try to negotiate something and hopefully that’s where it takes us.”
Plan A is to negotiate a deal with the NHLPA in time to save the NHL entry draft and conduct a normal off-season in order to re-launch the game and try to win back fans.
Plan B, at least in its early stages, could definitely see the use of replacement players if it’s clear a deal can’t be done.
I’ve heard some people’s opinions about replacement players and not minding that. I, personally, do not want replacement players. I try to attend as many Red Wings games as I can during the season (although it’s pretty hard to get tickets to any games). Red Wings games are expensive. The cheapest I ever paid for tickets (upper level waay back up there) was $50. I refuse to pay that much money to watch lower-league level players play when I used to be able to watch them from anywhere to $12-30 a seat for some of the best seats in the arena. Now if they were to drop tickets, I would probably attend because I enjoy watching the sport - it just wouldn’t be the same and I really doubt that any agreement, salary cap-wise, will result in cheaper prices for the Wings.
Red Wings player Brendan Shanahan made comments encouraging the participation of minor league replacement players in the NHL.
“I think it’s a two-way street and if we can go down and play in some of their leagues then they can certainly come up and be replacement players in the NHL. I don’t think [replacement players] is a successful proposition. I think that will just ruin the situation even more.
But you know what I would say to a young guy who’s playing in the East Coast or United Hockey League who has an invitation to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs? Go for it. Good luck.
I wouldn’t blame a guy being a career minor leaguer getting an opportunity playing in the big leagues, I would be a little resentful towards an NHL player that went across the lines.”
I understand what Shanahan is saying and even respect him for saying those comments. I just feel that the NHL won’t be the NHL with replacement players. They have a hard time marketing the NHL with star athletes who have been around awhile much less a guy who’s playing in the NHL because the other players are locked out. It would feel like every player I know retired. They were there one season and just gone the next season. I don’t know - I just hope they can sort a deal out and the NHL doesn’t resort to replacement players.