What if ......

the NHLPA calls BADDMAN's bluff and starts negotiations with the WHA on a real partnership where the players are part owners?
With so many players unsigned for this year and many on 1 year deals that expire this year would not the players hold all the leverage. This may come as a shock to Gary and his cohorts, but we pay to see the players, not him and clown troupe!

the NHLPA calls BADDMAN's bluff and starts negotiations with the WHA on a real partnership where the players are part owners?
With so many players unsigned for this year and many on 1 year deals that expire this year would not the players hold all the leverage. This may come as a shock to Gary and his cohorts, but we pay to see the players, not him and clown troupe!

The biggest problem in the way of immediately starting another league is having good venues. The NHL owners own most of the best venues in the best cities and are extremely unlikely to want to give ice time to a competing product. The best hope for the WHA to survive is to start as a regional league and establish themselves in a few markets with low travel costs and the chance to build some rivalries.

It is very difficult to create a league from scratch, to build loyalties to a team or jersey...there will be some hard core/early fans, but it takes years and success to get the fans to stay with a team in the hard times.

The thing with the WHA is that that wouldn't be starting completely from scratch, they already have some name recognition.

But, yes, I think you're right, that it would be best to start as a regional league with a group of Canadian and northern US cities. From there, who knows?

I wish I could find the article that talked about the NHLPA's decision not to buy the WHA when it was up for sale, it was pretty interesting.

Wouldn't it also be possible for a current NHL owner to buy a franchise in another league as well? For instance, let's say Dolan is pissed at Bettman's whole stance. Wouldn't he be able to buy a WHA franchise as well as continue to own the Rangers? Yes I know if the NHL started up again, he would be screwed but let's just say hypothetically speaking.

Where are the WHA teams going to play, exactly?

If I remember correctly , wasn't the WHA going to have a salary cap ? What would that do for the NHLPA's stance against a salary cap if some of it's players jump to the WHA ?

first the WHA isn't going to get off the ground...it is an imiginary league and they missed out on their window of opportunity. they might have succeeded if they started in october with the nhl missing but the way things are going the nhl will return in 2006 and still be back before the WHA starts.

that said, while you might get some nhlers interested in playing in the WHA during the lockout, i highly doubt you'd see the NHLPA push for all the players to go over to a league that plans to have a $10 mil salary cap for each team (plus a franchise player that you can go over with)...so a select few might go there is they can be the 'franchise player' but it would be more somewhere to play during the lockout then a long term alternative...

of course it would be interesting to see what the WHA and the people owning the potential arenas would say if the NHLPA called them and said "if you drop the salary cap, we'll come play with you"...its possible then that the WHA would make whatever changes necessary to attract those players. the problem being of course that if you can't get the league operating with a $10 mil cap where do you get the funds to start of a league with nhlers

of course it would be interesting to see what the WHA and the people owning the potential arenas would say if the NHLPA called them and said "if you drop the salary cap, we'll come play with you"...its possible then that the WHA would make whatever changes necessary to attract those players. the problem being of course that if you can't get the league operating with a $10 mil cap where do you get the funds to start of a league with nhlers
Good argument. NHL players would have to play for pennies on the dollar to make a startup league function. Then begin to factor in where draftees like Crosby opt to play. These kids could almost certainly earn more in a capped NHL, and the WHL simply can't compete with the NHL name brand.