Conference school::sports_memorabilia

    
    	This note is to console Ron on his grief due to the
    	Hockey season coming to a premature ending because
    	the Hockey players have decided to join the rest of
    	the professional sports players and become greedy
    	like the rest of them.
    
    	The players have decided not to play unless the owners
    	meet their demands, so the Hockey season is over just
    	when the best part of it was just about to start, meaning
    	the Playoffs.
    
    	I imagine how sad Ron must be, so this note is to console him,
    	and to allow him to vent his anger and frustration.  I'm surprised
    	that he hasn't said anything yet.  I hope he doesn't explode
    	before he vents his supressed feelings.
    
	Fire away Ron...
    
    					Capt.

    Gee, the hockey players are on strike ... it's baseball season
    anyway.
    
    John
    

    What's "hockey"?
    
    8^)
    
    John D.

    
    	It is very difficult to relate to the Hockey players,
    	even though they are the lowest paid when you compare
    	them to the other Sports, when they make an average of
    	a hundred thousand a year, when we don't even make close
    	to that, and we are in constant fear of losing our jobs
    	and the prospect of finding another similar job is getting
    	less and less likely.
    
    	I find it very hard for me to sympathize with any of them,
    	specially that player who will remain nameless who is crying
    	foul because he signed a contract for $12 million, and he says
    	it isn't enough, and he wants $15 million instead.
    
    	He only makes $12 millions.   Isn't that a shame...?.

       So do you feel sorry for the owners who for years ripped off the
    player's pension fund? FWIW, I heard Gordie Howe gets less than $15.000
    a year for a pension.
                                      Denny

    I hear sports memorabilia  mentioned  as one of the things players
    are asking more for a share of.  I guess the owners agreed to more
    as far as cards went, but nothing else.
    
    Hockey doesn't interest me that much  so the strike doesn't bother
    me at all.  I'm sure lots of people  feel  that way when there's a
    strike in baseball.
    
    The players seem pretty united though, unlike the football players
    during their strike.
    
    John

    FWIW:  The issue of licensing $$ for trading cards was in fact a
    non-issue that Emperor Ziegler used to make the players look bad.
    The players have been getting the royalties from these cards from
    almost day 1 of their existence, there is a technicality that the
    owners have these rights, but it has never been invoked due to the
    bad P.R. the league and owners would receive if they tried to own
    the players' face (which they once tried to claim!). The players are
    looking to get rid of this technicality so it could never be invoked.
    Zeigler is playing it cute. 
       Though the salaries are higher than many of us will ever see, a few
    points should be taken into consideration before condemning the
    players:  1) the average player makes between $85,000 - $150,000 a
    year, and his career lasts (on avg.) 5 years. They then have a very
    poor pension fund to fall back on (as was mentioned about G.Howe)....
    add the fact that the Canadian tax situation takes a whopping 40-45%
    of the salary, and you can see that for getting whacked with sticks,
    pucks and fists from the age of 4 does not bring the same reward that
    many of the non-talent millionaires of the other sports get. 
        The NHL player's have taken it upon themselves to look after one
    another, in ways such as the relief fund for former players down on
    their luck (there are more stories like Derek Sanderson's than could
    fill a book, and many don't have the "happy" ending that cam with
    Derek's).  At least these guys have pulled together on this, Gretsky
    could keep quiet {like he does on defense  8^) }, but he is standing
    with guys who have everything to lose.  Funny, but I can't picture
    a Jack Clark or a Jim McMahon sacrificing money to insure that the
    Spike Owen's or Luis Rivera's of the sports world are not screwed
    when their careers are over.
    
        And lastly, it has been reported that this strike could very
    well be the death of the NHL, due to a non-ruling by the U.S. Courts.
    AND it has brought up issues that, if the non-ruling on the collective
    bargaining issue is interpreted concisely, will threaten the existence
    of ANY pro sports league ( the issue is something to do with anti-trust
    laws ). Now, I'd like to hear some opinions on whether this will bring
    a rush on cards, either dumping them or hoarding them...
    
    
    Like I said, this is just what I've read and heard from a couple of 
    player's who have been killing their evenings at a few local pubs...
    
    
                                  -Mike

    Great note Mike!
       Another way which the owners screwed up big time is their TV
    contract. Instead of sticking with ESPN a couple years ago they
    switched to Sportschannel for a few more short-term bucks. ESPN gets
    to about 50 million homes. SC about 1/5 of that. So they gave up a
    national TV deal for a more localized one. 
       The owners like to tell us that the players 'median' salary is
    $350,000. What they don't say is, for instance on the Bruins, there are
    only 3 guys making more than that.
                                  Denny

    I'll tell you something about hockey players, friends. They make squat
    compaired to the bretheren in other pro sports. They get paid sqaut in
    Junior. In the East Coast Hockey League (comparable to AA baseball),
    league rules dictate team salary caps. This translates to $200 per week
    per player during the season with no per dium (sp?). The coach for our
    ECHL team last year, Marty McSorley's brother Chris, stated that many
    times he had players sleeping at his house or that he was loaning
    players $5 here and $10 there just so they can eat. These guys take
    buses from Richmond to garden spots like Erie, Roanoke and Columbus.
    
    Next step up the ladder is the IHL or AHL. This is like AAA ball. The
    money at this level stinks, too. I don't have any exact figures but,
    unless the parent club has signed a contract with a player, they get
    squat.
    
    Now on to the show. Players in the US get a tax break but, unless you
    are a Getzky or Bourque, you get very little opportunity for commerical
    endorsements. Players on Canadian teams do better in this area but, as
    was previously stated, they killed with taxes.
    
    The NHL pension plan is the worst of any major pro sport. Owners are,
    collectively, the most unenlightened bunch of skinflints in business. 
    
    The one good thing about pro hockey now is that more and more players
    are deciding on getting experience in college instead of signing right
    away with a team. Thus, at least some of the guys will have an
    educational foundation to fall back on when their playing days are
    over.
    
    There are a couple brother, Scott and Todd Drevitch, who played last
    season for the Richmond Renegades who are from Hyde Park, MA (Don Bosco
    HS). Spent a night after a game talking to them at a local watering hole. 
    Really an eye opening experience listening to what these guys have been
    through and hearing what they have to look forward to.
    
    Rich
    

    
    Juan as I told you in ug I've been moaning about the strike in the
    Bruins notesfile so I haven't broken a blood vessel yet.. 
    
    I think the strike is a lousy thing to do to the fans.. both sides of
    this are being foolish pig headed and cry babies. the owners want more 
    money from the merchandising and cards are a BIG issue in this strike 
    players insist they have a right to $$ made from there faces on cards
    and owners say if you weren't playing for me you wouldn't be getting $$ 
    for that face of yours... 
    
    it slays me no matter how you look at it when the Bruins owners 
    cleared $50+million last year in profit and most players are getting
    paid between 200-500K a year to play and some much higher.... I have 
    a hard time seeing how either side can cry about what they are doing or
    what they getting paid.. The only thing that is imbalanced in my eyes 
    is players like Gordie Howe and Bobby Orr getting squat for a pension 
    and we all know if it wasn't for the older players creating a following 
    there wouldn't be hockey today especially since there aren't any big 
    TV contracts to promote the sport.
    
    Ron
     

    Ron,
       Where did you get your information that 'most' players are getting
    between $200-500K a year? From the owners no doubt.
                                Denny

    Interesting and informative notes on the strike issues. As far as
    pensions go for older players,  isn't this basically the same for
    most sports such as baseball etc. I'm pretty sure some of the old
    timers in baseball don't get much either.
    
    John

Alan Eagleson cheated the players and the union for years.

The details were well documented in a 5 part series by Russ Conway in the 
Lawrence Eagle Tribune which ran last fall. Conway has been 
nominated (if that's the correct word) for a Pulitzer. The FBI 
and Canadian equivalent are currently looking into Eagleson's 
dealing with the players union. Personally, I think the guy's 
toast.

I side with the players 100%.

daryll

       Yeah, but didn't ol' Eagle collude with the owners in screwing the
    union?
                               Denny

    
    I got my information on salaries not from the owners but from an
    article that ran in the globe last year and does every year recording
    all the players base salaries. Minimum salary for an NHL player is 
    $110,K per year players of Glenn Wesley's calibur (gag) are getting
    paid between $350K-500K per year Craig Janney $750K per year
    NOT bad pay for 30hours work on the heavy weeks and it quickly makes 
    up for the years your were only getting a measly $40K a year to play in
    Maine !!!! 
    
    
    I really don't side with the players or the owners because niether of
    these groups will lose. Only the fans. We will and doo foot the bill 
    for these outragious salaries and the 50+million profit the the bruins 
    owners cleared last year. 
    
    I have no sympathy for these players just like I don't for baseball
    players or any other professional sports players.. The road is no
    harder for athletes than it is some everyday joe.  Someone talked about
    the the minor league pay. If you are signed with the team your minimum 
    pay is $40K per year (at least with the Maine Mariners) that's not bad 
    pay for PLAYING a game. Ya you have to practice and travel SO what 
    traveling salesman for DEC or every other company travel and put in
    long hours as well. 
    
    PLEASE don't even get me going on baseball *cry babies* no one deserves
    what there lowest paid player per team gets for a salary. You 
    can not even compare these 2 sports or any other sport to baseball
    because no other sport can seat as many fans (sell so many tix's) for 
    as many games and has major TV coverage...  Baseball stadiums like 
    Dodger stadium can hold 3+million fans for 1 game that's alot of 
    $$$ in ticket sales. tickets should cost a fan $2.00 for a game there 
    in perspective!
      
    No one says these guys have to live off there pension you know when
    they retire from hockey at the old age of 30 that doesn't mean they 
    have to retire from life! If you worked at DEC from age 20-30 then 
    left you are 100% vested and are entitled to pention but you certainly 
    aren't going to live off it at 30! What makes people think that sports 
    figures should have it any easier ?? they are LUCKY to play sports 
    as a job for some period in there life they should be gratefull not 
    complain - this goes for any sport.   
    
    the OWNERS on the other hand are also at fault here because they make 
    much more than they deserve for doing in comparison nothing ! they
    should take there $$ and be happy. 
    
    We fans are paying $38+ for a good seat per game to see a good hockey 
    game at the garden $10 for parking and $3.50 per draft beer and $2.50 
    for a hot dog $2.00 for an icecream bar. Who's really losing here ? 
    you guys are crazy to sympathize with folks making this kind of money 
    for doing something so enjoyable. 
    
    
    Ron
    
    

Dodger Stadium can seat 3 million?

daryll

    Re: .15
    
    Minimum salary is 110K$ for a hockey player ? I think baseball's
    minimum salary is only 100K$.
    
    John

    
    Baseball's is $109,000
    
    -rjk

    I find the $110K min salary for NHL players hard to believe. As RJK
    stated, MLB players get a min of $109K.
    
    As far as minor league min being $40K, again, I find this hard to
    believe. The adjusted norm may be $40K because the Mariners may have
    players who have negotiated bonus' or some such other agreement with
    the parent team. But, I also believe there are players in the AHL
    making substantially less thatn $40K.
    
    
    Can anyone insert some info from a source that can be checked out?
    
    Rich
    

    FYI
    
    As I understand things, one of the agreements reached between players
    and owners was that the new minimum salary of players shall be $100K.
    So, the $110K figure that had previously been entered was either team
    specific or gleened from an inaccurate source.
    
    Rich
    

    
    sorry I didn't get back in here and justify that 110K earlier but 
    I will do it now.
    
    the $110K figure may be accross the league but most likely it is just 
    the Bruins since the articel I read in the globe some time ago was
    about them. Also, the 110K was the maximum amount to be paid for
    someone who had signed a contract with the B's from the minors and the 
    player would only get paid at that ratio for games played with the 
    parent club. meaning that if a Jim Wiemer plays a full 80 games with
    the Bruins he would receive 110K for the year if he played 40 games 
    with The Bruins and 40 games with the Maine Mariners he'd get 55K
    for the 40 B's games and an additional 20K for the 40 games w/Maine. 
    if he had a signed contract with the Bruins but was told to report to 
    Maine and NEVER got called up he would get 40K for all 80 games. 
    Understand ? 
    
    Wes Walz and Joe Juneau were to recent players with the B's that
    negotiated with Harry Sinden for 1 way contracts (as most established 
    NHL players have) meaning that if B's managment tells the player to 
    report to Maine instead of the parent club they still get paid on the 
    minimum 110K ratio... When Bob Sweeney and Nilan got sent down to Maine 
    they still got paid there regular NHL salary but most journeymen don't 
    have that luxury. 
    
    to belabor a point that was made earlier I wish I had the talent
    to play even in the minor league because 40K for the minors and 110K 
    for the entry level NHL player is damn good money and nothing to pout 
    about for playing sports for a living for X amount of years. 
    
    
    Ron
    
           

    Ron,
    
    So the $110 figure was a figure that only applied to the Bruins, I take
    it. Your source is the Boston Globe. OK, I'll buy that.
    
    However, where do you get the information on the minimum salary for
    minor league wages? As I said, in the ECHL, the base pay is $200 per
    week unless the player is under contract to a big league team. Salaries
    for unsigned or unaffiliated players in the minors are paid by the
    minor league team ownership and these folks aren't rolling in $$$.
    
    Finally, a kid probably starts getting paid for playing hockey at 18 or
    19 (assuming he doesn't play in college). Let's say he gets a bonus for
    signing, plays 2 years in the minors (under contract to a parent team)
    and then makes the NHL. The kid turns out to be a marginal player and
    is released at age 26. So, he made around $500K during his "career",
    has no trade or education and has to start out fresh in life before his
    30th birthday.
    
    Now, wise folks like you and I figure that if the kid invested his
    money properly and continued his education, he would have a nice nest
    egg put aside as well as an educational foundation.
    
    BUT - if the kid played all his pro career in Canada, his net would
    have been around $250K. And, chances are he owed 10% of the $500K to
    his agent. That leaves his net at $200K. That's over 6 years, mind you. 
    
    So, bottom line is that this kid earns what you and I make and we have
    a tough time making ends meet.
    
    It isn't all the glitter that it seems. Only a *SMALL* percentage of
    players make the big money. The vast majority have a career that lasts
    5 years or less and their pay doesn't go as far as people think.
    
    Rich