Unfollow NHL September 15

In the past two weeks, we’ve received many great suggestions and ideas in addition to our own on how fans can voice their dissatisfaction and send a message to the NHL/NHLPA.

1. Unfollow and unlike the NHL on all social networking sites on September 15^th, the CBA decision deadline. (Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, etc…)
2. Unfollow and unlike NHL players on all social networking sites on September 15^th, the CBA decision deadline. (Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, etc…)
3. Don’t visit NHL.com, any of the teams’ homepages, or the NHL Shop.
4. Resist the urge to buy merchandise sold by the NHL or any of its teams.
5. Write/email the NHL or any of its thirty teams, voicing your dissatisfaction.
6. Don’t buy tickets to any games.
7. Refuse payment of season tickets if there is in fact a lockout.
8. Cancel your subscription to NHL Center Ice if you have one, or any other NHL-affiliated subscriptions.
9. Support teams from other leagues such as the AHL, WHL, KHL, etc…
10. Spread the word about this movement! It’s a fan movement and every voice counts!

New ideas and suggestions, such as letter-writing or staging peaceful protests, are welcome! You can email us at unfollownhlsept15@yahoo.com, write on our Facebook wall, send us a tweet on Twitter or even drop a message in our Tumblr ask box.

Another voice of frustration- @Michael_Traikos of the National Post:

Wake me when it’s over.

That’s how most fans probably feel about the latest squabble between the NHL and the players’ union. They’re fed up.

Don’t talk to them about revenue sharing or salary rollbacks. Don’t tell them one side is being greedy and the other unreasonable. They don’t want to hear it. Not after what happened last time.

In 2004-05, a full season of a hockey was wiped out because of an unwillingness to introduce the salary cap. Eight years later, the existence of the salary cap is not even an issue anymore. Instead, a debate over relative shares of hockey-related revenues could threaten the season from starting. It could be about midi-chlorian counts and magic beans, for all fans care.

All that matters is that it appears we are going to lose more games. How many? It’s hard to say yet, but the doomsday preppers are already planning for the worst.

Joe Thornton and Rick Nash, who spent the previous lockout in Switzerland, are reportedly making arrangements to head back for a second tour.

Teemu Selanne is in talks to return to his old team in Finland. And the once-ignored American Hockey League, which releases its now highly anticipated schedule on Friday, is about to become the hottest ticket in town.

All because Gary Bettman and Donald Fehr would rather come up with inventive ways to say “far apart” than lock themselves in a room and actually work on bridging the so-called gap that exists between the two sides.

Who knows? Maybe this is all just posturing. Maybe a deal will be worked out just in time for the season opener on Oct. 13. Maybe we just need to sit back, relax and let the negotiation process work itself out.

But with the current collective bargaining agreement due to expire on Sept. 15, it seems likely that the season will not start on time and that a month or more will be lost, which is sad and depressing and really kind of stupid.

Remember the last time that the doors locked on the NHL? NBC was forced to show The Purina Incredible Dog Challenge. Instead of hockey, people sat around and watched puppies jumping through hoops. The drama!

That cannot happen. Not again.

And yet, someone is going to have to compromise. That “monetary gulf,” as described by Fehr, has to be bridged by both sides.

We are talking billions of dollars and big egos, so it will not be easy. The owners want the players to take a smaller piece of the pie, by cutting player salaries by 24% and decreasing their share of league revenue to 43% from 57%.

The players are willing to keep what they have but give up a claim on additional revenues earned for the next three years. But they also want the league’s wealthier owners to be responsible for propping up the have-nots of the league.

Which side is right? Neither, if another lockout occurs.

And yet, we appear to be heading that way. Bettman has already stated that if the CBA expires on Sept. 15 without a new one in place, hockey will not be played. Fehr has warned union members to be prepared for that.

It could just be a bluff. Then again, what if it is not? Canadian hockey fans are a loyal bunch. But how many fringe fans were lost from the previous lockout? How many more are at risk this time around?

How many players will hang up the skates if a month or more is lost? How many franchises can survive when the only tenants in their arenas are rock bands and ice capades? How can the NHL, which signed a US$200-million agreement with NBC in 2011, go back to blackouts?

How could a sport that is still considered a distant fourth among North American team sports, risk losing more popularity?

I don’t want to think about it. So, I am going to close my eyes. And when I open them up again, I just want handshakes and for hockey to start on time.

From @JenConnic at Ranger Nation: 

Dear NHL owners and players,

Hope your summer has been going well. It’s been a pretty exciting offseason so far with a great draft and lots of big-name player moves. And the Los Angeles Kings winning the Stanley Cup was a lot of fun. Here in New York we’re still basking in the glow of one of the most successful seasons the Rangers have played since 1994 and hopeful for next season to be just as exciting.

But here’s the thing: We’re worried that there might not be a season this fall. This whole collective bargaining agreement negotiations thing seems to not be going well. You players have dragged out counter offering the owners. And you owners, especially your leader, are throwing the word “lockout” around again. We don’t like that word.

See, here’s the thing, we all remember the last lockout. It was pretty awful. We had football to watch, but then when the season was over we had to watch things like basketball. Yuck. And AHL hockey? It’s just not the same.

I know you both want to get as much money as you can in this new deal. We know you want to have something that you both deem “fair” (though none of us fans will think any of it is fair since we will never see the kind of money you guys earn). But you do realize the repercussions of what will happen if there’s another lockout, right?

IT MEANS LESS MONEY.

Not only will you owners not be generating revenue in ticket sales, you players won’t be earning anything because you won’t be playing. And, oh, you’re going to piss off a lot of fans, especially at a time when the league has become quite popular again. I can guarantee a lot of people won’t be rushing back to buy tickets and merchandise when you get your act together and actually have games again.

Remember how you guys had to rebuild the league in 1995 and again in 2005? You’re going to have to do that all over again. All the momentum and goodwill you’ve built in the years since thelast lockout will be gone. Any sort of work stoppage is going to be a public relations nightmare for both of you.

I keep asking myself: ARE THESE GUYS REALLY THIS DUMB?!

Seriously, are you guys this dumb? Can’t you stop being selfish for a month or two and think of us fans to get this thing done? We know it’s not easy, but we just landed a rover on Mars. Hammering out a new CBA is nothing in comparison.

Hoping to see camp open in September,

Jen