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Post by dogcatcher on Aug 16, 2007 6:12:38 GMT -4
Sea Dogs' boss calls for changes
Andrew Mcgilligan
Telegraph-Journal
Published Thursday August 16th, 2007
Appeared on page B14
SAINT JOHN - While Saint John Sea Dogs majority owner Scott McCain is waiting for the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League season to start, he hopes the league will address a key issue.
"The education packages that are being thrown around are getting out of control for a lot of teams," McCain said.
McCain and several other owners have been critical of the ever increasing education packages teams are forced to pay players. While McCain thinks its reasonable for some of the top players to expect some extra help if they don't get drafted into the National Hockey League, the amounts are getting carried away.
Players receive a certain amount of funding to use towards a college or university education after they've finished playing in the QMJHL. Over the past few years, some of the higher-rated prospects heading into the QMJHL entry draft have said they were forgoing a junior career in favour of the U.S. college route.
While some may be serious about this aspiration, it's become more of a bargaining chip for agents in the last few years.
Because of the cost a full scholarship to a U.S. school, agents can ask that the player receive similar compensation if they decide to play in the QMJHL.
"Some of the demands these agents are putting on teams, particularly the ones who want money for U.S. colleges, is totally unrealistic," McCain said.
"I understand negotiations for some of the payments, but it's just getting carried away."
Gilles Courteau, commissioner of the QMJHL, spoke briefly about this situation at the 2007 QMJHL entry draft in Drummondville, Que. At the time, Courteau said the league would look at offering one uniform education package, instead of each team offering players packages on a case-by-case basis.
No decision or policy has been put in place at this time.
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Post by Smiley on Aug 16, 2007 7:49:10 GMT -4
Sea Dogs' boss calls for changes Andrew Mcgilligan Telegraph-Journal Published Thursday August 16th, 2007 Appeared on page B14 SAINT JOHN - While Saint John Sea Dogs majority owner Scott McCain is waiting for the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League season to start, he hopes the league will address a key issue. "The education packages that are being thrown around are getting out of control for a lot of teams," McCain said. McCain and several other owners have been critical of the ever increasing education packages teams are forced to pay players. While McCain thinks its reasonable for some of the top players to expect some extra help if they don't get drafted into the National Hockey League, the amounts are getting carried away. Players receive a certain amount of funding to use towards a college or university education after they've finished playing in the QMJHL. Over the past few years, some of the higher-rated prospects heading into the QMJHL entry draft have said they were forgoing a junior career in favour of the U.S. college route. While some may be serious about this aspiration, it's become more of a bargaining chip for agents in the last few years. Because of the cost a full scholarship to a U.S. school, agents can ask that the player receive similar compensation if they decide to play in the QMJHL. "Some of the demands these agents are putting on teams, particularly the ones who want money for U.S. colleges, is totally unrealistic," McCain said. "I understand negotiations for some of the payments, but it's just getting carried away." Gilles Courteau, commissioner of the QMJHL, spoke briefly about this situation at the 2007 QMJHL entry draft in Drummondville, Que. At the time, Courteau said the league would look at offering one uniform education package, instead of each team offering players packages on a case-by-case basis. No decision or policy has been put in place at this time. How can he say this with a straight face? What he is complaining about is exactly what he did with Anthony, what a joke. |
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Post by canucklehead on Aug 16, 2007 7:55:32 GMT -4
It's what he had to do to get Anthony to report
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Post by dogbert on Aug 16, 2007 8:18:33 GMT -4
"Some of the demands these agents are putting on teams, particularly the ones who want money for U.S. colleges, is totally unrealistic," McCain said. "I understand negotiations for some of the payments, but it's just getting carried away." Take notes and maybe make recordings of these negotiations. Send trascripts to the NCAA. Threat removed! |
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Post by sharrow on Aug 16, 2007 8:24:59 GMT -4
What a joke, set the standard and then ask the league to fix it, both Irving and McCain entered into unrealistic contracts with Brown and Anthony and both will end up with cancers in the dressing room. What do you think the other players will feel like having these two receiving $ 200,000 plus contracts while they play for a league standard of about $ 30. to $50 per week, some difference eh !. IT WILL CREATE PROBLEMS !!!!!
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Post by dogbert on Aug 16, 2007 8:47:46 GMT -4
What a joke, set the standard and then ask the league to fix it, both Irving and McCain entered into unrealistic contracts with Brown and Anthony and both will end up with cancers in the dressing room. What do you think the other players will feel like having these two receiving $ 200,000 plus contracts while they play for a league standard of about $ 30. to $50 per week, some difference eh !. IT WILL CREATE PROBLEMS !!!!! No problems with Anthony. He negotiated a private dressing room. |
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Post by Judas In My Mind on Aug 16, 2007 8:54:24 GMT -4
There's nothing wrong with him saying that at all. He's calling for a change in how things are, and there should be a change. Until there is one though you have to deal with things as they are. What if the league doesn't do something about this right away. Two years...five years...ten years go by. How many prospects would you miss out on?
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Post by themagician on Aug 16, 2007 9:23:53 GMT -4
Between the front office and the high ransom kids are demanding from the Dogs, Scott McCain is having his money pissed away in a big hurry here. Dollar after dollar spent frivolously.
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Post by falcon on Aug 16, 2007 10:45:58 GMT -4
This is hilarious...... NB's richest families paying kids off to report and play and then turnaround and complain about it. What makes it even more funny was doing this flip flop after bitching about the Esposito affair.
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Post by dogbert on Aug 16, 2007 11:14:31 GMT -4
This is hilarious...... NB's richest families paying kids off to report and play and then turnaround and complain about it. What makes it even more funny was doing this flip flop after bitching about the Esposito affair. One of the reasons they're the richest  |
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Post by Judas In My Mind on Aug 16, 2007 12:19:36 GMT -4
After two years of missing the playoffs I'd certainly hope they'd take drastic measures to improve the team. It still changes nothing though. This is something the league has to take action on asap. What would you have our ownership do? Let these players toss out the NCAA card, pass on them, and have another team draft them and convince them to report? It's obvious if you pass on a high talent kid, someon else is going to pick him and try getting him to report.
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Post by Murph on Aug 16, 2007 12:39:11 GMT -4
It's what he had to do to get Anthony to report Probably true. It'll probably take some form of colusion between the owners, where they just say, "We're not giving you anything, so if you want to go NCAA, go ahead". I'm sure the odd player who was actually serious about the NCAA, would go NCAA, but most who are strickly using it as a bluff, would go QMJHL. The problem is you would need all the owners on board with this. I don't see Quebec or Moncton jumping on board. |
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Post by berner on Aug 16, 2007 12:56:13 GMT -4
It's what he had to do to get Anthony to report Probably true. It'll probably take some form of colusion between the owners, where they just say, "We're not giving you anything, so if you want to go NCAA, go ahead". I'm sure the odd player who was actually serious about the NCAA, would go NCAA, but most who are strickly using it as a bluff, would go QMJHL. The problem is you would need all the owners on board with this. I don't see Quebec or Moncton jumping on board. And that's exactly why the the League is being called on to deal with this. There's no way all the owners would get together on it and be able to trust each other unless there was a league-wide rule on it. Funny reading people criticizing McCain after getting Anthony and losing Espo over this type of thing. For some people, their favorite pastime is criticizing others. The fact is that Saint John front office got burned by Espo and have decided that the necessary mentality is "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em", and they're right. Like Leask said, if management were to stand pat on some kind of team policy outlawing big packages, while other teams pony up, you can bet the Dogs will never amount to anything. Give the team a few more years before it folds. The league has to step up and mandate something that covers all teams in the Q. |
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Post by Murph on Aug 16, 2007 13:13:09 GMT -4
Probably true. It'll probably take some form of colusion between the owners, where they just say, "We're not giving you anything, so if you want to go NCAA, go ahead". I'm sure the odd player who was actually serious about the NCAA, would go NCAA, but most who are strickly using it as a bluff, would go QMJHL. The problem is you would need all the owners on board with this. I don't see Quebec or Moncton jumping on board. And that's exactly why the the League is being called on to deal with this. There's no way all the owners would get together on it and be able to trust each other unless there was a league-wide rule on it. Funny reading people criticizing McCain after getting Anthony and losing Espo over this type of thing. For some people, their favorite pastime is criticizing others. The fact is that Saint John front office got burned by Espo and have decided that the necessary mentality is "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em", and they're right. Like Leask said, if management were to stand pat on some kind of team policy outlawing big packages, while other teams pony up, you can bet the Dogs will never amount to anything. Give the team a few more years before it folds. The league has to step up and mandate something that covers all teams in the Q. So how do you prove teams aren't paying the players to report? Right now, with there being a level of openness about what's going on, I don't know how you prove how much Anthony got, or Brown recieved. It'll be much harder if teams need to be quiet about it. If teams are caught, what's the penalty? When Bathurst used money in a transaction in 98-99 to aqcuire players from Chicoutimi, there penalty was they had to pick at the end of the 1st round of the draft. Not much of a penalty. How about preventing a team from drafting AT ALL, let alone at the bottom of a round. The league says, in 2010, you can't make a selection in the first 2 rounds, but you also can't trade those draft picks either. Does that work? |
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Post by Judas In My Mind on Aug 16, 2007 14:08:28 GMT -4
Murph I am not suggesting they use this idea as there are a ton of negatives to using this. It's just an example on how to get around this problem.
The Q boosts its education contribution to say...1 paid year of schooling per 1 year of service as a player in the league, taken as an average amount of what it would cost at a Canadian school. The league and teams would have to agree on what percentage each are responsible for.
A player wanting to play in the Q and enter the draft then has to sign into the draft. What he signs states he chooses to enter the Q draft and waives his NCAA eligibility to do so. That way say if the Sea Dogs are secretly offering him extra bonuses to come to the Q instead of NCAA, but the Sea Dogs have the fifth pick, the other four teams have a shot at this guy because they know he isn't going to pull the NCAA thing on them. The only team with an advantage to make extra deals to get a kid to choose Q over NCAA is the team with the first pick I suppose as they are guaranteed to get their guy.
Like I said that is not my suggestion. There are many flaws with that idea, but it would solve the "I'm going NCAA, oops now because a rich team picked me and pays me well I changed my mind" problem.
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