Sticking with hockey

For the first time in five years, Harry Cloud did not receive his cherished Flyers season tickets in the mail.

Instead, last week he was sent a letter.

The note, written on behalf of the National Hockey League and Flyers organization, apologized for the cancelled season. The league, which is embroiled in a labor dispute over salary caps with the players’ union, called a halt to the season on Feb. 16. For a brief time last weekend, it looked as if the sides were drawing closer but, at press time, the 162-day lockout was continuing.

Like many fans, Cloud, a veteran league coach at Rizzo Rink, 1101 S. Front St., has his own opinions on the impasse.

He placed much of the blame on NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, who he said could have facilitated more dialogue between players and owners. Cloud, who instructs 5- to 7-year-olds at the rink, also faulted "greedy" players.

"I always thought hockey players should get paid more because of the roughness of the sport and the talent they have," said the coach, 44. "But now, some of these salaries are really outrageous."

After a collective-bargaining agreement between the NHL and players’ union expired in September, owners prompted a lockout. League officials cited financial difficulties as the cause.

The league eventually offered a $31-million salary cap, which was later raised to $40 million. The NHL also toyed with the notion of offering players a slice of generated revenues, but later scrapped the idea.

Last Monday, union members, who initially opposed any salary cap, suggested a ceiling of $52 million. Owners quickly responded with a figure of $42.5 million.

The union cut its offer to $49 million, but that was as close as the two sides came before the cancellation announcement last Wednesday.

Hope for the season was briefly renewed last weekend over rumors that a $45-million compromise was bringing the parties back to the table. But Frank Brown, vice president of media relations for the NHL, said the talks were far less definitive than reported.

"The season was cancelled [last] Wednesday, and the meeting on Saturday was undertaken on the premise that there was no guarantee or presumption that play would occur for the 2004-2005 season," he said.

FLYERS CHAIRMAN ED Snider acknowledged that the fans are caught in the middle of the standoff.

"I am hoping we can win back our fans with a good product," he said. "We will work hard to convince them that what we are doing is the right thing not only for us and the players but, more importantly, for the fans."

But fans like Sam Martin, of the 7300 block of Wheeler Street in Southwest Philly, already are disenchanted with the high price of being a pro-hockey enthusiast.

The single-ticket price for a lower-level seat at a Flyers game runs $85; mezzanine-level seating ranges from $23-$55.

Though an avid Flyers fan, Martin said the gradual spike in ticket prices has prevented him and other middle-class families from attending games.

"What family of three or four or five can take their entire family to a hockey game anymore?" he posed.

The cancellation of this pro-hockey season is impacting youth players, added Martin, whose grandson, Matt, plays for a league at Rizzo Rink.

"All it’s doing now is not having someone for them to root for," said Martin, 62. "There’s nobody there to look up to, nobody there to emulate."

He added that high-priced tickets soon might prevent the "everyday fan" from attending other professional sporting events.

Bobby Mc Gee, of the 2900 block of South 16th Street, also complained about the expense of Flyers tickets.

"The middle class can’t afford them, and they’ve got companies buying up seats," said Mc Gee, 54.

Fans can find a relatively inexpensive way to get a hockey fix this year at a Phantoms game. The team is ranked first in the American Hockey League’s Eastern Conference.

Phantoms CEO and South Philly native Frank Miceli noted that at $8, children’s tickets have gone up just $1 in the last nine years. Adult tickets go for $14-$33.

While ticket sales are up 15 percent from last year, Miceli couldn’t attribute the increased attendance to the pro-hockey lockout. But Phantoms officials are working hard to lure bummed-out Flyers fans with a plethora of promotions and giveaways.

When the Phantoms face off against the Hershey Bears tomorrow night, fans will participate in a "teddy bear toss" by throwing a stuffed bear on the ice. The bears will be collected and distributed to local shelters and hospitals.

Mc Gee, whose grandson, Gregory, also plays hockey at Rizzo Rink, said they will follow the Phantoms more regularly while enjoying the local league action.

"The kids’ games are more exciting than the NHL games," said Rizzo league coach Sal Sansone, from the 2900 block of South Cleveland Street.

Still, everyone seems anxious for the major leaguers to pick up sticks.

"We’d much rather see the Flyers play than not play," said Miceli. "We hope a resolution will come sooner rather than later."

Cloud believes that NHL officials and the players’ union should cancel negotiations for now and use the time off to seek a lasting solution for next season.

"They should make this season a wash," he said. "But as long as they can figure out their problems and try to strengthen the league, hopefully by September, they can get this ball rolling."