NHLPA president (and Vancouver Canucks center) Trevor Linden has invited representives of the NHL owners’ association to a secret meeting in an undisclosed location in a last ditch effort to save the hockey season, and by extension the NHL itself.
The players and owners have been locked in a labor dispute for months now, a dispute which to this point has seen the cancellation of every NHL game so far this season.
In a statement released by the NHLPA, the players made it clear that they are not changing their anti-salary cap stance, nor are they offering any new ideas. However, the invitation was not extended to the two main combatants in this dispute, union-chief Bob Goodenow, and NHL president Gary Bettman.
Let’s hope that with the abscence of those two immense egos, the season can be salvaged, and hockey be saved here in the United States.
From ESPN.com:
The NHL moved a step closer to losing the season Tuesday, when the league and players’ association rejected proposals for a new collective bargaining agreement. The second negotiating session in a week lasted 3 1/2 hours. The league turned down the players’ association offer from last Thursday and presented a salary cap-based counterproposal for an hour. The union then held its own discussions for 2 1/2 hours before rejecting the offer and ending the meeting that came on the 90th day of the lockout.
No new meetings have been scheduled, making it quite possible that the NHL will become the first North American sports league to cancel a full season because of a labor dispute.
The major difference between the sides remains the salary-cap roadblock. The NHL wants a cap to achieve what it calls cost certainty. The players’ association says it will never accept that.
Asked about the prospects of having a season, Ottawa forward Daniel Alfredsson said: “If they stand by their salary cap, the chances are none.”
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman acknowledged the league is after a cap.
“My hope is that the union leadership recognizes that the owners’ resolve is great,” Bettman said. “We only know of really one approach to meaningfully address and fix our problems. And unless somebody can miraculously come up with another approach, which I am highly skeptical of but always [eager] to listen, we’re committed to fixing this the right way.”
There might be a month left to salvage the season, but the sides seem too far apart on the philosophical difference of a cap. The last NHL lockout ended with a deal on Jan. 11, 1995, allowing for a 48-game season.
This lockout has already forced the cancelation of 414 regular-season games and the 2005 All-Star Game.
“As I’ve said all along, it’s about getting the right deal,” Bettman said. “I would hope at some point it gets to where it’s relevant. If not, we’ll start up whenever we have a new deal.
“We haven’t focused on what a semblance of a season would be.”
The league proposal contained a cap, which, based on last year’s economics, would see team player costs range between $38.6 million and $34.6 million.
The NHL also revamped the players’ association rollback offer, proposing a graduated scale. Players making less than $800,000 would not have their salary decreased. Those making $5 million or more would have 35 percent taken away from their existing contracts.
Bettman said the offer made by the union last Thursday, which featured a 24-percent salary rollback, was a “big-time, significant and meaningful move” but was a short-term fix that wouldn’t cure the league’s financial troubles in the long run.
“In short, the league took what they liked from our proposal, made major changes and slapped a salary cap on top of it,” union head Bob Goodenow said. “Put simply, our proposal provides the basis for a negotiated agreement. The NHL’s does not.”
The union’s offer also contained a luxury tax, a revenue sharing plan, a lower cap on entry-level contracts and bonuses, and a way for teams to take players to arbitration.
But because it doesn’t guarantee what each team will pay its players, it didn’t meet the solution the owners are seeking.
“We have no interest in a luxury tax at any level at any threshold,” Bettman said.
The Canadian sports television network TSN reported Monday that NHL executive vice president Bill Daly sent a memo to team owners that said the league would turn down the union’s offer.
Bettman has placed a gag order on team executives, and has already handed out significant fines to those who speak out. Steve Belkin, one of the Atlanta Thrashers’ owners, was ordered to pay $250,000 for saying the league would use replacement players next year if a new collective bargaining agreement isn’t reached.
The punishment will be much harsher if the source of the leaked memo is revealed.
“If I find out, there won’t be much reason for you to be talking to them because their career in the NHL will end abruptly,” Bettman said. “I think it’s about the most irresponsible thing that could be done. I would really like to know who did it.”
The NHL hadn’t given the players’ association an offer since July 21, when it presented six possible concepts to provide a framework for the league’s first new collective bargaining agreement in a decade.
All six were formally rejected by the players on Aug. 17, and negotiations that followed over the next month failed to move the sides any closer to resolving the philosophical difference of a salary cap.
Talks broke off Sept. 9 when owners turned down an offer, and the lockout was imposed a week later by Bettman. Players and owners stayed apart from early September until last Thursday.
Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin offered federal intervention on Tuesday, but both sides have said they don’t need an outside mediator to get involved.
“De..blee…bluh…dee…That’s all folks”
World Cup Of Hockey
US give up two goals in third period, lose semi-final 2-1 to Finland.
That says it all really. It was an entertaining game, both teams played extremely well, it’s just that Kiprusoff is a better goalie than Esche. That was the difference.
So, Finland goes on to the final on Tuesday night, where they’ll take on the winner of tomorrow’s other semi-final between Canada and Czech Republic.
Tkachuck scores four as US avenge earlier loss to Russia
World Cup Of Hockey
The United States defeated Russia 5-3 tonight in the quarter-final round of the World Cup Of Hockey. Unsure as to what matchup they would be treated to, only 17,000 or so were on hand at the Exel Center in St. Paul to witness Keith Tkachuck’s MVP-worthy peformance. Tkachuck was the first player to score four goals in a World Cup game since Mario Lemieux almost twenty years ago.
The win sends the Russians packing, and the US on to a semi-final matchup against Finland, arguably the hottest team in the tournament. That game will take place Friday night @ 7:00 PM ET, and will be shown on ESPN2.
US gets off the shnide, beats group whipping boy Slovakia to earn first victory of tournament
World Cup Of Hockey
Bryan Smolinski, Jason Blake and Bill Guerin all scored in the US’ 3-1 victory over Slovakia. The US finish the preliminary round with a record of 1-2, and will most likely be seeded third in the quarterfinals.
Every team involved in the tournament advances to the quarterfinals. The prelim round is used for seeding purposes, and to determine home ice advantage, although I can’t really see how that would help the Russians and Slovaks.
Over in Europe, Finland is dominating, having gone 3-0. The Swedes are in second, followed by the Czechs and the winless Germans.
World Cup Of Hockey
The United States lost its’ second consecutive game of the World Cup tonight, falling to Russia 3-1 in St. Paul’s Exel Center. Like the game against Canada, the US was completely dominated, and were only able to keep the score close thanks to the excellent play of Flyers goaltender Robert Esche. I’m sure that Wooly, Mitchell and Josh are all wishing he was this good back in May.
The US is right back in action tomorrow night against Slovakia who are also winless. On paper, this would seem like a guaranteed win for the US, but, that’s why they play the games.
There was one bright spot from tonight’s game. The kickass jerseys the US was wearing. Check it out:
I WANT ONE!
