This one's for those hoping for a NHL season this year.
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NHL to say no thanks
Optimism subsides before meeting
By PIERRE LEBRUN


NHL commissioner Gary Bettman gestures while speaking to reporters in Edmonton in this Nov. 30, 2004 file photo. Any optimism that may have existed after last Thursday's proposal by the NHL Players' Association has all but vanished on the eve of the next round of labour talks.
(CP) - Any optimism that may have existed after last Thursday's proposal by the NHL Players' Association has all but vanished on the eve of the next round of labour talks.
According to a leaked memo, the NHL has rejected the union's offer - which included a 24 per cent rollback on existing contracts. Both sides meet Tuesday at 1 p.m. EST at the league's Toronto office where the NHL will hand over its counter-proposal. The players reject the league position that their offer is a temporary fix.
"We have given up a lot," New York Islanders captain Michael Peca told The Canadian Press on Monday. "And I think it's a little misleading when the league says it's a one-shot deal. The offer would re-set the market, it's going to bring arbitration into play and all the other factors."
The union feels it made major concessions last Thursday, enough to salvage the season.
"Our proposal provides a basis for the owners to reduce their labour costs in a meaningful and reliable way and there can be no doubt as to its impact given the fact over $500 million of the savings come out of existing contracts and at least another $500 million in savings will result from the significant system changes being offered," NHLPA senior director Ted Saskin told The Canadian Press on Monday.

The question now is whether the NHL's counter-proposal will include a link between player costs and league revenues. If so, the season is likely over because the NHLPA will not accept a salary cap.
The leaked memo says the NHL counter-proposal will ask for the complete removal of salary arbitration and a "restructuring" of the NHLPA's 24 per cent salary rollback.
The league praised the union last week for the rollback offer, but said the proposal still didn't include "cost certainty." Commissioner Gary Bettman can't publicly say it, but he wants a salary cap in order to control some owners and GMs, whose bad signings during the last CBA help salaries spiral out of control.
And that's where the players draw the line. The NHLPA doesn't feel it its responsibility to protect the owners and GMs from themselves.
"There comes a point when teams need to be accountable for some of the business decisions that they've made," Peca said from his off-season home in Buffalo. "If everybody could conduct their business like a (New Jersey GM) Lou Lamoriello or like Brian Burke did in Vancouver, then they're going to be successful.
"In the business world, if a company makes a bad business decision, then they have to pay for it, whether the stock goes down or whatever happens. They want an idiot-proof system where they take that possibility away from their general managers or owners - owners that look at owning a hockey team as just a hobby and not a business entity."
But Oilers governor Cal Nichols publicly rejected the union's offer Monday.
"In my opinion, and that of the Edmonton Oilers, it is an enticement to carry on doing essentially what we're doing and the Edmonton Oilers won't be here long-term if that's what we're prepared to accept," Nichols told reporters in Edmonton.
That came a day after Senators owners Eugene Melnyk told reporters in Ottawa that the union's offer wasn't good enough, calling the rollback "a one-shot deal that doesn't work."
"I found Mr. Melnyk's recent comments puzzling, especially in light of how our proposal would impact his team," said Saskin. "The Ottawa Senators, with a large number of players under contract for a number of years, have over $10 million in guaranteed reductions to payroll in the first year and over an additional $17 million in the following years. When coupled with the other important system changes being made, I fail to see how Ottawa would not be able to manage their player budget in a way that does not provide them with a significantly lower player cost for the foreseeable future."
Lamoriello, who sits on the league's negotiating committee, was a little more hopeful Monday that talks could still continue. He points to the rollback as a good start.
"Like everyone else, I was pleased that for the first time there was an acceptance - whether it be directly or indirectly - of the (Arthur) Levitt report," he told The Canadian Press from New York. "That the dollars that have been bandied around that were lost, finally came to the forefront. And I thought that was a very positive think because before you can move forward you have to have some type of agreement somewhere.
"And hopefully the open dialogue can just continue. The game is more important than any of us and we have to do whatever is in the best interest of the game."
But Peca doubted the players could give back much more.
"We've kind of reached a breaking point where we've given back so much that there's really no room for us to go," he said.
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Basically, there's little chance for a NHL season this year.

I'm not surprised. This will hurt the NHL for years to come.

I think the NHLPA's proposal was fair....a 24% cutback is at least a start.....but I guess the NHL is wanting to cut salaries even more.

Actually it's more that the NHL wants a hard cap..oh sorry "Cost Certainy" and the players won't go for that. Gary Bettman still thinks that all 30 teams can be financially sound, even if a thrid of the league are either in bad markets or have financial problems...
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League, union reject proposals

TSN/Canadian Press

12/14/2004

TORONTO (CP) - NHL labour talks were derailed Tuesday after each side rejected the other's proposal.

The talks lasted about 3 hours. The league made a one-hour presentation on its counter-proposal, which included a salary cap. The NHL Players' Association asked for a caucus, which lasted 2 hours, before returning to end the meeting.

There are no future talks planned at this time to end the NHL lockout, which including Tuesday night has wiped out 414 games. And if anything, the gap seemed to widen after Tuesday's get-together.

A salary cap, linking cost to revenue, appears to be the main stumbling block. The league calls it a "salary range," saying it proposes to give 54 per cent of its revenues to the players.

"My hope is that the union leadership recognizes that the owners' resolve is great," commissioner Gary Bettman told a news conference. "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 anxious to listen, we're committed to fixing this the right way.

"And that means we need to forge an economic partnership. We need to be together - teams and players, league and union - working together to grow this game and I don't think there's any substitute for that.

"And the sooner union leadership and the players realise that, the sooner we can move forward. Because quite frankly as we stay out, the longer this work stoppage goes on, it's only going to get worse. It's not going to get easier."

The league counter-offer contained what Bettman called a "salary range, which, based on last year's economics, would see team player costs between $38.6 million and $34.6 million (US)," the commissioner added.

Asked why he thinks the NHLPA might change its position that it won't accept a salary cap or something that links costs and revenue, the commissioner said: "Well, work stoppages are historically about changing expectations.

"We've got a problem and we've got to fix it. And at some point the players and the union are going to have to decide that they're going to be part of the solution. That's what it's going to take to get us playing."

The players have offered a luxury tax as a form of salary-drag, forcing clubs who spend freely to pay a penalty. The NHL has consistently reflected that.

"We have no interest in a luxury tax at any level at any threshhold," Bettman said dismissively.

The NHLPA scheduled a news conference for later Tuesday.

The day started, as expected, with the NHL rejecting the union's proposal, which included a one-time 24 per cent rollback on existing player contracts.

"The unanimous conclusion was the union's proposal does not work," Bettman said. "It is dramatic in its immediate, short-term impact, but is fatally flawed as a system going forward."

Instead, the league offered a revised rollback offer, proposing a graduated scale.

Players making less than $800,000 would not see their salary diminished at all. Players making more would give back graduated amounts depending on their pay, with the top-level players making $5 million or more giving 35 per cent back from their existing contract.

The league said its proposal would mean 731 players - or 91.8 per cent - would be at or below the union's proposed 24 per cent.

Despite Tuesday's rejections, Bettman insisted that the two side were not that far apart.

"The union's offer of the rollback was a great start. Now, let's get together and fix the system the right way," he said.

"If you accept everything the union says will result from their proposal, the players will receive 56.6 per cent of our revenues on Day 1 of a new agreement ... We countered at 54 per cent."

Bettman's right-hand man also looked for positives.

"We'll keep working at it," said Bill Daly, the NHL's executive vice-president and chief legal officer. "It's hard to draw any conclusions from this meeting other than we're still not any closer to a resolution."

Goodenow arrived to meet Bettman just before 1 p.m. at the NHL offices. He was flanked by association executive president Trevor Linden and executive members Daniel Alfredsson, Bill Guerin, Bob Boughner, Trent Klatt, Arturs Irbe and Vince Damphousse.

There seemed little suspense going into the meeting after a league memo, obtained by TSN, surfaced Monday with the news that the league had rejected the union's recent offer.

Bettman later told reporters that the league had not part in leaking the memo.

The leak also came on the heels of criticism of the union offer from the ownership of the Edmonton Oilers and Ottawa Senators.

The NHLPA, meanwhile, reiterated that its proposal does change hockey's economic landscape.

NHLPA senior director Ted Saskin said the 24 per cent rollback on existing contracts will result in savings of more than $500 million, with another $500 million coming from other proposed changes.

Last week's talks, when the union tabled its proposal, lasted about four hours