chances14

nobody knows for sure if illitch is against/for the lockout. but his passion for his sports teams to win first and foremost is undeniable. it's what seperates himself from most other professional sports teams owners.

he should take his 10 million dollar signing bonus and go buy himself a private island somewhere to live on during this lockout so we don't have to listen to him complain

dan boyle is not happy with either side

That the league didn’t even really consider what the NHLPA put on the table irked a number of players, including Boyle.

“Sleep on it, look it over, discuss among the other 29 owners and then come back with a no, if that’s the case,” Boyle said.

Somewhat surprisingly, Boyle didn’t absolve his own side from helping to contribute to the stalemate.

“It’s supposed to be a negotiation, and I think right now both sides feel like it’s their way or the highway. I think you’ve got to give to get, and I don’t know that we’re at that point yet,” he said.

http://www.csnbayare...01&feedID=10290

They want good ratings and hockeymarkets such as Hamilton, QC porovide exactly that.

no it doesn't. it might have high ratings for canda television but that's not where the big money tv deal is at.

FYI, the lowest rated cup finals since the lockout was when ottawa (a candian team was involved). having canadian teams on tv doesn't automatically get you high tv ratings here in the states (which is where the big money tv contract is)

Andy Strickland ‏@andystrickland
According to sources Don Fehr has convinced the players the longer they remain firm, the better the deal will be down the road #NHLPA

that's nonsense. the longer this goes on, the worse it will be for both sides

The thing is too, Bettman and Daly refuse to negotiate unless the Fehr brothers are nogotiating on their terms, off their proposal they tabled Tuesday and willing to make only minor changes. That is not negotiating, not at all. At least the Fehr brothers have tried to get in a room and hash it out, but the evil twins refuse to listen unless fehr says we want to accept your proposal but negotiate the "make whole" issue. That is why I am against Bettman, he consistently refuses to negotiate, while Daly says there is nothing to discuss. There is plenty to discuss.

the pa has refused to meet on nhl terms and the nhl refuses to meet on the nhlpa terms. the pa are also the ones who refused to come up with a new proposal unless the nhl took salary rollbacks off the table. likewise the owners refused to negotiate until the players accepted rollbacks.

both sides are guilty of wanting it their way or the highway.

Want to fix mistakes? Start with firing the most hated person in hockey.

firing bettman isn't going to end this lockout or solve much of anything except please the anti bettman crowd who are under the delusion that he is the sole creator of all these lockouts

also according to this article, the union knew about the 48 hour window on friday, not just today

The NHLPA was aware Friday - not Tuesday - that players were being contacted by owners.

That day, Mathieu Schneider issued an email to players entitled “Club Officials Contacting Players & Agents”. This is what he wrote:

In the last few hours we have heard about calls today from various club officials to players and agents to discuss the NHL proposal and bargaining.  This is interesting, since our understanding has been that the League had banned club officials from talking to players since the beginning of the lockout.  


If you get a call, or if there is anything you would like to discuss, please contact me. And, as always, please feel free to contact Don about anything, anytime.

Mathieu Schneider

I'd hope that if they ever did manage to get rid of Bettman, they'd change back the rule he got changed to how it was in 1995.

so would i but considering that they let him get that much power, i wouldn't get my hopes up

nice little article by lebrun

here's the most notable parts

The NHL, to its credit, or more precisely NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly, came up with a creative mechanism in Tuesday’s offer that tried to address making the players "whole" in their current contracts.

Regardless of whose argument you buy on whether that mechanism flies or not, the bottom line is that the NHLPA doesn’t accept its current definition as any kind of solution.

But here’s the key: The NHL, a source told ESPN.com, reiterated to the NHLPA in Thursday’s meeting that it is willing to play ball on that concept, that it is willing to be more flexible in trying to find a solution to keep players "whole" on their contracts.

If that sounds like an invitation from the league to continue to try to find a way on that crucial point, it is. And NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr himself hinted at wanting more clarification on the matter and you can only deduce that will invite more dialogue.

imo it sounds like bettman was just pouting to the media today because fehr didn't take the offer as is.

@TSNBobMcKenzie: Personally, I'll tune out rhetoric and wait to see what next few days brings. Often a difference between public comments/private sentiment.

It shouldn't matter if they thought that there might be trouble down the road, fact is the players signed binding contracts and should be paid for those contracts. Period

It's a brilliant PR move by the league.  

They made the deal look like they're conceding more than they actually are, tied it to salvaging the entire season, and put the ball in Fehr's court.  They got their money's worth from that consultant.

Like I said in my last post, Fehr is right that everything about this deal is worse for the players.  And there's not really irrefutable evidence like there was in 2004.  The reality is though people don't care.  We just want hockey.  50/50 sounds simple and easy, even if that's not the actual percentage because of adjusting HRR.

fehr let this play right into the owners hand by refusing to come up with another proprosal. now fehr and pa have to work with the owner's offer and face public backlash

Yay a start point and a good one at that. I am sure Fehr will offer an untouched UFA; ELC, status and a higher contract cap 5 years is just ridiculous.

why is that ridiculous? the nba has a 5 year max for players signing with their returning teams and 4 year max if they sign with another team during free agency

here's another little detail that was included in the owners new offer

"Players' Salaries for those NHLers playing in the AHL would be part of the cap." Now, are they formally calling this the Wade Redden Rule or not ...

no more for teams using the AHL to cover up their mistakes

I'm basing it more on the sum total of his career than any PR attempts by Fehr.

3 CBA negotiations. 3 lockouts.

1st major North American pro sport to lose a season due to a labor dispute.  Other leagues have similar issues and problems but have managed to solve them without losing an entire season.  

1,780 games lost to lockout under his watch and counting.  That is by far more than any of the big pro sports.

How is that not a failure?  The NHL commissioner is not just a shill for ownership, part of his job is to protect the integrity and public confidence in the league.  The commissioners of other leagues have to deal with owners just like Bettman does.

7 years after losing an entire season to implement a hard cap, with an increase in revenue of 50% since the last CBA, there's no way there should be a lockout right now.   Bettman and his hardliners want too  much too fast.  And unlike in 1995, the owners aren't going to be able to overrule him and salvage the season.

it is a failure. but the owners are just as much to blame as bettman