AT 12:01am this morning the CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) has expired and the NHL are once again in a lockout. There is currently no time frame for how long the lockout can go."We talked with the Union this morning and in light of the fact that they have nothing new to offer, or any substantive response to our last proposal, there would be nothing gained by convening a bargaining session at this time," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said. "I'm sure that we will remain in contact in the coming days." The discussions were that Cominissioner Gary Betteman had with NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daley were about player contracts.
Betteman feels that the NHL is dishing out too much money to help teams pay their fees and he says if the players get a pay reduction than the teams won't have to go to the league for money. Under the expired CBA, players made 57% of the teams renevue share and Betteman wants to reduce it to 47% over the next 6 years. Bill Daley and the players believe that they should get more money. Some players even said if they get a pay reduction they might not want to play in the NHL. "Today we suggested that the parties meet in advance of the owners' self-imposed deadline of midnight tonight," Steve Fehr, special counsel for the NHLPA said. "Don Fehr, myself and several players on the Negotiating Committee were in the city and prepared to meet. The NHL said that it saw no purpose in having a formal meeting."
"There have been and continue to be private, informal discussions between representatives of both sides." Teams are currently not ready to announce the cancellation of training camps (which would open next week) and the NHL is getting ready to announce the cancellation of pre-season games. How long will the lockout go on you ask? Who knows? It might be 2 months and it might be 1 full season. Only time will tell.
Written By Andrew Di Pardo
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