Well, well, well.
It looks like all of this chitchat isn't changing anything.
While I'm not a fan of either party leaking information to gain more support, I continue to stand behind the players here.
I don't sympathize with owners who signed contracts they couldn't back and now want to back out. I also don't feel sorry for anyone who thought it was a good idea to start a hockey program in Phoenix.
You made a poor, poor investment.
The onus does not fall on the athletes who put their bodies, and minds, on the line to make you money...
Fans don't buy jerseys with owners' names on them. They don't cheer for owners. They don't cry for owners. They don't laugh, gasp, sigh, yell, and even fight, for the owners. They do it for their teams. They do it for the people out there on the ice.
I understand it's a symbiotic relationship. We wouldn't all know and love Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and for other people, for some unbeknownst reason, (gag) Sidney Crosby and (cringe) Alex Ovechkin, if it weren't for the NHL and the people behind the teams who gave them contracts to begin with.
But, what's the point of giving them contracts if you can't back them up?
How will you recruit top talent in the future if your word and your signature are meaningless?
Your concern is money, but you let precious time pass when you could easily be turning profits. As a fan, I think of every day as games I'm not seeing. But you should be seeing dollar signs flashing by. Dollar signs that you're knowingly and willingly let pass.
You already have the smallest fan base in all of the major sports. Just when you start to catch the interest of more people, you decide it isn't that important to even bother with another hockey season. The longer you go, the less likely you are to get fans back. People lose interest quickly. Even the most loyal of us are disgusted by you right now.
So, negotiate. Really think about it. Really talk about it. Try compromise.
From The Sporting News -- http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=409136
NHL Players' Association executive director Donald Fehr sent a memo to the players following Thursday's meeting with the league:
Today, we met with the NHL off and on over several hours. A number of matters were discussed, including our proposal for a new pension plan, revenue sharing, the players' share and salary cap issues, and the owners' "make whole" concept. Present today were Chris Campoli, Mathieu Darche, Ron Hainsey, Johan Hedberg, Manny Malhotra, and Kevin Westgarth (David Backes was present for part of the day), as well as Mathieu Schneider, Joe Reekie, Steve Webb and Rob Zamuner.
No new proposals were exchanged on pension issues, but we will discuss this issue again tomorrow (Friday). We did receive a proposal on revenue sharing in response to the proposal we made this week, but this subject still needs considerable work.
In addition, we received a revamped proposal covering players' share and cap issues, their so-called "make whole", and player contracting issues. The owners finally did formally give us their "make whole" idea, which in dollar terms is similar to the discussions Bill Daly had with Steve Fehr a few days ago. While a step forward, a significant gap remains. Moreover, at the same time we were told that the owners want an "immediate reset" to 50/50 (which would significantly reduce the salary cap) and that their proposals to restrict crucial individual contracting rights must be agreed to. As you know, these include - among other things - losing a year of salary arbitration eligibility, allowing the team to file for salary arbitration in any year that the player can file, extending UFA eligibility to age 28 or 8 seasons, limiting contracts to 5 years, and permitting only 5% year to year variability in player contracts. Individually each is bad for players; taken together they would significantly reduce a player's bargaining power and give the owner much more leverage over a player for most if not all of his career.
In short, the concessions on future salary we have offered (at least $948 Million to $1.25 Billion over five years, depending on HRR growth) are not enough. We are still being told that more salaries must be conceded, and that very valuable player contracting rights must be surrendered. So, while we are meeting again, and while some steps are being taken, there is still a lot of work to be done and bridges to be crossed before an agreement can be made.
We will review today's discussions over night and tomorrow morning before meeting again with the owners. Following our meeting tomorrow with the league, we will be able to provide a broader update.
As always, please contact us if you have any questions or comments.
Best regards.
Don
It looks like all of this chitchat isn't changing anything.
While I'm not a fan of either party leaking information to gain more support, I continue to stand behind the players here.
I don't sympathize with owners who signed contracts they couldn't back and now want to back out. I also don't feel sorry for anyone who thought it was a good idea to start a hockey program in Phoenix.
You made a poor, poor investment.
The onus does not fall on the athletes who put their bodies, and minds, on the line to make you money...
Fans don't buy jerseys with owners' names on them. They don't cheer for owners. They don't cry for owners. They don't laugh, gasp, sigh, yell, and even fight, for the owners. They do it for their teams. They do it for the people out there on the ice.
I understand it's a symbiotic relationship. We wouldn't all know and love Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and for other people, for some unbeknownst reason, (gag) Sidney Crosby and (cringe) Alex Ovechkin, if it weren't for the NHL and the people behind the teams who gave them contracts to begin with.
But, what's the point of giving them contracts if you can't back them up?
How will you recruit top talent in the future if your word and your signature are meaningless?
Your concern is money, but you let precious time pass when you could easily be turning profits. As a fan, I think of every day as games I'm not seeing. But you should be seeing dollar signs flashing by. Dollar signs that you're knowingly and willingly let pass.
You already have the smallest fan base in all of the major sports. Just when you start to catch the interest of more people, you decide it isn't that important to even bother with another hockey season. The longer you go, the less likely you are to get fans back. People lose interest quickly. Even the most loyal of us are disgusted by you right now.
So, negotiate. Really think about it. Really talk about it. Try compromise.
From The Sporting News -- http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=409136
NHL Players' Association executive director Donald Fehr sent a memo to the players following Thursday's meeting with the league:
Today, we met with the NHL off and on over several hours. A number of matters were discussed, including our proposal for a new pension plan, revenue sharing, the players' share and salary cap issues, and the owners' "make whole" concept. Present today were Chris Campoli, Mathieu Darche, Ron Hainsey, Johan Hedberg, Manny Malhotra, and Kevin Westgarth (David Backes was present for part of the day), as well as Mathieu Schneider, Joe Reekie, Steve Webb and Rob Zamuner.
No new proposals were exchanged on pension issues, but we will discuss this issue again tomorrow (Friday). We did receive a proposal on revenue sharing in response to the proposal we made this week, but this subject still needs considerable work.
In addition, we received a revamped proposal covering players' share and cap issues, their so-called "make whole", and player contracting issues. The owners finally did formally give us their "make whole" idea, which in dollar terms is similar to the discussions Bill Daly had with Steve Fehr a few days ago. While a step forward, a significant gap remains. Moreover, at the same time we were told that the owners want an "immediate reset" to 50/50 (which would significantly reduce the salary cap) and that their proposals to restrict crucial individual contracting rights must be agreed to. As you know, these include - among other things - losing a year of salary arbitration eligibility, allowing the team to file for salary arbitration in any year that the player can file, extending UFA eligibility to age 28 or 8 seasons, limiting contracts to 5 years, and permitting only 5% year to year variability in player contracts. Individually each is bad for players; taken together they would significantly reduce a player's bargaining power and give the owner much more leverage over a player for most if not all of his career.
In short, the concessions on future salary we have offered (at least $948 Million to $1.25 Billion over five years, depending on HRR growth) are not enough. We are still being told that more salaries must be conceded, and that very valuable player contracting rights must be surrendered. So, while we are meeting again, and while some steps are being taken, there is still a lot of work to be done and bridges to be crossed before an agreement can be made.
We will review today's discussions over night and tomorrow morning before meeting again with the owners. Following our meeting tomorrow with the league, we will be able to provide a broader update.
As always, please contact us if you have any questions or comments.
Best regards.
Don
