Early Sunday morning, the news that we were all waiting for finally came down: We will see NHL hockey this season after all. If you had given up hope, you assuredly weren’t alone. As occurs every time a sports league locks out (which is far too often, if you ask me), things tend to move very quickly once a deal is struck. So what I wanted to start our new season off with is a few key points that will be of interest.
The agreement that was struck will last for the next 10 years (with an opt out clause after eight years). The players got the defined benefit pension plan they were looking for. (As a short aside, many people view this as a secondary issue, but it is far from it. When you think about it from an owners/league perspective, you have to be able to fund a pension plan for hundreds, eventually thousands of players who could very easily retire at 30 and die at 80, all while collecting checks with the NHL logo at the top. That’s a significant victory for the players).
Additionally, the players’ share of “hockey-related revenue” will decrease from 57 percent to 50 percent under the new CBA. The length of all player contracts can be no more than seven years (no more frontloaded deals), and the new salary cap for the 2013-14 season will be just over $64 million, cut from the $70.2 million this year. It should be noted that once Penguins co-owner Ron Burkle began to make his presence felt at these meetings, things started getting done. Burkle lives his life in negotiating beast mode.
On to the business of the season itself; it looks as though games will begin either Jan. 15th or 19th (most likely the 19th). Training camps should be open by this weekend. The abridged schedule will consist of 48 games, plus the normal playoff format. While the schedule is not out yet, it’s likely that most of these games will be within the divisions and conferences (a significant portion of a typical early season schedule consists of non-conference games). More specifics will likely come out after the Board of Governors meet this week, and the deal is officially signed.
It’s time to finally breathe that sigh of relief that we’ve been waiting almost four months to do. So don’t be afraid to crack a smile at work today, because the fun is about to begin.
Photo Credits: Gregory Shamus, Getty Images
