Well, this is depressing. The NHL has cancelled all games through the end of November (though they’ve avoided canceling the Winter Classic and the All-Star Game), and on top of that, have pulled their previous offer off the table, leaving the negotiations in a very tenuous spot. The NHLPA tried earlier this week to continue working on a new agreement, but were spurned by the NHL by saying “not sure what we would be meeting about.” While I’ve always maintained (and will continue to do so) that when things start happening, the agreement will come very quickly, this rift is proving to be awful news. Any hope that was drummed up by last week’s proposals has been unequivocally squashed. The NHL released this statement, from Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly:
“The National Hockey League deeply regrets having to take this action. By presenting a proposal to the NHLPA that contemplated a fair division of revenues and was responsive to Player concerns regarding the value of their contracts, we had hoped to be able to forge a long-term Collective Bargaining Agreement that would have preserved an 82-game Regular Season for our fans. Unfortunately, that did not occur.
We acknowledge and accept that there is joint responsibility in collective bargaining and, though we are profoundly disappointed that a new agreement has not been attained to this point, we remain committed to achieving an agreement that is fair for the Players and the Clubs — one that will be good for the game and our fans.”
Typical fluff. If the owners and the players’ association really cared about fans, they’d be playing hockey right now. Until then, they’d probably do well to spare us the rhetoric. Only time will tell how this plays out, but the story has undeniably taken a turn for the worst.
Photo Credits: Justin K. Aller/Getty Images
