Brian Burke's CBA proposal

[Jim Bob 0]

Originally posted on www.cbc.ca

Hockey Night In Canada analyst Brian Burke has drawn up a 15-point plan to resolve the NHL's labour woes.

Brian Burke detailed his 15-point "working solution" on Tuesday.

With the current collective bargaining agreement set to expire Wednesday at midnight ET and a lockout looming on the horizon, the former hockey executive offers up "a working solution" focusing on the key issues being negotiated by the NHL and the NHL Players' Association:

A WORKING SOLUTION -

1. Phase in over two years

2. Twelve-year contract

3. Escrow:

Seven per cent of player payroll

Ten per cent of designated hockey revenue (DHR)

Arena construction fund

4. Revenue sharing of $200 million with $75 million from playoff pool

5. Set payroll threshold at 38 million and payroll minimum at 33 million

6. Overage fees and penalties:

1st million = $0.50 on the dollar

2nd million = $1 per dollar

3rd million = $2 per dollar

4th million = $3 per dollar

5th million or more = $5 per dollar

7. Repeat offender fees

8. Guarantee players 55 per cent of DHR (Designated Hockey Revenue)

9. Joint audit controls:

1st offence = $1 million fine

2nd offence = $5 million fine

10. Four-year entry-level system with a maximum $250,000 in rookie bonuses

11. Unrestricted free agency at age 29

12. Qualifying offers:

26 years and over = 75 per cent

26 and under = 50 per cent

13. Seventy (70) regular-season games

14. Salary arbitration:

Use hi/low baseball system

Clubs can bring a player to arbitration

A team and player can file only once every 3 years

15. Drop-dead date for player signings

I like it. But, I doubt the NHLPA would.......

[RadioGaGa 162]

I like the combination of the NFL system and MLB system. There are elements of both. Obviously the NHL doesn't have the TV money like Baseball and Football. Burke was one of the guys that negociated the '94 deal....some of these points are direct changes to things he made happen in the first place (ie; Rookie system).

If the League/Players were smart, they'd consider some of this...

I hope this doesn't drag out as long as some are predicting (2 years???). At least I've got my Hamilton Bulldgos while I wait for the NHL to smarten up!

[Chadd 916]

The overage fees are a bit excessive, that would act as too much of a hard cap. I'd say 50 cents on the dollar for the first $5M then $1 for every $1 over after that is more likely to be accepted. I think trying to agree upon DHR would be a nightmare as well.

[Jim Bob 0]

I think trying to agree upon DHR would be a nightmare as well.

I think that would be rather easy.

The tough part would be setting up a checks and balances system to keep the owners from underreporting revenues.

Personally, I think there needs to be rules set up in the CBA and then independant reviews that take place on the owners books each year to make sure that "fair market values" are paid to the clubs when the club's owners also own or operate the entity that is giving the revenues to the individual clubs.

[Chadd 916]

Identifying it is easy, getting the clubs to give up their hidden income is another story.

[MDE3 0]

Aren't their "joint audit controls" provided for in the agreement, with infraction penalties ...this I assume is to make sure that the DHR is accurately reported.

[Chadd 916]

Aren't their "joint audit controls" provided for in the agreement, with infraction penalties ...this I assume is to make sure that the DHR is accurately reported.

My point was in identifying and defining the DHR, not the monitoring process. Owners will differ greatly in what they consider the DHR to be.

[Jim Bob 0]

Identifying it is easy, getting the clubs to give up their hidden income is another story.

There isn't a whole lot to hide if they go off of benchmark definitions of revenues in the game that are used in the NBA, NFL, and even MLB.

The key to making it work is getting the teams to not cook their books so costs aren't pushed on the teams and revenues aren't pushed to the arenas, TV networks, and concession companies that are owned by the same people that own the teams.

Both sides know where the money is coming from and where it's going. That's the main reason the NHLPA isn't buying the reported losses of the NHL teams.

And that's the main flaw in the Levitt Report. I know he said he investigated anything that looked like underreporting. But, who knows how accurately the resulting numbers really were.

And that's a big problem.