Will the players accept?

[JGraz15 53]

Deal seems very fair

http://nhlcbanews.com/news/proposal_comparison020205.html

Also, I noticed a maximum contract length of three years....strange

EDIT: Link changed...

try this

http://www.nhlcbanews.com/news/nhlproposal020205.html

[mik3 1]

This is pretty much zero-hour, and as boring as nhl hockey has become at points over the past few years, I miss it. What happened to the 42mil cap that the NY Post was talking about?

[KnightII 0]

I hope the players will accept this because it doesn't seem like a bad deal for them...however, I do not think that they will because it ties revenues to salaries.

They will not even negotiate any proposal that has revenue tied to salaries.

[JGraz15 53]

Ugh, also, the league accepted the players 24% rollback of salaries....they won't like the cap + the salary rollback

[mik3 1]

I've thought from the start that the players figured the owners would eventually buckle as they saw money lost just pile up. It hasn't happened yet, and I don't think it will.

[Dangles 0]

I think, along with many others, HOPE they will accept but I don't think they will.

[Jim Bob 0]

The NHLPA won't accept it.

The question now is whether the NHLPA will come back with a counterproposal or whether they will just throw their hands up in frustration and walk away.

Personally, I hope that they come back with a counterproposal, but I'm not holding my breath.

[Jim Bob 0]

It would be newsworthy to report that they were thinking about it. That they rejected it practically out of hand should have been expected at this point.

[mik3 1]

If they do form a counter-proposal I doubt it will be anything much different than what has been spoken of by the NHLPA. This isn't going to be solved in the next few weeks.

[mik3 1]

I think the NHLPA is being strong to a fault here.

[2048 0]

Does anyone think that either side wants to play hockey anymore? It seems like both are content to sit back and do nothing, offering proposals that meet a few of the other side's demands, but misses a key one or two.

[mojo122 535]

I don't. At this point they're both waiting for the other side to cave in. Obviously no one's strategy is working.

[Chadd 916]

Does anyone think that either side wants to play hockey anymore? It seems like both are content to sit back and do nothing, offering proposals that meet a few of the other side's demands, but misses a key one or two.

The latest NHL proposal isn't significantly different from the proposals that were rejected over the summer. There are minor things changed here and there but the hard cap is there and there is virtually no revenue sharing among teams.

[Smith 0]

Good News? Bad News? Who knows

[Jim Bob 0]

I agree that it seems like they are sending these VIA internet or phone (which I think is true even) w/o any regards of finding middle ground with the key issues. And then it goes back and forth, etc, etc. All in the while they never solve the problems.

I don't see why they can't sit back together and hammer through the big issues that are seperating them.

There is basically only one key issue and it's hard to find common ground when one side says it wants something and the other side says that they can't live with that.

As long as the NHL insists on cost certainty and the NHLPA insists on not having cost certainty, then I don't see where common ground can be found.

[Jim Bob 0]

Does anyone think that either side wants to play hockey anymore?  It seems like both are content to sit back and do nothing, offering proposals that meet a few of the other side's demands, but misses a key one or two.

The latest NHL proposal isn't significantly different from the proposals that were rejected over the summer. There are minor things changed here and there but the hard cap is there and there is virtually no revenue sharing among teams.

Revenue sharing was in the end of point #9. It was vague, but it was in there.

[mik3 1]

I wonder whose idea it was to meet in NEWARK of all places. Trying to scare the other side into settling?

[duckjob 1]

rejected.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?ID=113533&hubName=nhl

[JGraz15 53]

Maybe it is a good sign that Bettman and Goodenow are meeting tomorrow?

[KnightII 0]

Maybe it is a good sign that Bettman and Goodenow are meeting tomorrow?

That maybe so...I would think that an outright rejection would not lead to talks the next day...but ya never know with this bunch of clowns.

[ponty 0]

Think where we might be if the were serious in October???

Posturing or not we would probably be playing.

[Bane 1]

I think these posst from the article at TSN says it best.

"No. 90 Author: CAPS4VR

The union is afraid to let the players vote on this because the leaders and multi-million dollar players the union is trying to protect know that most of the younger players would settle for anything that would still allow them to be millionaires while playing a game."

"No. 89 Author: NYRFAN

As a school teacher in the United States I am personally offended that my union and the NHLPA qualify as one in the same. Lets compare....NHLPA members get to negotiate their own salaries......WE DON'T. In fact, every 3 years when our new CBA is re-opened the first thing that is presented is cost-certainty...yes, there is a fixed percentage linked to what our school system brings in and what is used for our salaries. We don't get merit pay like the NHLPA members get and I will guarantee if we did, mutual arbitration would certianly be a component!!! I undertstand the professional athlete is only limited to how long he can play so I am not blaming them for making millions, all of us would jump at the opportunity, however, at some point, you have to think about the overall health of the game, yes, the owners screwed this whole thing up to begin with and beacuse of that they are well within their right to fix it! Tough NHLPA...by the way, why aren't there any of those players who suffer the most in all of this on the negotiating committee.....you know guys like, Mike Commodore....oh by the way, Where has Daniel Alfredsson been...oh yes, he is playing in Europe, he took someone else's job away from them.....and Chelios and the boys, they are playing in a league with a salary cap...how they doing?? Good Grief!!!"

I don't think that Trevor Linden is speaking for the majority of his union, I think he is speaking for the top 10% only. Which is why they won't let the players vote on the proposal. Guys like Linden, Fordberg, Fedorov, etc. Have the most to lose.

[Jim Bob 0]

From what I'm hearing from guys lihe Rhett Warrener, Jay McKee, and other middle of the pay scale guys, I would be shocked if an NHLPA vote on this particular offer didn't result in a vote where 90%+ of the players vote No to the offer.

Goodenow has the players drinking the Kool Aid. And the NHL's "triple cap" offer makes it even easier for Goodenow to control the players, IMO.

[Chadd 916]

From what I'm hearing from guys lihe Rhett Warrener, Jay McKee, and other middle of the pay scale guys, I would be shocked if an NHLPA vote on this particular offer didn't result in a vote where 90%+ of the players vote No to the offer.

Goodenow has the players drinking the Kool Aid. And the NHL's "triple cap" offer makes it even easier for Goodenow to control the players, IMO.

There is no way that deal gets approved.

[Jim Bob 0]

From what I'm hearing from guys lihe Rhett Warrener, Jay McKee, and other middle of the pay scale guys, I would be shocked if an NHLPA vote on this particular offer didn't result in a vote where 90%+ of the players vote No to the offer.

Goodenow has the players drinking the Kool Aid. And the NHL's "triple cap" offer makes it even easier for Goodenow to control the players, IMO.

There is no way that deal gets approved.

Exactly, if the NHL was really looking to start a players rebellion, then they would have had to do something like take the 24% roll back off the table, really lower the UFA age, and make a few other changes. But as is, it makes Goodenow's job a lot easier.