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Jamie's Hockey Blog

By Jamie Fitzpatrick, About.com Guide to Hockey since 2002

Season or No Season, the NHL and its Players Appear to Have a Breakthrough

Tuesday February 15, 2005

The adversaries in the NHL labor war picked a fine time to start talking peace and harmony - the middle of February, with 834 games already cancelled. But the league and its Players' Association suddenly appear seperated only by the usual give-and-take required to reach any collective bargaining agreement.

The Philadelphia Inquirer is one of several media sources reporting details of the latest proposals. Here's what it boils down to:

  • The NHL's Big Concession:The league no longer demands that salaries be linked to revenues. Previously, the NHL wanted a salary cap that was adjusted every year, ensuring that the players receive no more than 53-to-55 per cent of total league revenues.
  • The NHL wants: A salary cap of $40 million per team, with teams taxed 50 per cent on every dollar spent over $34 million.

  • The Players' Big Concession: The players have abandoned their long-held stand against a team-by-team salary cap.
  • The Players want: A salary cap of $52 million per team, with a graduated tax rate beginning at the $40 million mark. They also want a detailed plan on how the league would re-distribute the tax money and share other revenues. The previous offer of a 24% wage cut on all existing contracts remains.

    Some remain pessimistic about getitng an agreement in time to play a brief NHL season. But the movement has taken some NHL players by surprise.

    ''We probably could've gotten this thing done in the summertime,'' said Mathew Barnaby of the Chicago Blackhawks, speaking to The Canadian Press. ''Am I mad? No. I want to get back to work. But at the same time, I'm just a little disappointed that it went this far to play poker and to have someone call your bluff.''

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