SAVE THE NHL PETITION.I SIGNED-I WAS NUMBER 653
http://www.petitiononline.com/Fans4NHL/petition.html
THE 2012-13 NHL LOCKOUT HAS OFFICIALLY BEGAN AS OF SEPTEMBER 16,2012 12:00AM.I JUST HOPE ITS NEGOTIATED BY OCTOBER 1,12 SO WE CAN GET THE REGULAR SEASON STARTED AT LEAST.
FIRST THE PRE SEASON WAS CANCELLED.AND NOW ON OCT 4,12 THE NHL HAS CANCELLED 82 REGULAR SEASON GAMES TILL OCTOBER 24,12.
ITS FRI OCT 19,2012-AND IT LOOKS BAD AS THE PA YESTERDAY HAD A PRESS CONFERENCE AND SAID IN 15 MINUTES THE OWNERS SHOT DOWN THE 3 DIFFERENT DECSIONS THEY CAME UP WITH TO SETTLE THE STALMATE.I'M NOT EXPECTING HOCKEY TILL AT LEAST JAN 1,13 NOW AFTER YESTERDAYS EVENTS.
By Sean Leahy | Puck Daddy – 1 hour 59 minutes ago OCT 26,12
Getty ImagesThursday's deadline for the NHLPA to accept the NHL's offer proposed last week to save the full 82-game schedule came and went off the table yesterday, so what was expected will become official as the league is set to cancel all games through Nov. 30 sometime today, per Elliotte Friedman of the CBC.
http://www.petitiononline.com/Fans4NHL/petition.html
THE 2012-13 NHL LOCKOUT HAS OFFICIALLY BEGAN AS OF SEPTEMBER 16,2012 12:00AM.I JUST HOPE ITS NEGOTIATED BY OCTOBER 1,12 SO WE CAN GET THE REGULAR SEASON STARTED AT LEAST.
FIRST THE PRE SEASON WAS CANCELLED.AND NOW ON OCT 4,12 THE NHL HAS CANCELLED 82 REGULAR SEASON GAMES TILL OCTOBER 24,12.
NHL announces cancellation of 2012-13 regular season schedule through October 24
Thursday, 10.04.2012 / 2:00 PM / News NHL.com
NEW YORK
-- The National Hockey League announced today the cancellation of the
2012-13 regular-season schedule through October 24. A total of 82
regular-season games were scheduled for Oct. 11 through Oct. 24.The
cancellation was necessary because of the absence of a Collective
Bargaining Agreement between the NHL Players' Association and the NHL.
ITS 12:40PM TUE OCT 16,12 AND BETTMAN HAS GAVE THE PLAYERS ASSOCIATION A PROPOSAL TO GET A 50/50 SPLIT.A LONG TERM CONTRACT TO BE DONE.
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=643570ITS 12:40PM TUE OCT 16,12 AND BETTMAN HAS GAVE THE PLAYERS ASSOCIATION A PROPOSAL TO GET A 50/50 SPLIT.A LONG TERM CONTRACT TO BE DONE.
NHL makes 50-50 revenue split offer
Tuesday, 10.16.2012 / 1:38 PM / News NHL.com
TORONTO
-- The NHL made a proposal for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement on
Tuesday, one designed to allow an 82-game schedule for 2012-13 NHL
season to take place."We very much want to preserve a full 82-game season and in that
light we made a proposal, an offer really," Commissioner Gary Bettman
said. "It is our best shot at preserving an 82-game regular season and
[Stanley Cup] Playoffs."
Commissioner Bettman announced the proposal after he and Deputy
Commissioner Bill Daly held an hour-long meeting with the National
Hockey League Players' Association Executive Director Don Fehr and
Special Counsel Steve Fehr at the Union office.Bettman said that the offer, which splits hockey-related revenue at
50-50, is contingent upon a full season being played and suggested that
the season could begin Nov. 2. He also said the League is not asking for
salary rollbacks from the players."We're focused on getting the season started on Nov. 2. That's what this offer was about.""Gary indicated to me and I assume he indicated to you that they
would like to get a full 82-game season in," Don Fehr said. "We, of
course, share that view and would like to get a full 82-game season in.
And, so, what our hope is that after we review this that there will be a
feeling on the players' side that this is a proposal from which we can
negotiate and try to reach a conclusion. But, we are not in a position
to make any comments about it beyond that at this point."
NHL proposal to save 82-game season
Wednesday, 10.17.2012 / 9:52 AM / News
NHL.com
The National Hockey League issued the following release Wedneday:
Following is the full text of the NHL's offer for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement in order to preserve a full, 82-game season that the National Hockey League presented Tuesday to the NHL Players' Association (along with the accompanying commentary and descriptions also provided to the NHLPA). While the original intention was not to release the details of the offer publicly, not surprisingly there have been widespread reports attempting to describe and characterize the terms of the offer that understandably are incomplete. As a result, we believe that full public disclosure at this stage is both necessary and appropriate.
See a detailed explanation of the proposal
• Six-year Agreement with mutual option for a seventh year.
2. HRR Accounting:
• Current HRR Accounting subject to mutual clarification of existing interpretations and settlements.
3. Applicable Players' Share:
• For each of the six (6) years of the CBA (and any additional one-year option) the Players' Share shall be Fifty (50) percent of Actual HRR.
4. Payroll Range:
• Payroll Range will be computed using existing methodology. For the 2012/13 season, the Payroll Range will be computed assuming HRR will remain flat year-over-year (2011/12 to 2012/13) at $3.303 Billion (assuming Preliminary Benefits of $95 Million).
• 2012/13 Payroll Range
Lower Limit = $43.9 Million
Midpoint = $51.9 Million
Upper Limit = $59.9 Million
• Appropriate "Transition Rules" to allow Clubs to exceed Upper Limit for the 2012/13 season only (but in no event will Club's Averaged Club Salary be permitted to exceed the pre-CBA Upper Limit of $70.2 Million).
5. Cap Accounting:
• Payroll Lower Limit must be satisfied without performance bonuses.
• All years of existing SPCs with terms in excess of five (5) years will be accounted for and charged against a team's Cap (at full AAV) regardless of whether or where the Player is playing. In the event any such contract is traded during its term, the related Cap charge will travel with the Player, but only for the year(s) in which the Player remains active and is being paid under his NHL SPC. If, at some subsequent point in time the Player retires or ceases to play and/or receive pay under his NHL SPC, the Cap charge will automatically revert (at full AAV) to the Club that initially entered into the contract for the balance of its term.
• Money paid to Players on NHL SPCs (one-ways and two-ways) in another professional league will not be counted against the Players' Share, but all dollars paid in excess of $105,000 will be counted against the NHL Club's Averaged Club Salary for the period during which such Player is being paid under his SPC while playing in another professional league.
• In the context of Player Trades, participating Clubs will be permitted to allocate Cap charges and related salary payment obligations between them, subject to specified parameters. Specifically, Clubs may agree to retain, for each of the remaining years of the Player's SPC, no more than the lesser of: (i) $3 million of a particular SPC's Cap charge or (ii) 50 percent of the SPC's AAV ("Retained Salary Transaction"). In any Retained Salary Transaction, salary obligations as between Clubs would be allocated on the same percentage basis as Cap charges are being allocated. So, for instance, if an assigning Club agrees to retain 30% of an SPC's Cap charge over the balance of its term, it will also retain an obligation to reimburse the acquiring Club 30% of the Player's contractual compensation in each of the remaining years of the contract. A Club may not have more than two (2) contracts as to which Cap charges have been allocated between Clubs in a Player Trade, and no more than $5 million in allocated Cap charges in the aggregate in any one season.
6. System Changes:
• Entry Level System commitment will be limited to two (2) years (covering two full seasons) for all Players who sign their first SPC between the ages of 18 and 24 (i.e., where the first year of the SPC only covers a partial season, SPC must be for three (3) years).
• Maintenance of existing Salary Arbitration System subject to: (i) total mutuality of rights with regard to election as between Player and Club, and (ii) eligibility for election moved to five years of professional experience (from the current four years).
• Group 3 UFA eligibility for Players who are 28 or who have eight (8) Accrued Seasons (continues to allow for early UFA eligibility -- age 26).
• Maximum contract length of five (5) years.
• Limit on year-to-year salary variability on multi-year SPCs -- i.e., maximum increase or decrease in total compensation (salary and bonuses) year-over-year limited to 5% of the value of the first year of the contract. (For example, if a Player earns $10 million in total compensation in Year 1 of his SPC, his compensation (salary and bonuses) cannot increase or decrease by more than $500,000 in any subsequent year of his SPC.)
• Re-Entry waivers will be eliminated, consistent with the Cap Accounting proposal relating to the treatment of Players on NHL SPCs playing in another professional league.
• NHL Clubs who draft European Players obtain four (4) years of exclusive negotiating rights following selection in the Draft. If the four-year period expires, Player will be eligible to enter the League as a Free Agent and will not be subject to re-entering the Draft.
7. Revenue Sharing:
• NHL commits to Revenue Sharing Pool of $200 million for 2012/13 season (based on assumption of $3.303 Billion in actual HRR). Amount will be adjusted upward or downward in proportion to Actual HRR results for 2012/13. Revenue Sharing Pools in future years will be calculated proportionately.
• At least one-half of the total Revenue Sharing Pool (50%) will be raised from the Top 10 Revenue Grossing Clubs in a manner to be determined by the NHL.
• The distribution of the Revenue Sharing Pool will be determined on an annual basis by a Revenue Sharing Committee on which the NHLPA will have representation and input.
• For each of the first two years of the CBA, no Club will receive less in total Revenue Sharing than it received in 2011/12.
• Current "Disqualification" criteria in CBA (for Clubs in Top Half of League revenues and Clubs in large media markets) will be removed.
• Existing performance and "reduction" standards and provisions relating to "non-performers" (i.e., CBA 49.3(d)(i) and 49.3(d)(ii)) will be eliminated and will be adjusted as per the NHL's 7/31 Proposal.
8. Supplemental and Commissioner Discipline:
• Introduction of additional procedural safeguards, including ultimate appeal right to a "neutral" third-party arbitrator with a "clearly erroneous" standard of review.
9. No "Rollback":
• The NHL is not proposing that current SPCs be reduced, re-written or rolled back. Instead, the NHL's proposal retains all current Players' SPCs at their current face value for the duration of their terms, subject to the operation of the escrow mechanism in the same manner as it worked under the expired CBA.
10. Players' Share "Make Whole" Provision:
• The League proposes to make Players "whole" for the absolute reduction in Players' Share dollars (when compared to 2011/12) that is attributable to the economic terms of the new CBA (the "Share Reduction"). Using an assumed year-over-year growth rate of 5% for League-wide revenues, the new CBA could result in shortfalls from the current level of Players' Share dollars ($1.883 Billion in 2011/12) of up to $149 million in Year 1 and up to $62 million in Year 2, for which Players will be "made whole." (By Year 3 of the new CBA, Players' Share dollars should exceed the current level ($1.883 Billion for 2011/12) and no "make whole" will be required.) Any such "shortfalls" in Years 1 and 2 of the new CBA will be computed as a percentage reduction off of the Player's stated contractual compensation, and will be repaid to the Player as a Deferred Compensation benefit spread over the remaining future years of the Player's SPC (or if he has no remaining years, in the year following the expiration of his SPC). Player reimbursement for the Share Reduction will be accrued and paid for by the League, and will be chargeable against Players' Share amounts in future years as Preliminary Benefits. The objective would be to honor all existing SPCs by restoring their "value" on the basis of the now existing level of Players' Share dollars.
Following is the full text of the NHL's offer for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement in order to preserve a full, 82-game season that the National Hockey League presented Tuesday to the NHL Players' Association (along with the accompanying commentary and descriptions also provided to the NHLPA). While the original intention was not to release the details of the offer publicly, not surprisingly there have been widespread reports attempting to describe and characterize the terms of the offer that understandably are incomplete. As a result, we believe that full public disclosure at this stage is both necessary and appropriate.
See a detailed explanation of the proposal
NHL PROPOSAL TO SAVE 82-GAME SEASON
1. Term:• Six-year Agreement with mutual option for a seventh year.
2. HRR Accounting:
• Current HRR Accounting subject to mutual clarification of existing interpretations and settlements.
3. Applicable Players' Share:
• For each of the six (6) years of the CBA (and any additional one-year option) the Players' Share shall be Fifty (50) percent of Actual HRR.
4. Payroll Range:
• Payroll Range will be computed using existing methodology. For the 2012/13 season, the Payroll Range will be computed assuming HRR will remain flat year-over-year (2011/12 to 2012/13) at $3.303 Billion (assuming Preliminary Benefits of $95 Million).
• 2012/13 Payroll Range
Lower Limit = $43.9 Million
Midpoint = $51.9 Million
Upper Limit = $59.9 Million
• Appropriate "Transition Rules" to allow Clubs to exceed Upper Limit for the 2012/13 season only (but in no event will Club's Averaged Club Salary be permitted to exceed the pre-CBA Upper Limit of $70.2 Million).
5. Cap Accounting:
• Payroll Lower Limit must be satisfied without performance bonuses.
• All years of existing SPCs with terms in excess of five (5) years will be accounted for and charged against a team's Cap (at full AAV) regardless of whether or where the Player is playing. In the event any such contract is traded during its term, the related Cap charge will travel with the Player, but only for the year(s) in which the Player remains active and is being paid under his NHL SPC. If, at some subsequent point in time the Player retires or ceases to play and/or receive pay under his NHL SPC, the Cap charge will automatically revert (at full AAV) to the Club that initially entered into the contract for the balance of its term.
• Money paid to Players on NHL SPCs (one-ways and two-ways) in another professional league will not be counted against the Players' Share, but all dollars paid in excess of $105,000 will be counted against the NHL Club's Averaged Club Salary for the period during which such Player is being paid under his SPC while playing in another professional league.
• In the context of Player Trades, participating Clubs will be permitted to allocate Cap charges and related salary payment obligations between them, subject to specified parameters. Specifically, Clubs may agree to retain, for each of the remaining years of the Player's SPC, no more than the lesser of: (i) $3 million of a particular SPC's Cap charge or (ii) 50 percent of the SPC's AAV ("Retained Salary Transaction"). In any Retained Salary Transaction, salary obligations as between Clubs would be allocated on the same percentage basis as Cap charges are being allocated. So, for instance, if an assigning Club agrees to retain 30% of an SPC's Cap charge over the balance of its term, it will also retain an obligation to reimburse the acquiring Club 30% of the Player's contractual compensation in each of the remaining years of the contract. A Club may not have more than two (2) contracts as to which Cap charges have been allocated between Clubs in a Player Trade, and no more than $5 million in allocated Cap charges in the aggregate in any one season.
6. System Changes:
• Entry Level System commitment will be limited to two (2) years (covering two full seasons) for all Players who sign their first SPC between the ages of 18 and 24 (i.e., where the first year of the SPC only covers a partial season, SPC must be for three (3) years).
• Maintenance of existing Salary Arbitration System subject to: (i) total mutuality of rights with regard to election as between Player and Club, and (ii) eligibility for election moved to five years of professional experience (from the current four years).
• Group 3 UFA eligibility for Players who are 28 or who have eight (8) Accrued Seasons (continues to allow for early UFA eligibility -- age 26).
• Maximum contract length of five (5) years.
• Limit on year-to-year salary variability on multi-year SPCs -- i.e., maximum increase or decrease in total compensation (salary and bonuses) year-over-year limited to 5% of the value of the first year of the contract. (For example, if a Player earns $10 million in total compensation in Year 1 of his SPC, his compensation (salary and bonuses) cannot increase or decrease by more than $500,000 in any subsequent year of his SPC.)
• Re-Entry waivers will be eliminated, consistent with the Cap Accounting proposal relating to the treatment of Players on NHL SPCs playing in another professional league.
• NHL Clubs who draft European Players obtain four (4) years of exclusive negotiating rights following selection in the Draft. If the four-year period expires, Player will be eligible to enter the League as a Free Agent and will not be subject to re-entering the Draft.
7. Revenue Sharing:
• NHL commits to Revenue Sharing Pool of $200 million for 2012/13 season (based on assumption of $3.303 Billion in actual HRR). Amount will be adjusted upward or downward in proportion to Actual HRR results for 2012/13. Revenue Sharing Pools in future years will be calculated proportionately.
• At least one-half of the total Revenue Sharing Pool (50%) will be raised from the Top 10 Revenue Grossing Clubs in a manner to be determined by the NHL.
• The distribution of the Revenue Sharing Pool will be determined on an annual basis by a Revenue Sharing Committee on which the NHLPA will have representation and input.
• For each of the first two years of the CBA, no Club will receive less in total Revenue Sharing than it received in 2011/12.
• Current "Disqualification" criteria in CBA (for Clubs in Top Half of League revenues and Clubs in large media markets) will be removed.
• Existing performance and "reduction" standards and provisions relating to "non-performers" (i.e., CBA 49.3(d)(i) and 49.3(d)(ii)) will be eliminated and will be adjusted as per the NHL's 7/31 Proposal.
8. Supplemental and Commissioner Discipline:
• Introduction of additional procedural safeguards, including ultimate appeal right to a "neutral" third-party arbitrator with a "clearly erroneous" standard of review.
9. No "Rollback":
• The NHL is not proposing that current SPCs be reduced, re-written or rolled back. Instead, the NHL's proposal retains all current Players' SPCs at their current face value for the duration of their terms, subject to the operation of the escrow mechanism in the same manner as it worked under the expired CBA.
10. Players' Share "Make Whole" Provision:
• The League proposes to make Players "whole" for the absolute reduction in Players' Share dollars (when compared to 2011/12) that is attributable to the economic terms of the new CBA (the "Share Reduction"). Using an assumed year-over-year growth rate of 5% for League-wide revenues, the new CBA could result in shortfalls from the current level of Players' Share dollars ($1.883 Billion in 2011/12) of up to $149 million in Year 1 and up to $62 million in Year 2, for which Players will be "made whole." (By Year 3 of the new CBA, Players' Share dollars should exceed the current level ($1.883 Billion for 2011/12) and no "make whole" will be required.) Any such "shortfalls" in Years 1 and 2 of the new CBA will be computed as a percentage reduction off of the Player's stated contractual compensation, and will be repaid to the Player as a Deferred Compensation benefit spread over the remaining future years of the Player's SPC (or if he has no remaining years, in the year following the expiration of his SPC). Player reimbursement for the Share Reduction will be accrued and paid for by the League, and will be chargeable against Players' Share amounts in future years as Preliminary Benefits. The objective would be to honor all existing SPCs by restoring their "value" on the basis of the now existing level of Players' Share dollars.
ITS FRI OCT 19,2012-AND IT LOOKS BAD AS THE PA YESTERDAY HAD A PRESS CONFERENCE AND SAID IN 15 MINUTES THE OWNERS SHOT DOWN THE 3 DIFFERENT DECSIONS THEY CAME UP WITH TO SETTLE THE STALMATE.I'M NOT EXPECTING HOCKEY TILL AT LEAST JAN 1,13 NOW AFTER YESTERDAYS EVENTS.
NHL announces cancellation of 2012-13 regular-season schedule through November 1
Friday, 10.19.2012 / 1:55 PM / News NHL.com
NEW YORK – The
National Hockey League announced today the cancellation of the 2012-13
regular-season schedule through November 1. A total of 135
regular-season games were scheduled for Oct. 11 through Nov. 1.The cancellation was necessary because of the absence of a Collective
Bargaining Agreement between the NHL Players' Association and the NHL.
With no agreement in sight, NHL set to cancel games through November 30
Getty ImagesThursday's deadline for the NHLPA to accept the NHL's offer proposed last week to save the full 82-game schedule came and went off the table yesterday, so what was expected will become official as the league is set to cancel all games through Nov. 30 sometime today, per Elliotte Friedman of the CBC.
[Trending Topics: Firing Don Fehr or Gary Bettman wouldn't solve anything]
Two big dates on the NHL calendar that will be gone include the Nov. 9
Hall of Fame Game in Toronto three days before former Maple Leaf Mats
Sundin is inducted along with Pavel Bure, Adam Oates and Joe Sakic, as
well as the "NHL Thanksgiving Showdown" on Nov. 23 that was set to
feature the New York Rangers visiting the Boston Bruins and a float in
the Macy's parade the day before.Surviving today's cuts, for now, include the Winter Classic at Michigan Stadium on Jan. 1 and, per Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch,
the 2013 All-Star Game in Columbus scheduled for late January. Given
the amount of prep time needed, the NHL can't wait much longer to make a
decision on the Winter Classic, while the All-Star Game likely has some
time until it too is axed.Follow Sean Leahy on Twitter at @Sean_Leahy
NHL announces cancellation of 2013 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic & SiriusXM Hockeytown Winter Festival
Ticket buyers can receive refunds or maintain tickets for future events
Friday, 11.02.2012 / 3:05 PM / Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic - Maple Leafs vs. Red Wings
NHL.com
Print
NEW YORK --
The National Hockey League today announced the cancellation of the 2013
Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic. The game was scheduled for Jan. 1
between the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs at Michigan
Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich. In addition, the League announced all
SiriusXM Hockeytown Winter Festival events scheduled for Dec. 16-31 at
Comerica Park in Detroit are cancelled.
The next NHL Winter Classic – featuring the Red Wings and Maple Leafs - and Hockeytown Winter Festival will take place at the University of Michigan and Comerica Park, respectively. Those who have purchased tickets for the 2012-13 events can either receive refunds or maintain their tickets for the future events. Ticket refund information for the 2013 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic and SiriusXM Hockeytown Winter Festival can be found at: nhl.com/winterclassicrefund.
The cancellation was necessary because, given the absence of a Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NHL Players' Association and the NHL, the League was not in a position to do all that is necessary to adequately stage events of this magnitude. This year's Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic and the companion SiriusXM Hockeytown Winter Festival called for the construction of major outdoor rink facilities at both Comerica Park and 'The Big House'. Multiple games involving teams from the NHL, NCAA, American Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League, high school and local minor hockey leagues were scheduled, requiring travel and hotel commitments. Beyond the construction of two major outdoor rink facilities, the combined events were preparing to welcome nearly 400,000 guests to Detroit and Ann Arbor over the holiday period.
"The logistical demands for staging events of this magnitude made today's decision unavoidable. We simply are out of time," said NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly. "We are extremely disappointed, for our fans and for all those affected, to have to cancel the Winter Classic and Hockeytown Winter Festival events."
"We look forward to bringing the next Winter Classic and the Hockeytown Winter Festival to Michigan," Daly added.
The next NHL Winter Classic – featuring the Red Wings and Maple Leafs - and Hockeytown Winter Festival will take place at the University of Michigan and Comerica Park, respectively. Those who have purchased tickets for the 2012-13 events can either receive refunds or maintain their tickets for the future events. Ticket refund information for the 2013 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic and SiriusXM Hockeytown Winter Festival can be found at: nhl.com/winterclassicrefund.
The cancellation was necessary because, given the absence of a Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NHL Players' Association and the NHL, the League was not in a position to do all that is necessary to adequately stage events of this magnitude. This year's Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic and the companion SiriusXM Hockeytown Winter Festival called for the construction of major outdoor rink facilities at both Comerica Park and 'The Big House'. Multiple games involving teams from the NHL, NCAA, American Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League, high school and local minor hockey leagues were scheduled, requiring travel and hotel commitments. Beyond the construction of two major outdoor rink facilities, the combined events were preparing to welcome nearly 400,000 guests to Detroit and Ann Arbor over the holiday period.
"The logistical demands for staging events of this magnitude made today's decision unavoidable. We simply are out of time," said NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly. "We are extremely disappointed, for our fans and for all those affected, to have to cancel the Winter Classic and Hockeytown Winter Festival events."
"We look forward to bringing the next Winter Classic and the Hockeytown Winter Festival to Michigan," Daly added.
NHL cancels games through Dec. 14, All-Star game
By | Associated Press – Fri, Nov 23, 2012- Enlarge PhotoAssociated Press/The Canadian Press, Sean Kilpatrick, File - FILE - In this Jan. 28, 2012, file photo, Ottawa Senators' Daniel Alfredsson takes part in the NHL All-Star skills hockey competition in Ottawa,
More than a third of the NHL regular season and two of its marquee events have now been called off.
The
league announced its latest round of cancellations on Friday — Day 69
of its labor lockout. All games through Dec. 14 were wiped out, and this
time All-Star Weekend, scheduled for Jan. 26-27 in Columbus, Ohio, was lost, too. The New Year's Day outdoor Winter Classic already was scratched.NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said losing the All-Star festivities is "extremely disappointing.""We feel badly for NHL fans and particularly those in Columbus, and we intend to work closely with the Blue Jackets
organization to return the NHL All-Star events to Columbus and their
fans as quickly as possible," Daly said in a statement Friday.The
Blue Jackets said fans holding tickets to the game, the skills
competition, and other events during that weekend could receive refunds.Brian
Jack, a 35-year-old IT director who grew up in Pittsburgh, moved to
Columbus 17 years ago and converted from a Penguins fan to a Blue Jackets supporter after the expansion team hit the ice."We
knew the All-Star Game, the longer it went, was probably going to be
one of the first special events they cancelled," said Jack, a
season-ticket holder for all of the Blue Jackets' 12 seasons."You
knew it was coming, but I hoped that they would get together and fix it
(labor problems) up. For season-ticket holders who have watched the
Blue Jackets struggle for a number of years with the product on the ice,
the All-Star game was supposed to be a bright spot. Now that's gone."A
lockout in the 1994-95 season shortened that campaign to 48 games. A
similar scenario could play out this time if the sides can find some
common ground. Or the whole season could be lost, as it was in 2004-05.The
new cancellations come as little surprise. Owners and players had an
unproductive negotiating session on Wednesday that produced no movement
to break an impasse over splitting more than $3 billion in revenue and
also player contracts."All players felt that this week would lead
to something," Detroit Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall wrote in an
email to The Associated Press. "However as of today unfortunately that
doesn't seem to be the case. It's very disappointing."Daly said
he spoke to union officials on Friday, advising them about the
cancellations, but at this point no face-to-face talks are scheduled.
The possibility exists that Daly will speak to union special counsel
Steve Fehr by telephone this weekend, but even that isn't certain.The
sides had stayed apart for eight days before reconvening on Monday
night and then again on Wednesday when the union presented a
comprehensive proposal the NHL requested. Players' association executive
director Donald Fehr
said Wednesday that the sides were closer financially than the NHL has
claimed. The further cancellations Friday will cause significantly
greater losses for the league."On Wednesday, the players
presented a comprehensive proposal, once again moving in the owners'
direction in order to get the game back on the ice," Donald Fehr said in
a new statement. "The gap that remains on the core economic issues is
$182 million. On Wednesday, NHL
Commissioner Gary Bettman said that the league is losing $18-20 million
per day during the lockout, therefore two more weeks of cancelled games
far exceeds the current economic gap."It makes the NHL's
announcement of further game cancellations, including the 2013 All-Star
Weekend, all the more unnecessary, and disappointing for all hockey
fans — especially those in Columbus. The players remain ready to
negotiate but we require a willing negotiating partner."The union
made its offer that was based on a framework the NHL had given, which
included a 50-50 split of hockey-related revenue and a $393 million in
deferred payments for the players, who earned 57 percent of revenues in
the collective bargaining agreement that expired in September. The NHL
offered only $211 million to the players in a proposed deal that took
into account that a full 82-game schedule would be played this season.Players previously had proposed they receive a guaranteed amount of income each year.Management
wants a seven-year deal, which the union says is too long because fewer
than half the current players will be active by the last season.___AP Sports Writers Rusty Miller and Larry Lage contributed to this report.
