1ST NHL LOCKOUT PAGE UPDATE
http://nhlhockeystats.blogspot.ca/2012/09/save-nhl-petition.html
LAST TUE,WED THU DEC 4-6TH-THE NHL AND PLAYERS HAD MEETINGS.EVERYONE THOUGHT THEY WERE GOING GOOD UNTIL FEHR HAD A NEWS CONFERENCE AT AROUND 6:45PM.ABOUT 30 MINUTES LATER FEHR CAME BACK TO THE PODIUM AND SAID THE OWNERS REFUSED THE PLAYERS DEAL.SO THERE HAVE BEEN NO TALKS SINCE DEC 6,12-ITS NOW DEC 9,12 AND WE WILL SEE IF THEY GET TALKING AGAIN OR IF THE SEASON IS DONE WITH.
A nearly empty hockey stick rack in the Buffalo Sabres
locker room is shown at the First Niagara Center, home of the Buffalo
Sabres NHL hockey team, in Buffalo, N.Y., Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2012. The
earliest a shortened NHL season will start is Dec. 31.The league is set
to cancel another 104 regular-season games later this afternoon,
according to a source. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-David Duprey
2012-12-10 12:21:00-THE HOCKEY NEWS NEWS
The biggest question now is whether the latest NHL lockout
will result in a shortened season like 1994-95 or a scorched season like
2004-05.As the league cancelled the rest of its schedule through
Dec. 30 on Monday afternoon, it brought one more reminder of how close
the NHL and NHL Players' Association are getting to a make-or-break
moment.Even though commissioner Gary Bettman hasn't set a drop
dead date for saving this season, he does believe each team must play 48
games to make it legitimate. For that to happen, the puck will need to
drop by about mid-January."When it gets to the point where we
can't play a season with integrity, with a representative schedule, then
we'll be done," Bettman said last week. "If you go back in history, in
'94-95 I think we played 48 games. I can't imagine wanting to play fewer
than that."The latest round of cancellations brought the NHL's
total to 526 regular-season games—or roughly 43 per cent of the
schedule. The Jan. 1 Winter Classic at Michigan Stadium and Jan. 27
all-star game in Columbus have also been wiped away.Neither the union nor league issued statements after the cancellations were announced.
There had been hope as recently as last week that the lockout could be ended in time to drop the puck over the holidays, with one report suggesting the season might start on Christmas Day. Now the earliest that will happen is New Year's Eve, which was already due to see 13 games played under the original schedule.
Talks between the NHL and NHLPA broke down in dramatic fashion last week. They haven't scheduled any further sessions, although both sides have expressed interest in returning to the bargaining table this week.There appeared to be hope the start of the 2012-13 season was imminent when NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr met reporters on Thursday night in New York after delivering a new proposal to the league. He claimed the sides had found agreement on virtually all of the key issues.However, Fehr later returned and said the NHL had rejected the offer and pulled its own off the table.Despite that, the union leader continues to believe a deal isn't very far off."My comments from a couple of days ago stand on their own," Fehr said Saturday after addressing the Canadian Auto Workers in Toronto. "I think we were very close."Deputy commissioner Bill Daly laid out the three key areas where he felt they remained apart. As part of an offer of US$300 million in deferred payments and a 50-50 split of revenues, the owners wanted:
—a 10-year term for the CBA, with a reopener after eight years (the NHLPA offered eight years, with an option to opt out after Year 6).
—no compliance buyouts, which would allow teams to buy out contracts without being penalized by the salary cap.
—contract term limits of five years for free agents and seven years for a team's own players, which Daly described as "the hill we will die on." The NHLPA proposed an eight-year cap on contracts.After becoming the first North American sports league to cancel an entire season because of a labour dispute eight years ago, the NHL is trying to avoid doing it again. That round of negotiations stretched all the way into February and saw the sides contemplate making a deal that would save a 28-game schedule before Bettman eventually pulled the plug.All indications are that the scenario won't be repeated.Instead, they'll be looking at the timeframe established in 1995, when the lockout ended on Jan. 11 and the puck was dropped on Jan. 20. The regular season ran through May 3 and saw the Stanley Cup awarded on June 24—thanks in part to sweeps in four of the last seven playoff series.The most recent NHL cancellations will ensure players are denied two more paycheques, which will bring the total they've missed to six. It's proving to be a costly lockout for all involved.Progress was made in the last round of talks with Fehr and Bettman left on the sidelines and a new group of owners and players at the table. However, the leaders are likely to be back in the room when negotiations resume.That's particularly important to the players, who received a chilly reception from owners last week after suggesting Fehr rejoin the meetings."I can't envision a scenario, where without the help of mediation or our leadership, that we can close any deal," said Winnipeg Jets defenceman Ron Hainsey. "I don't see how we could do it."
2012-12-20 16:03:00-THE HOCKEY NEWS NEWS
The NHL has moved one step closer to calling off another season because of a labour dispute.
Regular-season games through Jan. 14 were wiped off the schedule on Thursday afternoon, setting up a potential timeline for the league's collective bargaining negotiations with the NHL Players' Association.
It was likely the final batch of games that will be cancelled during the lockout. If commissioner Gary Bettman holds true to his word that the league must play at least a 48-game schedule with playoffs ending in June, the next announcement from the league will either be a new CBA or a second cancelled season in eight years.
"When it gets to the point where we can't play a season with integrity, with a representative schedule, then we'll be done," Bettman said earlier this month. "If you go back in history, in '94-95 I think we played 48 games. I can't imagine wanting to play fewer than that."A total of 625 games have been cancelled because of the current lockout, which represents 50.8 per cent of the season. The all-star game in Columbus has also been axed.When the NHL staged a 48-game season following the 1994-95 lockout, the CBA was agreed to on Jan. 11 and the puck was dropped on Jan. 20. The regular season ran through May 3 and saw the Stanley Cup awarded on June 24—thanks to sweeps in four of the last seven playoff series.The league contemplated the possibility of a 28-game season in 2004-05 before finally cancelling play on Feb. 16.
There was no statement included with Thursday's announcement of the additional game cancellations. In an email, deputy commissioner Bill Daly declined to characterize whether Jan. 15 could be viewed as the lastest date to salvage a shortened schedule.Talks have been at a standstill since the NHLPA last presented a proposal on Dec. 6 in New York. The sides also spent two days with a U.S. federal mediator last week and reported no progress.Meanwhile, the league and union continue to deal with the legal ramifications of the lockout. On Thursday, a court summons was filed in New York that stated the NHLPA has until Jan. 7 to respond to a class-action complaint filed by the NHL last week.The league has asked a federal court to rule on the legality of the lockout and argued in its complaint that the NHLPA was only threatening to disband as a bargaining tactic designed to "extract more favourable terms and conditions of employment."A vote of the union's membership on the possibility of filing a "disclaimer of interest" is scheduled to wrap up Friday. Two-thirds of players must support the motion for the NHLPA's executive board to be granted the authority to disclaim by Jan. 2, which would allow them to file anti-trust lawsuits against the league."We feel like we have no other choice right now," Tampa Bay Lightning forward Steven Stamkos said this week. "We feel like we've done our part and we'll see what transpires over the next couple of weeks. We're in this process and we all wish we could have something much earlier, but we have to deal with what's in front of us."There are currently no further bargaining sessions planned. On Wednesday night, NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr said the union was ready to get back to the bargaining table but it hadn't happened yet "because the owners have not indicated a desire to resume."
PLAYERS VOTE TO GIVE NHLPA BOARD POWER TO DISSOLVE UNION - DEC 22,12
http://www.ctvnews.ca/sports/players-vote-to-give-nhlpa-board-power-to-dissolve-union-1.1088759
An empty Buffalo Sabres locker room is shown at the First
Niagara Center, home of the Buffalo Sabres NHL hockey team, in Buffalo,
N.Y., Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2012. (AP Photo/David Duprey)
2012-12-23 19:58:00-THE HOCKEY NEWS NEWS
NEW YORK, N.Y. - All is quiet between the NHL and the
players' association, and there is no sign the sides will talk even by
phone before Christmas."Nothing today," NHL deputy commissioner
Bill Daly told The Associated Press in an email Sunday night. "Don't
know whether we will speak before the holiday."
Daly and players' association special counsel Steve Fehr spoke to each other Saturday, but nothing of note came out of those discussions. The union declined to comment Sunday, the 99th day of the NHL lockout.
The sides haven't met face to face since Dec. 13.All games through Jan. 14 have already been called off, and if a new collective bargaining agreement isn't reached by then, the remainder of the schedule could be cancelled, too. So far, 625 games—more than 50 per cent of the schedule—have been wiped out, along with the Winter Classic and the All-Star game.
In this Sept. 25, 2012 photo, an empty locker room is
shown during the NHL labor lockout in Buffalo, N.Y. THE CANADIAN
PRESS/AP, David Duprey
2012-12-28 10:21:00-The Hockey News
TORONTO - The NHL is making a serious bid to save the season.With
another year in jeopardy because of a labour dispute, the league
softened its demands in key areas of collective bargaining with a new
proposal to the NHL Players' Association on Thursday night. The
comprehensive offer included compliance buyouts and less restrictive
rules on player contracts, according to sources.The league's
proposal calls for a six-year term limit on free-agent deals—up from
five previously—and will allow teams to re-sign their own players for up
to seven years. It also includes a provision that salary can vary by 10
per cent from year to year during the course of a deal (the NHL's most
recent offer proposed a five per cent variance).A source told The
Canadian Press the deal is contingent on the NHLPA signing off by Jan.
11. Training camps would then open the next day and the season would
start Jan. 19.The NHL and NHLPA plan to review the proposal on a conference call Saturday and could meet in person on Sunday.For
the first time during these negotiations, the league is also willing to
consider one-time compliance buyouts to help teams transition from a
system that saw players receive 57 per cent of revenues to one that pays
them 50 per cent. It has proposed giving each team one such buyout,
with the money counting against the players' overall share in revenue
but not an individual team's salary cap.Deputy commissioner Bill Daly confirmed the existence of the new offer Friday, but declined to comment on its details."We
are hopeful that once the union's staff and negotiating committee have
had an opportunity to thoroughly review and consider our new proposal,
they will share it with the players," Daly said in a statement. "We want
to be back on the ice as soon as possible."The NHLPA's
negotiating committee and executive board was scheduled to hold an
internal conference call Friday afternoon to discuss the offer.The
proposed length of the agreement is 10 years through the 2021-22
season, with a mutual option for both parties to opt our after eight
years.According to sources, the league's detailed proposal
covered both the major issues that have divided the sides and a number
of the smaller ones they've already found agreement on during more than
five months of negotiations. It also put the US$300 million in deferred
transition payments back on the table—something it had previously
withdrawn when talks broke down Dec. 6.Despite the movement from
the league, there is still clearly work to be done. Among the items in
the proposal a source indicated the NHLPA isn't keen on is a $60-million
salary cap in 2013-14, which the union believes will result in players
paying a high rate of escrow.The NHL and NHLPA have a little over
two weeks to reach an agreement that would save the season. The 104-day
lockout has seen all regular-season games cancelled through Jan. 14 and
a deal needs to be reached soon to salvage a 48-game schedule—the
minimum commissioner Gary Bettman says must be played.Negotiations
have been at a standstill since talks broke off in New York at the
beginning of the month, but Daly created a buzz Dec. 19 when he
predicted on Hockey Night in Canada Radio there would be a season. Later
that day, NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr told reporters the
owners needed to show a willingness to negotiate for it to happen."I
certainly hope he's right," Fehr said of Daly's prediction. "That's the
players' goal, that's what we want to try and do. Hopefully, we'll get
back together and negotiate out the remaining issues as soon as
possible."In the meantime, a decision is looming for the NHLPA's
executive board. Players voted overwhelmingly to give that 30-member
committee the power to file a "disclaimer of interest" until Jan. 2—a
move that would see the union dissolved and would allow the players to
challenge the legality of the lockout in court.
2012-12-30 00:40:00-The Hockey News
Don Cherry is worried the NHL Players' Association will push for more after the NHL's latest offer to end the lockout.The
Hockey Night in Canada commentator posted a series of messages to
Twitter on Saturday night, relating a conversation he had with one of
his friends."A few days ago I was talking to a buddy who wants to
know what's gonna happen with the lockout," said Cherry from his
verified Twitter account that has over 100,000 followers. "I tell him
we're gonna see who really wants to end this and start the season."How
come he asks? I said whoever puts in an offer will put himself in a
sticky situation because the press and fans will think he has caved in."Cherry
then noted that on Friday the NHL submitted a nearly 300-page proposal
to the union in an effort to end the 105-day lockout."Sure enough
Bettman comes in with a new offer and yes it looks like he has
weakened," said Cherry. "In the (Toronto) Sun it's front page and claims
Bettman was pressured by the owners. I don't believe that."The former head coach of the Boston Bruins and Colorado Rockies went on to discuss an article by Sun columnist Bruce Garrioch."Garrioch
says an insider said it's not so much the pressure of the executives
but it's more to save the season for the fans," said Cherry. "So (NHL
commissioner Gary) Bettman has put himself in a situation just made for
(NHLPA executive director Donald) Fehr. He knew when he put in the offer
this would happen."But I believe he did it to save the season."Added
Cherry: "Fehr naturally will say this isn't good enough and squeeze for
more. But like I said 2 months ago after the association squeezes the
last drop it will be settled. The only dark cloud I see is if the
association pushes too hard we could go off a cliff."
FILE - In this Dec. 6, 2012, file photo, NHL Commissioner
Gary Bettman, right, and deputy commissioner Bill Daly speak to
reporters in New York. Bettman has told the players union that a deal
must be in place by Jan. 11 in order for a 48-game season to be played
beginning eight days later.(AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)
2013-01-05 04:02:00-The Hockey News News
NEW YORK, N.Y. - For now, the NHL's labour dispute lies in the hands of Scot L. Beckenbaugh.
The U.S. federal mediator gathered with a small group from the league and NHL Players' Association on Saturday afternoon after spending the previous day shuttling between the sides for almost 13 hours.
Beckenbaugh became awfully familiar with three-block walk between the league office and NHLPA's hotel, where the Saturday afternoon group session was held. It was the first time the parties were in the same room with one another since a lengthy bargaining session that started on Wednesday night and stretched into Thursday morning.With progress being made at that time, the NHLPA elected not to declare a "disclaimer of interest" prior to a self-imposed deadline just before midnight on Wednesday.However, a second vote of players that wraps up Saturday at 6 p.m. ET was started which would restore the NHLPA's executive board's ability to disclaim. If it passes, the 30-member committee would have the authority to dissolve the union, which would open the door for anti-trust lawsuits and bring even more uncertainty to the bargaining process.The NHL and NHLPA are seeking to reach an agreement prior to Jan. 11 to salvage a shortened 48-game season.The sides have moved closer to one another with a series of proposals since Dec. 27, but still need to find agreement on the salary cap for next season, the length of player contracts, salary variance, the length of the CBA and pension plan, among other things.Beckenbaugh was also involved in the NHL's labour negotiations during the 2004-05 lockout, having met with the sides in February just before the season was cancelled. He is the deputy director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.The lockout is set to enter its 16th week on Sunday.
http://nhlhockeystats.blogspot.ca/2012/09/save-nhl-petition.html
LAST TUE,WED THU DEC 4-6TH-THE NHL AND PLAYERS HAD MEETINGS.EVERYONE THOUGHT THEY WERE GOING GOOD UNTIL FEHR HAD A NEWS CONFERENCE AT AROUND 6:45PM.ABOUT 30 MINUTES LATER FEHR CAME BACK TO THE PODIUM AND SAID THE OWNERS REFUSED THE PLAYERS DEAL.SO THERE HAVE BEEN NO TALKS SINCE DEC 6,12-ITS NOW DEC 9,12 AND WE WILL SEE IF THEY GET TALKING AGAIN OR IF THE SEASON IS DONE WITH.
National Hockey League cancels games through Dec. 30 as lockout continues
2012-12-10 12:21:00-THE HOCKEY NEWS NEWS
There had been hope as recently as last week that the lockout could be ended in time to drop the puck over the holidays, with one report suggesting the season might start on Christmas Day. Now the earliest that will happen is New Year's Eve, which was already due to see 13 games played under the original schedule.
Talks between the NHL and NHLPA broke down in dramatic fashion last week. They haven't scheduled any further sessions, although both sides have expressed interest in returning to the bargaining table this week.There appeared to be hope the start of the 2012-13 season was imminent when NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr met reporters on Thursday night in New York after delivering a new proposal to the league. He claimed the sides had found agreement on virtually all of the key issues.However, Fehr later returned and said the NHL had rejected the offer and pulled its own off the table.Despite that, the union leader continues to believe a deal isn't very far off."My comments from a couple of days ago stand on their own," Fehr said Saturday after addressing the Canadian Auto Workers in Toronto. "I think we were very close."Deputy commissioner Bill Daly laid out the three key areas where he felt they remained apart. As part of an offer of US$300 million in deferred payments and a 50-50 split of revenues, the owners wanted:
—a 10-year term for the CBA, with a reopener after eight years (the NHLPA offered eight years, with an option to opt out after Year 6).
—no compliance buyouts, which would allow teams to buy out contracts without being penalized by the salary cap.
—contract term limits of five years for free agents and seven years for a team's own players, which Daly described as "the hill we will die on." The NHLPA proposed an eight-year cap on contracts.After becoming the first North American sports league to cancel an entire season because of a labour dispute eight years ago, the NHL is trying to avoid doing it again. That round of negotiations stretched all the way into February and saw the sides contemplate making a deal that would save a 28-game schedule before Bettman eventually pulled the plug.All indications are that the scenario won't be repeated.Instead, they'll be looking at the timeframe established in 1995, when the lockout ended on Jan. 11 and the puck was dropped on Jan. 20. The regular season ran through May 3 and saw the Stanley Cup awarded on June 24—thanks in part to sweeps in four of the last seven playoff series.The most recent NHL cancellations will ensure players are denied two more paycheques, which will bring the total they've missed to six. It's proving to be a costly lockout for all involved.Progress was made in the last round of talks with Fehr and Bettman left on the sidelines and a new group of owners and players at the table. However, the leaders are likely to be back in the room when negotiations resume.That's particularly important to the players, who received a chilly reception from owners last week after suggesting Fehr rejoin the meetings."I can't envision a scenario, where without the help of mediation or our leadership, that we can close any deal," said Winnipeg Jets defenceman Ron Hainsey. "I don't see how we could do it."
NHL cancels games through Jan. 14, moves closer to calling off season
2012-12-20 16:03:00-THE HOCKEY NEWS NEWS
Regular-season games through Jan. 14 were wiped off the schedule on Thursday afternoon, setting up a potential timeline for the league's collective bargaining negotiations with the NHL Players' Association.
It was likely the final batch of games that will be cancelled during the lockout. If commissioner Gary Bettman holds true to his word that the league must play at least a 48-game schedule with playoffs ending in June, the next announcement from the league will either be a new CBA or a second cancelled season in eight years.
"When it gets to the point where we can't play a season with integrity, with a representative schedule, then we'll be done," Bettman said earlier this month. "If you go back in history, in '94-95 I think we played 48 games. I can't imagine wanting to play fewer than that."A total of 625 games have been cancelled because of the current lockout, which represents 50.8 per cent of the season. The all-star game in Columbus has also been axed.When the NHL staged a 48-game season following the 1994-95 lockout, the CBA was agreed to on Jan. 11 and the puck was dropped on Jan. 20. The regular season ran through May 3 and saw the Stanley Cup awarded on June 24—thanks to sweeps in four of the last seven playoff series.The league contemplated the possibility of a 28-game season in 2004-05 before finally cancelling play on Feb. 16.
There was no statement included with Thursday's announcement of the additional game cancellations. In an email, deputy commissioner Bill Daly declined to characterize whether Jan. 15 could be viewed as the lastest date to salvage a shortened schedule.Talks have been at a standstill since the NHLPA last presented a proposal on Dec. 6 in New York. The sides also spent two days with a U.S. federal mediator last week and reported no progress.Meanwhile, the league and union continue to deal with the legal ramifications of the lockout. On Thursday, a court summons was filed in New York that stated the NHLPA has until Jan. 7 to respond to a class-action complaint filed by the NHL last week.The league has asked a federal court to rule on the legality of the lockout and argued in its complaint that the NHLPA was only threatening to disband as a bargaining tactic designed to "extract more favourable terms and conditions of employment."A vote of the union's membership on the possibility of filing a "disclaimer of interest" is scheduled to wrap up Friday. Two-thirds of players must support the motion for the NHLPA's executive board to be granted the authority to disclaim by Jan. 2, which would allow them to file anti-trust lawsuits against the league."We feel like we have no other choice right now," Tampa Bay Lightning forward Steven Stamkos said this week. "We feel like we've done our part and we'll see what transpires over the next couple of weeks. We're in this process and we all wish we could have something much earlier, but we have to deal with what's in front of us."There are currently no further bargaining sessions planned. On Wednesday night, NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr said the union was ready to get back to the bargaining table but it hadn't happened yet "because the owners have not indicated a desire to resume."
PLAYERS VOTE TO GIVE NHLPA BOARD POWER TO DISSOLVE UNION - DEC 22,12
http://www.ctvnews.ca/sports/players-vote-to-give-nhlpa-board-power-to-dissolve-union-1.1088759
NHL, players' association don't speak to each other on quiet Sunday
2012-12-23 19:58:00-THE HOCKEY NEWS NEWS
Daly and players' association special counsel Steve Fehr spoke to each other Saturday, but nothing of note came out of those discussions. The union declined to comment Sunday, the 99th day of the NHL lockout.
The sides haven't met face to face since Dec. 13.All games through Jan. 14 have already been called off, and if a new collective bargaining agreement isn't reached by then, the remainder of the schedule could be cancelled, too. So far, 625 games—more than 50 per cent of the schedule—have been wiped out, along with the Winter Classic and the All-Star game.
NHL makes movement on buyouts, contract length in new proposal to NHLPA
2012-12-28 10:21:00-The Hockey News
Don Cherry worried NHLPA will push NHL to brink in ongoing labour dispute
2012-12-30 00:40:00-The Hockey News
NHL and NHL Players' Association begin third straight day with mediator
2013-01-05 04:02:00-The Hockey News News
The U.S. federal mediator gathered with a small group from the league and NHL Players' Association on Saturday afternoon after spending the previous day shuttling between the sides for almost 13 hours.
Beckenbaugh became awfully familiar with three-block walk between the league office and NHLPA's hotel, where the Saturday afternoon group session was held. It was the first time the parties were in the same room with one another since a lengthy bargaining session that started on Wednesday night and stretched into Thursday morning.With progress being made at that time, the NHLPA elected not to declare a "disclaimer of interest" prior to a self-imposed deadline just before midnight on Wednesday.However, a second vote of players that wraps up Saturday at 6 p.m. ET was started which would restore the NHLPA's executive board's ability to disclaim. If it passes, the 30-member committee would have the authority to dissolve the union, which would open the door for anti-trust lawsuits and bring even more uncertainty to the bargaining process.The NHL and NHLPA are seeking to reach an agreement prior to Jan. 11 to salvage a shortened 48-game season.The sides have moved closer to one another with a series of proposals since Dec. 27, but still need to find agreement on the salary cap for next season, the length of player contracts, salary variance, the length of the CBA and pension plan, among other things.Beckenbaugh was also involved in the NHL's labour negotiations during the 2004-05 lockout, having met with the sides in February just before the season was cancelled. He is the deputy director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.The lockout is set to enter its 16th week on Sunday.
