End of NHL talks leads to optimism

[Spider-Man NL]

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?id=125439

(CP) - There's still much work to be done but a feeling of cautious optimism emerged from a week full of NHL labour talks in New York, including 22 hours in the last two days.

The league and the NHL Players' Association met for eight hours in New York on Friday, a day after sitting in a boardroom for 14 hours and word from within is that perhaps there's finally light at the end of the tunnel - albeit with the knowledge that there are weeks worth of work still ahead.

''We had two long days of meetings in which the parties discussed and made progress on some of the key issues pertaining to a new economic system,'' Bill Daly, the NHL's chief legal officer and executive vice-president, said in a release. ''While we have not yet been able to reach agreement on those issues, we remain committed to continuing the process in earnest until a new collective bargaining agreement can be achieved.''

They'll take the weekend off before NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and NHLPA executive director Bob Goodenow decide when talks will resume next week. They weren't even supposed to talk Friday but the two leaders met in the morning and decided to bring the two groups back to the table for yet another session in New York.

The two sides resumed talks at 10 a.m. EDT Friday and wrapped up around 6 p.m. EDT.

Before anyone gets too excited about the latest developments, there's still plenty that needs to be done. But for the first time since the lockout began last September, it isn't premature to believe that a collective bargaining agreement could be reached within the next two months.

''While we made progress in some areas there remain many issues to be addressed,'' NHLPA senior director Ted Saskin said in a statement. ''Since so many of the systemic and economic issues are interrelated, it is clear that much work remains to be done.''

The two sides hope to meet every week from here on in until a deal is finally agreed upon.

After two days of small group meetings Tuesday and Wednesday examining the financial practices of teams around the league, a larger group got together Thursday to examine the findings. The two sides hope to agree on what constitutes revenue in order to flesh out the union's April 4 offer. That system featured an upper and lower limit on team-by-team payrolls - a salary cap - which fluctuates year to year depending on revenues.

Representing the league Thursday and again on Friday was Bettman, Daly, director of hockey operations Colin Campbell, NHL general counsel David Zimmerman, board of governors chairman Harley Hotchkiss of the Calgary Flames, New Jersey Devils CEO and GM Lou Lamoriello, Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs, Nashville Predators owner Craig Leipold, outside counsel Bob Batterman and lawyer Shep Goldfein.

The NHLPA roster included Goodenow, Saskin, associate counsel Ian Pulver, director of business relations Mike Gartner, outside counsel McCambridge, Detroit Red Wings veteran player Brendan Shanahan, and the players' executive committee: president Trevor Linden and vice-presidents Vincent Damphousse, Bill Guerin, Daniel Alfredsson, Arturs Irbe, Trent Klatt and Bob Boughner.

[Trizzak]

The sooner the better.

Get 'er done

[Psycing]

Hockey next season... it sounds too good to b true.

[Doktor Kosmos]

Apparently Bettman has set a new deadline: TSN.ca link

[habsfan88]

I was just checking out the tsn site....

deal could be done by Canada day. Check it out--

Hope surrounds upcoming NHL talks

Canadian Press

5/31/2005 3:54:03 PM

TORONTO (CP) - It's still a fragile environment but there's a sense the NHL lockout could finally be entering the stretch run and perhaps even end by Canada Day.

But there are all kinds of factors that could blow away that optimistic outlook, first and foremost the possibility that one side may try to go for the kill if it senses vulnerability from the other. That would end any chances of resolving the lockout this summer.

In the meantime, the NHL and NHL Players' Association continue to meet regularly, this week at a secret location in Toronto starting with Wednesday's meeting. They've met 16 times since the season was cancelled Feb. 16.

A smaller group will meet Wednesday and once again break down financial data in a bid to find common ground on what constitutes revenues. Bettman and NHLPA executive director Bob Goodenow will then re-enter the picture Thursday along with the key players on both sides as a larger group sits down for a full-blown bargaining session.

Related Info

McKenzie: Factions within the NHLPA

The focus continues to be the review of financial measurements and accounting practices of the league's 30 teams. Both sides have agreed that a salary cap model with an upper and lower limit will be the centrepiece of the collective bargaining agreement, but the tough part comes with tying revenues to the moving cap figure year in and year out. In what has been a major bone of contention going back two years, the two sides have battled on what exactly constitutes revenue, whether teams are reporting all of their concessions, all of their suite sales, etc.

By all accounts, progress has been made in this area over the last few weeks and perhaps as early as this week, both sides will agree on a system that defines all areas of financial reporting. Once that major hurdle is cleared, it's time to knock off all the other issues such as free agency, salary arbitration, drug testing, Olympic participation, proposed rule changes, etc.

Another major hurdle is what the upper-limit figure will be for the salary cap starting next season. Given that commissioner Gary Bettman cancelled the season after offering a team-by-team cap of $42.5 million US, expect next year's upper limit to be lower than that given all the damage suffered by the industry and Bettman's public warning that the league's offer would get worse as time went on.

The NHLPA is probably willing to bite the bullet on a low cap figure to start off next season as long there's room to grow in future years with bigger revenues leading to a higher salary cap, something that the league wasn't willing to do before. Also, the union feels strongly about having a minimum payroll figure, which the league did not have in its February proposals.

The union has also gained ground, after a long battle, in getting the league to increase revenue sharing among teams if revenues expand in future seasons.

Another issue to iron out in future talks is the gap between the upper and lower limit. The union's April 4 offer had a $20-million gap but the league would like to see that around $10 million. That's still to be discussed.

In other words, there's still much work to be done. But the end is finally is sight after a lockout triggered last September. Those hockey fans who still care want to know when exactly this could end. An educated guess would say anywhere from mid-June to early July.

But one thing is clear: both sides recognize the need to finally end this, the need for players to know they'll be at training camp, the need for teams to sell tickets and the need for the league market a game that has one foot in the grave.

On Wednesday, the NHLPA roster will feature senior director Ted Saskin, outside counsel John McCambridge, players' executive committee president Trevor Linden and vice-president Vincent Damphousse as well as two union financial people. The league will have chief legal officer Bill Daly, Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs, outside counsel Bob Batterman, NHL general counsel David Zimmerman, lawyer Shep Goldfein and other financial figures.

Likely representing the league Thursday will be Bettman, Daly, Jacobs, Goldfein, Zimmerman, director of hockey operations Colin Campbell, New Jersey Devils CEO and GM Lou Lamoriello, board of governors chairman Harley Hotchkiss of the Calgary Flames and Nashville Predators owner Craig Leipold.

The NHLPA will have Goodenow, Saskin, associate counsel Ian Pulver, director of business relations Mike Gartner, McCambridge, Detroit Red Wings veteran player Brendan Shanahan, and the players' executive committee: Linden, Damphousse, Bill Guerin, Daniel Alfredsson, Arturs Irbe, Trent Klatt and Bob Boughner.

actual tsn artice

[Leafs Suck]

If the owners get the deal that is being reported, you gotta think Goodenow is gone. Now way he can come back to the players and say "Yay we just threw away a year fighting something that we've just excepted."

[Fanpuck33_]

They both have to go. Even if one side wins, that doesn't make up for the damage they caused to the game. It would be stupid to fire them now and have to start from scratch, but as soon as a deal gets down, these guys need to get out.

[simonus]

much agreed. Instead of putting together a deal where both sides could claim victory, both men have worked things to a point where both sides have absolutely lost.

Goodenow was supposed to avoid a cap and, if possible, eliminate or reduce the burden of restriction. He will have accomplished neither while also lowering the cap level that he could have gotten earlier in the bargaining process. He was also unable to put together any real revenue sharing system, which will now be impossible in the foreseable future with virtually no TV money.

Bettman's first job as commish has always been to raise franchise sale values. It has gotten to the point where the $4 billion lbo probably far overpays for the entire league. I fully expect to see a slew of teams go to sale in the 2 years following lockout resolution. Aside from a lower franchise value due to the current situation franchise values will be irregularly low due to the glut of supply. It will be interesting to see who is buying the franchises once they are on the market - will it be companies or investors looking to turn the league over to the LBO group, will it be vanity owners looking to steal a championship in a cash poor league with a cap that a lot of teams won't be able to meet, or will it be long-term guys looking to buy value and turn around the league. One can only hope it's the third, but Bettman's need for total victory has put the ownership in a terribly precarious position in which it has little control.

[Leafs Suck]

What they need to do is fire both of them and let Mike Gartner take over the PA and someone like Brian Burke take over the league. People who are around the game, played it and know whats best for it.

bettman and goddenow are not hockey guys.. they're business guys. they don't know whats best for the game, only how to make it more money. well sorry to say but the game has failed in several us markets and it's time to either

a) move those teams back to real markets like winnipeg, quebec and hartford

or

B) fold them and have a draft

[habsfan88]

Check out TSN! meetings have been making alot of process according to both sides, and a deal could be done by the end of june. hope new update is true..

[bombTHEice]

Originally posted by habsfan88

Check out TSN! meetings have been making alot of process according to both sides, and a deal could be done by the end of june. hope new update is true..

The hope they can reach a deal before the end of July ... *fg*

I think Bettman said that this is the deadline for a new CBA, so this news aren't that awesome.