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No
talks. No proposals. No hockey.
This will likely be the first time since 1919 that the oldest and
most revered professional sports trophy – the Stanley Cup - will not
be awarded.
What a shame.
In
1919, the final was cancelled due to an influenza epidemic. In 2005?
A bitter labour dispute, where both the league and NHLPA have dug in
their heels, threatens the entire season.
There have been no meaningful talks since Dec. 14 and even the most optimistic
can see the end is near. The latest round of low level talks
initiated by Trevor Linden only seem to confirm that fact.
The
NHL could make history by becoming the first major North American
pro sport to cancel an entire season because of a labour dispute.
The 2005 all-star game, which was set to
be played February 13 in Atlanta, has already been cancelled. This
is only the second time in its 57 year history the showcase game has
been cancelled.
The league has not set an official
deadline to cancel this season but the general consensus is that if
a new collective bargaining agreement is not hammered out by
January, there will not be enough time for any meaningful regular
season games and playoffs.
It’s the league's first lockout since
the 1994-95 season, which lasted 103 days before a 48-game schedule
started in late January.
This time around, both sides have
declared war. There have been no “negotiations” – simply my "way or
no way."
Gary Bettman wants cost certainty. Bob
Goodenow says the players won’t accept a salary cap.
The players last presented a proposal
that offered an immediate 24 percent rollback on all existing
contracts and lower the cap on entry-level contracts and bonuses,
which was rejected by the owners. The players then rejected a
counterproposal presented by the NHL, which again included a salary
cap.
So the stalemate continues.
Both sides have a lot to lose. Older
marquee players could be going into early retirement depending how
long this lockout lasts while younger players are losing valuable
experience.
In the States, where hockey is less
popular than bowling, the damage could be long lasting. Not only
will this lockout erode the already poor fan base, it will dry up
much needed television, merchandising and advertising revenue.
The near-total apathy toward the work
stoppage south of the border should be a major concern for the NHL,
which is trying to fix the business of hockey.
It’s hard to pick sides in this increasingly
ridiculous dispute where
millionaire players and billionaire owners can’t decide how to
manage a multi-million dollar business; where owners sign players to
$10 million contracts and then say
they are suffering
financial problems; and where mediocre players do make too much
money.
Meanwhile, people and businesses that
make a living off the sport continue to be impacted and fans are
turning elsewhere.
Without a doubt, the game does need to
be improved. There are too many teams in areas with no fan base with
a resulting dilution of the talent pool. And rules that hinder
rather than help the game.
Even in Canada, where the love of the
sport is so intrinsically linked to our culture, the importance of
the lockout is fading. We’ve survived the fall and winter without
our beloved Saturday Hockey Night in Canada. For many of us, the
game of hockey lives on at our local rinks, junior levels and
amateur levels.
Whatever the outcome, the result will
change the NHL forever. The game might improve or it might not.
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