| Bearcat |
10-26-2012 12:51 PM |
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"This is a standard approach. I think it was done in the NBA in the same way," Fehr told ESPN.com Thursday. "Review the history here: They make a proposal, it's essentially a take it or leave it, we respond on the core economics, they take 10 minutes and say no. They tell all the players if we're agreeable to everything except the Make Whole (provision), including all the stuff that's in there, I can give Gary a telephone call. And then we have made several efforts, including yesterday, to say we're prepared to sit down and negotiate with no pre-conditions. They essentially said 'No.'
"It takes two to negotiate. They seem to be really good at imposing deadlines and issuing ultimatums and having lockouts. It seems to be something they're well-practiced at."
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NHL cancels November games
Updated: October 26, 2012, 2:39 PM ET
By Katie Strang | ESPNNewYork.com
With hopes of preserving an 82-game season swiftly dashed after the passing of the NHL's self-imposed Thursday deadline, the league announced another chunk of cancellations Friday.
All games through the month of November were axed, the third round of cancellations since the lockout began last month.
Scott Burnside, Craig Custance, Katie Strang and Pierre LeBrun talk about the NHL cancelling all games through November.
The league canceled games through Nov. 1 last week following a dispiriting proposal-swapping session between the NHL and NHLPA in Toronto. With no progress made since, the league was forced to wipe out another significant block of the regular-season schedule.
Don Fehr, NHLPA executive director, said in a statement Friday that the news of the cancellations "comes as no surprise."
A lack of meaningful dialogue between the warring factions means that the league's marquee event, the Winter Classic, is in jeopardy as well.
The annual outdoor game may be canceled as early as next week, a source with knowledge of the league's plans told ESPNNewYork.com.
"The National Hockey League deeply regrets having to take this action. By presenting a proposal to the NHLPA that contemplated a fair division of revenues and was responsive to Player concerns regarding the value of their contracts, we had hoped to be able to forge a long-term Collective Bargaining Agreement that would have preserved an 82-game Regular Season for our fans. Unfortunately, that did not occur," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said Friday via statement.
To have a hockey season, you need two sides willing to agree on what's the next step in bargaining. And that's not happening right now, Pierre LeBrun writes.
"We acknowledge and accept that there is joint responsibility in collective bargaining and, though we are profoundly disappointed that a new agreement has not been attained to this point, we remain committed to achieving an agreement that is fair for the Players and the Clubs -- one that will be good for the game and our fans."
Commissioner Gary Bettman said a decision on the Winter Classic was needed "very soon" when reached Wednesday at a news conference announcing the Islanders' move to Brooklyn.
"I'm not going to give you an exact timetable, but at some point in November," he said. "We will have to commit many millions of dollars to get ready for the Winter Classic, so if there's still uncertainty, we're going to have to make a decision and my guess is, we're not going to commit those dollars unless we have certainty."
Nov. 2, 2012, is the last day the NHL can cancel the Winter Classic without having to reimburse the University of Michigan for expenses related to the event. The league will only forfeit $100,000 of the $3 million stadium rental fee.
Bettman also indicated Wednesday that the negotiation process -- one that has been stagnant without any formal meetings over the past week -- was likely to get "more difficult" moving forward.
The league followed through with that promise Friday, canceling games but also informing the NHLPA that its last offer is now off the table.
The offer -- which included a 50-50 revenue split and provision to "make whole" existing player contracts by using deferred payments -- was contingent on playing an 82-game season, deputy commissioner Bill Daly told ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun on Thursday. With no chance of salvaging a full season, the offer has been rescinded.
The NHLPA has not made any additional offer since its trio of proposals was promptly rejected by the league last week. The union has attempted to stoke negotiations by offering to meet, but the league has spurned those invitations.
Fehr, via statement, said the owners rejected the proposals "after considering them for only 10 minutes.
"The message from the owners seems to be: if you don't give us exactly what we want, there is no point in talking. They have shown they are very good at delivering deadlines and demands, but we need a willing partner to negotiate. We hope they return to the table in order to get the players back on the ice soon."
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http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/85...-talks-impasse |
