TSN claims it has obtained a "confidential" memo that the NHL has distributed to all member clubs concerning the NHLPA proposal that included a 24 percent across the board salary rollback:
"In sum, we believe the Union's December 9 CBA proposal, while offering necessary and significant short-term financial relief, falls well short of providing the fundamental systemic changes that are required to ensure that overall League economics remain in synch on a going-forward basis," NHL executive vice president Bill Daly wrote in the Dec. 12 memo which went to all governors and alternative governors, including many NHL general managers. "While the immediate 'rollback' of 24 per cent offered by the Union would materially improve League economics for the 2004-05 season, there is virtually nothing in the Union's proposal that would prevent the dollars 'saved' from being re-directed right back into the player compensation system, such that the League's overall financial losses would approach current levels in only a matter of a couple of years."
Apparently, the league will offer a counterproposal tomorrow that will include the dreaded "hard cap" that the NHLPA said it would reject all along. More later. In the meantime, join the discussion over at Sportsfilter.
UPDATE: Now that I've had a chance to read the rest of the piece, I think I should have slugged this post: NHL To NHLPA: Drop Dead. On every single point of the union's proposal, the NHL sounds a lot like Evan Dando -- a Great Big No.
To say the least, I can't see the NHLPA bothering to continue negotiations with a response like this. Get ready for a long, cold winter NHL fans.
And get ready for NASCAR.
The Gretzky game for ps2 is pretty good.
(my first purchase, though I’ve read NHL 2005 — EA Sports, I believe — and ESPN 2005 are even better.)
Maybe in a year, I’ll be brave enough to play the kids online.
I’d rather wait for a long solution, but it’ll be tough.
Hoops it is, though it’s mostly Raptors on basic Canadian cable so that’s not so great. Vince Carter’s now a dad, though his son or daughter won’t be able to help for awhile.
Well, computer problems are limiting me to making comments on my own blog but this isn’t really something unexpected.
And Aaron — I can’t even bring myself to play sports on PS2… My life without hockey is fully devoted to Grand THeft Auto: San Andreas
“To say the least, I can’t see the NHLPA bothering to continue negotiations with a response like this. Get ready for a long, cold winter NHL fans.”
Eric,
This isn’t a response to the NHLPA, but rather a document sent to owners outlining why they are rejecting the proposal. It says nothing of what the owners will offer tomorrow, hence it’s premature to say they are being unreasonable. I’ll admit, it doesn’t sound promising. Then again, when did it?
James.
Still waiting for someone to properly grill Bettman about why a luxury tax wouldn’t work. If they don’t think the one in the NHLPA offer is strong enough, by all means offer a stronger one. But if they stick with this “hard cap or bust” tack, isn’t the impasse completely their fault?
And for that matter, why does the NHLPA not believe in a ceiling of any size? $60-mil cap? Why not?
Luxury taxes work well with Steinbrenner, don’t they?
Ranger ownership knows Steinbrenner-type spending doesn’t work in hockey. The whole in hockey must always be more than the sum of its parts, regardless of how extravagant that sum may be.
The league is sticking to it’s ‘Hard Cap’ stance because it knows it can get it. The players’ position is weak, and this proposal underscores that point, I think Brian Burke’s comment about the 24% rollback being a bribe is exatly that. Every day this drags on the owners position gets stronger. Remember there are more hockey players being produced every year than there are multi-millionaire entrepreneurs. Do the math. The individual players’ days are numbered. Take what the league offers, because every concession the players make, will bring them that much closer to losing more than they would have previously.
Ta,