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February 9, 2005
NHL shocker: Players reject salary cap - again
The hearts of hockey fans undoubtedly skipped a beat as they learned that another round of secret negotiations were underway between the NHL and its players. The hope that there might be a hockey season has not evaporated yet for die-hard. The rest of us think they have lost touch with reality and are getting on with our lives.
Making things worse for some die-hards was an email sent to 640 Toronto listeners that said, "The NHL has made contact with the NHL Players Association. Stay tuned to 640 Toronto for all the latest updates."
At first glance the word 'contact' looked like the more important (and newsworthy) word 'contract.' Unfortunately fan hopes were dashed by NHL VP, Bill Daly, who told the Canadian Press that the owners' "compromise" offer had been rejected by the players.
It was a poor choice of words, that no doubt caused a few (who read too quickly) to jump to the wrong conclusion, only to realize upon a more careful reading, that the "breaking news" was merely that the two sides had agreed to have a chat.
The "compromise" the players turned down would have seen the league begin to recover financially with a "luxury tax" while moving to a salary cap - something the players have made clear they will not agree to - over time.
Mr. Daly also said the hockey season will be cancelled if there is no deal by the weekend. Already, about three-quarters of this season's games have been cancelled as a result of the lockout.
This is (at least) the third time 'secret' negotiations have occurred between the two sides. All they accomplished was to give Canadian talk radio something with which to fill air time. Perhaps if the two sides spent as much time negotiating a deal as they do planning secret meetings, they might come to a deal.
Further Reading:
NHL, NHLPA meet secretly but union rejects another league offer
Players reject another NHL offer, CP says
Posted by maxthecat on February 9, 2005 at 06:06 PM | Comments (0)
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