(UPDATE 2:43 PM)- Donald Fehr has addressed the media and sounds optimistic about the proposal the NHLPA has presented, suggesting it should "lead to a new CBA". It sounds like the deal includes some small changes to the current salary cap structure and revenue sharing models. Should be interesting to hear the league's reaction tomorrow.
After about a month of reviewing the initial proposal put forward by the National Hockey League, Donald Fehr and the NHLPA have finally tabled their highly anticipated “alternate view”.
It’s pretty clear that they weren’t crazy about the concepts put forward by the owners and have now come forward with their own set of demands. With the current collective bargaining agreement set expire on September 15th, it’s clear both sides have some work to do.
Donald Fehr, along with a group of more than 23 NHL players, including Sens forward Jason Spezza, made their counter-proposal at a meeting today in Toronto.
Details of the proposal were not immediately available but despite speculation leading up to the announcement, there is apparently no mention of removing the salary cap.
In his comments to the media last week, NHL commissioner Gary “The 8 million dollar man” Bettman indicated that if there isn’t a new CBA in place by the September 15th deadline, the players will be locked out. It was an aggressive statement by the Commish and one that shows where these negotiations are headed.
Bettman spoke to the media following today’s proposal from the NHLPA and indicated he’ll need some time to review and hopes to have a response when they meet again tomorrow morning.
Over the next month, we are going to hear a lot of posturing by both sides in what is sure to be an extremely public negotiation. Reality is that while the owners and the NHLPA will be looking out for their own best interests, the fans are the ones that pay the price.
Here’s hoping cooler heads can prevail and a common ground can be found by the time training camp rolls around in September.
As fans, it’s extremely important that we make sure our voices are heard throughout this process. What do you expect from the NHLPA proposal? Where do you see the negotiations going from here?
