June 28, 2005
New Deal Expected to Bring Changes to NHL
By REUTERS
Filed at 3:23 a.m. ET
TORONTO (Reuters) - In a normal National Hockey League (NHL) season, this time of year would be spent pondering the junior entry draft and poring over the lists of free agents set to come on the market on July 1.
The 2004-2005 season, however, has been anything but normal.
A lockout of players last September and the subsequent cancellation of the entire season after the players' union and the owners failed to agree on a new collective bargaining agreement has meant the end of all normality.
The labor fight, over the issue of a salary cap, eventually led to the NHL being the first league to cancel an entire season. Embarrassingly, the National Basketball Association (NBA) -- the NHL's richer cousin -- was able to craft a new agreement, with a salary cap, in little time and with ease.
When the NHL starts up again, it will be a changed landscape; entirely different from the one the fans, management and players knew before.
``Clearly when everyone competes under a model that no one has competed under before, there's going to be some change. It's going to be hard to predict what that will mean across the board and we don't know until we get playing what it will mean to us,'' said Toronto Maple Leafs general manager John Ferguson Jr.
``We are preparing for it. Everyone understands that change is coming and we're doing our best to not only react but proactively respond and be in a position to take advantage of every opportunity.''
SIDES MEET
The two sides met for more than 75 hours in Toronto over five straight days last week and were reported to be inching toward a deal. Lawyers on both sides are said to be drafting the language of the agreement as they proceed.
``I think we're getting very, very close, and it's going to be a deal that allows all the markets to be successful, allow the owners to have a fair chance to make money,'' Pittsburgh Penguins player-owner Mario Lemieux said recently.
A flurry of activity among some teams, including the general manager signings of Brian Burke by the Anaheim Mighty Ducks and the choice of Dale Tallon by the Chicago Blackhawks, has convinced many that the end of the lockout is near.
``We're excited about the relaunch of the National Hockey League. My sense is that it certainly appears that everything is going in the right direction and we're gearing up,'' said Ferguson.
With a salary cap believed to be in the range of $35 million to $40 million under the new deal, the agreement will affect each team differently.
For the teams with deep pockets, such as the Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings and the New York Rangers, it will mean deep cuts to annual salaries that often top $50 million. Spendthrifts such as the Atlanta Thrashers and the Penguins will have more opportunity to open up their wallets.
This is the exact situation the new agreement was meant to create, leveling out inequalities. Previously, the deep-pocketed teams were able to attract the big names, while the poorer teams suffered.
It will also mean that the teams with a stable of high-profile and highly paid players will have to jettison some of them to fit into the lower pay scale.
TOUGH DECISIONS
``There are going to be tough decisions. Tough decisions will need to be made. How we allocate whatever room we might have is critical. And those are areas that are new to this league and new to this market. We have undertaken a plan that will permit us to compete differently over time and that is nearly upon us,'' Ferguson said.
Lemieux said the repercussions could have been minimized had the players accepted an offer brokered in part by him in February which included a cap of about $42.5 million.
``They should have taken the deal back in February. The cap was at $42.5 million, that was the offer from the owners, now it looks like it's going to be a lot less that.''
Players' Association officials argue that it is premature to begin analyzing an agreement that has not been formally drafted.
``The parties are still negotiating and so it is only prudent for evaluation of the agreement to take place once it is completed,'' association senior director Ted Saskin said in a statement. ``To evaluate one specific component of the agreement could lead to an inaccurate assessment.''
Whatever the figure and whatever the terms of the contract, the greatest challenge for the two sides will be trying to salvage the game and convince fans, particularly in the non-traditional markets, to watch the tarnished sport.
New Deal Expected to Bring Changes to NHL
By REUTERS
Filed at 3:23 a.m. ET
TORONTO (Reuters) - In a normal National Hockey League (NHL) season, this time of year would be spent pondering the junior entry draft and poring over the lists of free agents set to come on the market on July 1.
The 2004-2005 season, however, has been anything but normal.
A lockout of players last September and the subsequent cancellation of the entire season after the players' union and the owners failed to agree on a new collective bargaining agreement has meant the end of all normality.
The labor fight, over the issue of a salary cap, eventually led to the NHL being the first league to cancel an entire season. Embarrassingly, the National Basketball Association (NBA) -- the NHL's richer cousin -- was able to craft a new agreement, with a salary cap, in little time and with ease.
When the NHL starts up again, it will be a changed landscape; entirely different from the one the fans, management and players knew before.
``Clearly when everyone competes under a model that no one has competed under before, there's going to be some change. It's going to be hard to predict what that will mean across the board and we don't know until we get playing what it will mean to us,'' said Toronto Maple Leafs general manager John Ferguson Jr.
``We are preparing for it. Everyone understands that change is coming and we're doing our best to not only react but proactively respond and be in a position to take advantage of every opportunity.''
SIDES MEET
The two sides met for more than 75 hours in Toronto over five straight days last week and were reported to be inching toward a deal. Lawyers on both sides are said to be drafting the language of the agreement as they proceed.
``I think we're getting very, very close, and it's going to be a deal that allows all the markets to be successful, allow the owners to have a fair chance to make money,'' Pittsburgh Penguins player-owner Mario Lemieux said recently.
A flurry of activity among some teams, including the general manager signings of Brian Burke by the Anaheim Mighty Ducks and the choice of Dale Tallon by the Chicago Blackhawks, has convinced many that the end of the lockout is near.
``We're excited about the relaunch of the National Hockey League. My sense is that it certainly appears that everything is going in the right direction and we're gearing up,'' said Ferguson.
With a salary cap believed to be in the range of $35 million to $40 million under the new deal, the agreement will affect each team differently.
For the teams with deep pockets, such as the Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings and the New York Rangers, it will mean deep cuts to annual salaries that often top $50 million. Spendthrifts such as the Atlanta Thrashers and the Penguins will have more opportunity to open up their wallets.
This is the exact situation the new agreement was meant to create, leveling out inequalities. Previously, the deep-pocketed teams were able to attract the big names, while the poorer teams suffered.
It will also mean that the teams with a stable of high-profile and highly paid players will have to jettison some of them to fit into the lower pay scale.
TOUGH DECISIONS
``There are going to be tough decisions. Tough decisions will need to be made. How we allocate whatever room we might have is critical. And those are areas that are new to this league and new to this market. We have undertaken a plan that will permit us to compete differently over time and that is nearly upon us,'' Ferguson said.
Lemieux said the repercussions could have been minimized had the players accepted an offer brokered in part by him in February which included a cap of about $42.5 million.
``They should have taken the deal back in February. The cap was at $42.5 million, that was the offer from the owners, now it looks like it's going to be a lot less that.''
Players' Association officials argue that it is premature to begin analyzing an agreement that has not been formally drafted.
``The parties are still negotiating and so it is only prudent for evaluation of the agreement to take place once it is completed,'' association senior director Ted Saskin said in a statement. ``To evaluate one specific component of the agreement could lead to an inaccurate assessment.''
Whatever the figure and whatever the terms of the contract, the greatest challenge for the two sides will be trying to salvage the game and convince fans, particularly in the non-traditional markets, to watch the tarnished sport.
