We may not see NHL action for months
Posted September 7, 2012 7:41 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Whether you are a fan or own a local business that depends on pro-hockey, brace yourself for more bad news.
With just over a week left until the current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) expires, there’s a good chance we won’t see NHL action this fall.
Maclean’s Magazine senior correspondent Jonathon Gatehouse is the author of the new book The Instigator, How Gary Bettman Remade the League and Changed the Game Forever, which profiles how the NHL commissioner presided over two lockouts and argues he isn’t afraid of a third.
Gatehouse warns the real negotiations haven’t even started yet, as both sides appear to have dug into their respective positions.
“Don Fehr from the Players’ Association has been a very tough foe in his old job as head of the baseball union and he’s proving it again this time around,” explains Gatehouse.
“He’s not even negotiating on the kind of points that Bettman and the owners want, so I think we’re months away from a real settlement at this point,” he adds.
The current CBA expires on September 15th but Gatehouse believes the players and the league will likely try to scrape something of a season together. “The Winter Classic on New Year’s Day has become a big deal for the NHL and certainly, they won’t want to lose that. It’s also when the season’s coverage for the NBC TV deal kicks in.”
There is one glimmer of hope though, as both sides are set to meet for informal talks today. If there’s no deal by next Friday, Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly plan to give up their pay.
NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr claims he hasn’t collected his salary since July 1st.
An excerpt from Gatehouse’s book appears in the current issue of Maclean’s.
