Bettman Ultimatum: $42.5 M Cap, Final Offer

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Ol' Dirty Chinaman*

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ScottyBowman said:
The loyality on this board or rather lack of is mind boggling. Lets see, the owners makes these players millionaires, allows scrubs to make millions, and you reward someone that gave you great financial security by disagreeing them because they wanted to get their financial house in order? Bunch of thankless brats.

Fixed that for you.
 

i am dave

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610 WIP (Philadelphia) announced that the Flyers have announced a 4pm press conference for tomorrow. I assume the subject of the press conference will be based on the PA's response.
 

Doc Hollywood

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I don't know if anybody has posted this but if each team was to pay 42.5 mil in salary and being based on last years revenue of 2.1 billion that equals to 66% to players. The league will take a hit in revenue for the next while so the owners will be paying more.
 

Mess

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go kim johnsson said:
Just when you thought Bettman couldn't get any more stupid, he does this. What a tool.
I agree

First he calls a Press Conference.

Second ..both sides have barely negotiated the whole time .. the real only negotiated happened the past 24 hours ..

Now he issues a ultimatium and take it or leave it and response time is based on his press conference ..

Yes Using the press conference to announce that things are moving along and large progress has been made and we are ironing out the final details ..

He does this ..

I would be very surprised if the NHLPA takes it ..IMO
 

kenabnrmal

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I can't for a minute believe that they will blow up the league given how far its come now. However, all this aside, the NHL's "final offer" tactic infuriates me. Whether its true or not, now that the PA has come across the table and accepted the notion of a cap (I know it was high, but thats how negotiation works, a back and forth), it is truely insulting to come back to them with a "take it or leave it" offer like this. Sit down with them, see if the "pie" can be expanded. Work together to come to a number that works for both sides. Tying the PA's hands like this is ridiculous, and if it blows up in their face they have no one but themselves to blame.

And then theres the PA. For Goodenow to be telling his players that under no circumstances will he accept a cap, and to wait until this juncture only to accept a cap, is a slap in the face to those he represents. If I was a loyal PA'er, who steadily towed the union line through all of this. Through the steady insults from fans and from the media, I'd be beside myself. Its clear to me that Goodenow was always going to wait for a deadline, then accept the cap. OF COURSE, they should have accepted the cap, if thats where the league wants to head. Do it early and negotiate terms that are favorable to the players. What you DONT do is pull the wool over the players' eyes who trust you. These guys were loyal to a fault, and now they're at a place that they could have been in October, before they lost any money. Before they lost a year from their short NHL careers. Its clear to me that the players were kept in the dark as much as the fans were.

The tactics on both sides are sickening to me. I'm hardly naive. I posted long ago on these boards that a deal wouldn't be done until there was a firm deadline. However, it seems to me that both sides have effed this up.

This isn't an emotional diatribe about how this is harming the fans. This is a statement of the absolute lack of logic and, well hell, class I see on both sides. I will always be a fan of NHL hockey, and the players who play it. I'm not going to get all self-righteous and make idle threats towards the players, claiming they'll never see my dollars ever again. I'm just happy that I personally have no money invested in a league run like this, and I'm happy I personally am not a member of an association that is lead in this manner. The leaders look like amateurs, and the unfortunate part is that it makes the NHL look second-class.
 

CarlRacki

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X8oD said:
Just heard on Sportscenter. ESPN sas Bettman Offered 44.7 Million, not 42.5

That offer includes $2.2 million for player benefits, leaving $42.5 million for payroll.
 

Tuggy

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The Messenger said:
I agree

First he calls a Press Conference.

Second ..both sides have barely negotiated the whole time .. the real only negotiated happened the past 24 hours ..

Now he issues a ultimatium and take it or leave it and response time is based on his press conference ..

Yes Using the press conference to announce that things are moving along and large progress has been made and we are ironing out the final details ..

He does this ..

I would be very surprised if the NHLPA takes it ..IMO

It's February 15th for God's sake! Don't people understand that...
 

Reilly311

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PitkanenPower said:
610 WIP (Philadelphia) announced that the Flyers have announced a 4pm press conference for tomorrow. I assume the subject of the press conference will be based on the PA's response.


Pittsburgh also has a press conference after Bettmans press conference.
 

BLONG7

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Goodenow should insist on a 32M floor if Gary gets his 42.5M cap...this coming from a supporter of the owners...I really thought that Gary would have gone up to around 45-46M...he is really buckling under to Cal Nichols and Harley Hotchkiss and the low end teams...
 

Mess

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Tuggy said:
It's February 15th for God's sake! Don't people understand that...
Who said anything about saving a season ??..

This is about saving NHL Hockey .. putting a new CBA in place that fixes the old problems and allows for a Full season next season ..

You heard it many times its not about this season but getting the right deal..

Is Bettman going to risk all that for a press conference set for 1:00pm ..??
 
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Nash

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kenabnrmal said:
I can't for a minute believe that they will blow up the league given how far its come now. However, all this aside, the NHL's "final offer" tactic infuriates me. Whether its true or not, now that the PA has come across the table and accepted the notion of a cap (I know it was high, but thats how negotiation works, a back and forth), it is truely insulting to come back to them with a "take it or leave it" offer like this. Sit down with them, see if the "pie" can be expanded. Work together to come to a number that works for both sides. Tying the PA's hands like this is ridiculous, and if it blows up in their face they have no one but themselves to blame.

And then theres the PA. For Goodenow to be telling his players that under no circumstances will he accept a cap, and to wait until this juncture only to accept a cap, is a slap in the face to those he represents. If I was a loyal PA'er, who steadily towed the union line through all of this. Through the steady insults from fans and from the media, I'd be beside myself. Its clear to me that Goodenow was always going to wait for a deadline, then accept the cap. OF COURSE, they should have accepted the cap, if thats where the league wants to head. Do it early and negotiate terms that are favorable to the players. What you DONT do is pull the wool over the players' eyes who trust you. These guys were loyal to a fault, and now they're at a place that they could have been in October, before they lost any money. Before they lost a year from their short NHL careers. Its clear to me that the players were kept in the dark as much as the fans were.

The tactics on both sides are sickening to me. I'm hardly naive. I posted long ago on these boards that a deal wouldn't be done until there was a firm deadline. However, it seems to me that both sides have effed this up.

This isn't an emotional diatribe about how this is harming the fans. This is a statement of the absolute lack of logic and, well hell, class I see on both sides. I will always be a fan of NHL hockey, and the players who play it. I'm not going to get all self-righteous and make idle threats towards the players, claiming they'll never see my dollars ever again. I'm just happy that I personally have no money invested in a league run like this, and I'm happy I personally am not a member of an association that is lead in this manner. The leaders look like amateurs, and the unfortunate part is that it makes the NHL look second-class.

Goodenow has been after a luxury tax all season, which is effectively a soft cap. Proposing a 52.5 million dollar hard cap with luxury tax clauses on spending over $40 million is not the huge concession that people are making it out to be. The linkage that Bettman dropped would never go through because the NHL hides revenue so that wasn't a huge concession either. If you honestly believe that Goodenow is pulling the wool over the players, then you don't have a clue. He is in communication with them over a secured website. As well, the PA likely had a last minute plan of action all along. Goodenow is doing his job and he isn't screwing over the players a la Eagleson.
 

kenabnrmal

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BLONG7 said:
Goodenow should insist on a 32M floor if Gary gets his 42.5M cap...this coming from a supporter of the owners...I really thought that Gary would have gone up to around 45-46M...he is really buckling under to Cal Nichols and Harley Hotchkiss and the low end teams...

I'm sure its been pointed out in other threads, but please explain how a 32 M floor works if there is no meaningful revenue sharing.
 
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kenabnrmal said:
I'm sure its been pointed out in other threads, but please explain how a 32 M floor works if there is no meaningful revenue sharing.

It forces teams to put a decent team on the ice. Not to pick on the Wild, but they have a below 28 mil salary and yet the team makes money hand over fist. It will spread more money out over the 30 teams.
 

CarlRacki

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kenabnrmal said:
I'm sure its been pointed out in other threads, but please explain how a 32 M floor works if there is no meaningful revenue sharing.

In all its previous offers the league ensured there would be enough revenue sharing so that every team could at a minimum meet the salary floor. That's meaningful enough for me.
Which leads me to my second point ... every previous offer by the league has included a salary floor, so there's no reason to believe it is lacking in this so-called final offer.
 

kenabnrmal

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Nash said:
Goodenow has been after a luxury tax all season, which is effectively a soft cap. Proposing a 52.5 million dollar hard cap with luxury tax clauses on spending over $40 million is not the huge concession that people are making it out to be. The linkage that Bettman dropped would never go through because the NHL hides revenue so that wasn't a huge concession either. If you honestly believe that Goodenow is pulling the wool over the players, then you don't have a clue. He is in communication with them over a secured website. As well, the PA likely had a last minute plan of action all along. Goodenow is doing his job and he isn't screwing over the players a la Eagleson.

The "huge concession" wasn't where the cap or tax laid, but it was finally accepting the "cap" language. Look, I don't for a second believe that Goodenow didn't have a last minute plan of action. And I'd never compare Goodenow to Eagleson. I have little doubt that Goodenow is doing what he feels is in the best interest of the players. So when I suggest that he's pulling the wool over the players' eyes, its I mean it in a less extreme way than what Eagleson did. However, my reaction is based upon the comments made by members of PA, expressing how they were mystified at why this deal couldn't have been done earlier if they were going to accept the cap. Specifically I'm thinking of Smyth, McKee, Barnaby, etc. Now, I got their comments from the mainstream media, and I'm not naive enough to think that they weren't taken out of context. If you have knowledge I'm not a party to, and you say that the players knew all along that this was a possibility, then by all means. He's doing his job. You are right, I'm not a member of the PA, so truely I don't have a clue. I'm just going on a gut reaction. I feel both sides handled this poorly, and it appears at least that some of the players agree. I could be mislead though.
 
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