Mess
Global Moderator
Do you guys want the Pro-Fan perspective of this last meeting ..
I can try to explain it from a neutral point of view as an observers what I believed happened ..and what went wrong.
Notice: I accept Gretzky at his word as 100% honest and that the NHL called the meeting on the request of the NHLPA and Bettman is clear of any wrong doing at all in this, as is Bob Goodenow as both did not attend nor effect the outcome of the meeting.
With that is was determined in Gretzky's own words that Bettman told him he was prepared to go to 45. Mil to get a deal done . So the NHL came to this meeting expecting a new proposal from the NHLPA ..and I am sure the 45 Mil was leaked out to the both sides new it going into the meeting with the possibility of 45 being the final number to get a deal done.
This the Agreement in principle thought by all going into this meeting ..
First some facts ..
Saskin has said many many times that the NHLPA needs to get in a room and discuss the issues and they do not believe in throwing proposals back and forth, but talk things through and negotiate on a new CBA..
Gretzky from the TSN report pulls Linden and Damphousse before the meeting is to begin and confirms that the NHL is prepared to go 45 mil. Linden and Vinny trust Gretzky and would not have gotten that from Daley or anyone else then from Mario or Wayne. This the first reason they were asked to attend..
So Far so good everyone is on the same page ...
The NHLPA is holding the Final Trump card and that is to put the 45.M on the table from the NHLPA side to get a deal done "In Principle" again..
but before playing the last card that would seal the deal, Damphousse as the story goes stands up and says "lets go over the other issues of the CBA FIRST and make sure we are on the same page and lets talk through or negotiate on Salary Arbitration, RFA Qualifying offers, UFA age, Entry level contracts and bonuses, Hard Cap Floor and most importantly meaningful long-term Revenue Sharing plan.
So that is the direction the meeting now takes .. and it is soon evident that both sides have varying degrees of differences on these issues .. Some on the main ones that have leaked out are or have been reported is that the NHLPA Revenue Sharing model is long term and the NHL is a 6 year plan that slowly decreases to Zero in the Final year. Okay Problem #1..can we resolve this today .. NO not likely ..
Then the last NHLPA proposal suggested a 25 Mil floor , and the last NHL offer had Zero in for the floor .. Problem # 2
and likely so on and so on some of the others issues ..however every thing on all other issues was not leaked out or was not reported yet. But certainly some other problems existed ..
So now both sides realized they still had work ahead .. Prompting the final comment by Saskin as the meeting broke up that we still have lots of differences on some big issues and they can't be resolved in time to save the 2004-05 season ..
However that is not likely how the NHLPA hoped the meeting would go as evident by the Press conference, scheduled later that day.
What the NHLPA hoped would have transpired was that Mario and Wayne's opinion on some of these issues would help bridge the gap in the discussions on these sub-issues. From the TSN report though it sounds like Wayne neither wanted to, or expected to get into that as he is not in a decision making position and Mario is in a conflict of interest position being both player and Owner ..but reason #2 the NHLPA wanted them there ..
Bottom Line : If these issues would have been agreed on in principle in the meeting and head way made ..then Saskin would have played the final card and said if the NHL is willing to meet the NHLPA at the 45.0 Mil Hard Cap then I believe we have a deal "In Principle" .. he would have reached across the table and shook Daley hand and ..
Saskin's final words would have been .. I will take this agreed upon items back and prepare a formal proposal for the NHLPA to the NHL based on today's discussions and..
then Let Gary and Bob go over it putting their final seal of approval on it and take it back to each side to vote upon .. Gentleman we have a Deal ..
However those difference (Revenue Sharing, Arbitration etc) were not resolved and the last card (45.m Hard Cap not played) and the meeting breaking off with Saskin's final words .. We are further apart then both sides thought ..
This makes Gretzky's TSN report fall in line as well as the NHL believing it was getting a New Proposal ,and a miscommunication of both sides as to the intent of the meeting, or at least that the differences could not be resolved on the issues ..
That leaves right were we are now ... The season not being uncancelled, and no need for the NHLPA to draw up the final proposal even though now the Hard Cap Ceiling figure is not the biggest issue preventing an agreement.
With the season gone as well, that took all the motivation out of the NHLPA side as its players would neither be playing or earning money this year, and no Stanley Cup Playoffs would be played.
Season lost and meeting a bust both sides left dejected ..and the "In Principle deal" never transpired ..
TSN REPORT:
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?ID=115751&hubName=nhl
I can try to explain it from a neutral point of view as an observers what I believed happened ..and what went wrong.
Notice: I accept Gretzky at his word as 100% honest and that the NHL called the meeting on the request of the NHLPA and Bettman is clear of any wrong doing at all in this, as is Bob Goodenow as both did not attend nor effect the outcome of the meeting.
With that is was determined in Gretzky's own words that Bettman told him he was prepared to go to 45. Mil to get a deal done . So the NHL came to this meeting expecting a new proposal from the NHLPA ..and I am sure the 45 Mil was leaked out to the both sides new it going into the meeting with the possibility of 45 being the final number to get a deal done.
This the Agreement in principle thought by all going into this meeting ..
First some facts ..
Saskin has said many many times that the NHLPA needs to get in a room and discuss the issues and they do not believe in throwing proposals back and forth, but talk things through and negotiate on a new CBA..
Gretzky from the TSN report pulls Linden and Damphousse before the meeting is to begin and confirms that the NHL is prepared to go 45 mil. Linden and Vinny trust Gretzky and would not have gotten that from Daley or anyone else then from Mario or Wayne. This the first reason they were asked to attend..
So Far so good everyone is on the same page ...
The NHLPA is holding the Final Trump card and that is to put the 45.M on the table from the NHLPA side to get a deal done "In Principle" again..
but before playing the last card that would seal the deal, Damphousse as the story goes stands up and says "lets go over the other issues of the CBA FIRST and make sure we are on the same page and lets talk through or negotiate on Salary Arbitration, RFA Qualifying offers, UFA age, Entry level contracts and bonuses, Hard Cap Floor and most importantly meaningful long-term Revenue Sharing plan.
So that is the direction the meeting now takes .. and it is soon evident that both sides have varying degrees of differences on these issues .. Some on the main ones that have leaked out are or have been reported is that the NHLPA Revenue Sharing model is long term and the NHL is a 6 year plan that slowly decreases to Zero in the Final year. Okay Problem #1..can we resolve this today .. NO not likely ..
Then the last NHLPA proposal suggested a 25 Mil floor , and the last NHL offer had Zero in for the floor .. Problem # 2
and likely so on and so on some of the others issues ..however every thing on all other issues was not leaked out or was not reported yet. But certainly some other problems existed ..
So now both sides realized they still had work ahead .. Prompting the final comment by Saskin as the meeting broke up that we still have lots of differences on some big issues and they can't be resolved in time to save the 2004-05 season ..
However that is not likely how the NHLPA hoped the meeting would go as evident by the Press conference, scheduled later that day.
What the NHLPA hoped would have transpired was that Mario and Wayne's opinion on some of these issues would help bridge the gap in the discussions on these sub-issues. From the TSN report though it sounds like Wayne neither wanted to, or expected to get into that as he is not in a decision making position and Mario is in a conflict of interest position being both player and Owner ..but reason #2 the NHLPA wanted them there ..
Bottom Line : If these issues would have been agreed on in principle in the meeting and head way made ..then Saskin would have played the final card and said if the NHL is willing to meet the NHLPA at the 45.0 Mil Hard Cap then I believe we have a deal "In Principle" .. he would have reached across the table and shook Daley hand and ..
Saskin's final words would have been .. I will take this agreed upon items back and prepare a formal proposal for the NHLPA to the NHL based on today's discussions and..
then Let Gary and Bob go over it putting their final seal of approval on it and take it back to each side to vote upon .. Gentleman we have a Deal ..
However those difference (Revenue Sharing, Arbitration etc) were not resolved and the last card (45.m Hard Cap not played) and the meeting breaking off with Saskin's final words .. We are further apart then both sides thought ..
This makes Gretzky's TSN report fall in line as well as the NHL believing it was getting a New Proposal ,and a miscommunication of both sides as to the intent of the meeting, or at least that the differences could not be resolved on the issues ..
That leaves right were we are now ... The season not being uncancelled, and no need for the NHLPA to draw up the final proposal even though now the Hard Cap Ceiling figure is not the biggest issue preventing an agreement.
With the season gone as well, that took all the motivation out of the NHLPA side as its players would neither be playing or earning money this year, and no Stanley Cup Playoffs would be played.
Season lost and meeting a bust both sides left dejected ..and the "In Principle deal" never transpired ..
TSN REPORT:
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?ID=115751&hubName=nhl