Sunday, September 12, 2004:
Column From NHLPA President Trevor Linden
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Trevor Linden's column is printed in this week's The Hockey News publication
With the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) set to expire and an owners’ lockout pending, I want to take this opportunity to write to fans about the players’ efforts to reach a new agreement with the league.
First of all, I want you to know that the players will not strike. We want to play NHL hockey this year and none of us wants the owners to lock us out. In fact, we’ve pledged to play next season while we continue to negotiate, if a new deal can’t be reached before September 15.
Unfortunately, the league has taken a different approach to these negotiations.
The owners are only interested in negotiating a salary cap and will shutdown hockey if they don’t get their way. Five years ago they created a $300 million lockout fund. Now they have begun to lay off staff with more layoffs to come. The league is also engaged in a PR campaign to justify their lockout to fans.
As you can see for yourself, we are not looking to preserve the status quo in these negotiations, as the league likes to claim.
In all of the talk about the current CBA, one fact seems to get lost: when compared to other leagues, the NHL’s current rules on player mobility are the most restrictive of all major pro sports. NHL teams have the ability to control a player’s career path from the age of 18 up to 31. Although this system is restrictive on player movements, it has produced the kind of roster stability fans favour and incredible competitive balance.
For our part, the players will continue to meet with the owners in the hopes of finding some common ground to negotiate a fair deal. The sooner the owners move off of their demand for a salary cap (or as they call it, cost certainty), the sooner we can engage in negotiations that will lead to a new agreement.
Sincerely,
Trevor Linden
President, NHLPA
Column From NHLPA President Trevor Linden
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trevor Linden's column is printed in this week's The Hockey News publication
With the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) set to expire and an owners’ lockout pending, I want to take this opportunity to write to fans about the players’ efforts to reach a new agreement with the league.
First of all, I want you to know that the players will not strike. We want to play NHL hockey this year and none of us wants the owners to lock us out. In fact, we’ve pledged to play next season while we continue to negotiate, if a new deal can’t be reached before September 15.
Unfortunately, the league has taken a different approach to these negotiations.
The owners are only interested in negotiating a salary cap and will shutdown hockey if they don’t get their way. Five years ago they created a $300 million lockout fund. Now they have begun to lay off staff with more layoffs to come. The league is also engaged in a PR campaign to justify their lockout to fans.
In contrast, the players want a fair deal for both sides. We have offered very significant concessions, worth hundreds of millions of dollars in response to the league’s stated concerns.spetzky said:the layoffs have begun because of the NHLPA's unwillingness to create parity
Last October we presented a proposal that included a luxury tax system, a proven success in Major League Baseball.spetzky said:This sounds good.
Our system would have taxed higher-spending teams and redirected those dollars to lower revenue clubs. That, coupled with other elements in our proposal, such as a 5% salary rollback, revenue sharing and changes to the entry-level system, would give the league the drag on player salaries they want and provide revenues to teams that need it.spetzky said:WHAT!? Hugely successful? The teams have a $127million limit before the get taxed and only the Yankees have been tax
spetzky said:The higher spending teams still LOSE money. It doesn't fix the 75*% of revenues going to salaries
As you can see for yourself, we are not looking to preserve the status quo in these negotiations, as the league likes to claim.
Regrettably, the league dismissed our proposal and responded with a one-page salary cap plan. Almost 10 months later they outlined six more concepts which, despite their denials, were all based on salary caps, something they know is a non-starter for the players.spetzky said:You are putting up, Minor concessions with little effect. The status quo, was a free market system = totally flawed. And the PA still wants a free market system
Fans have asked me what’s wrong with accepting a salary cap like the ones used in football and basketball. Besides imposing severe and artificial limits on the market value of a player, salary caps also handcuff team managements.spetzky said:I wouldn't know...but the NHLPA still sucks.
To stay under cap limits, clubs are forced to get rid of popular players or to take a pass on signing players who could help the club improve. Fans take a back seat under salary cap systems, where accountants rule, players come and go and winning becomes secondary.spetzky said:But not having a cap causes teams with less money to increase spending to compete with wealthy teams
spetzky said:Passing on free players, means others teams can pick them up (PARITY).
In all of the talk about the current CBA, one fact seems to get lost: when compared to other leagues, the NHL’s current rules on player mobility are the most restrictive of all major pro sports. NHL teams have the ability to control a player’s career path from the age of 18 up to 31. Although this system is restrictive on player movements, it has produced the kind of roster stability fans favour and incredible competitive balance.
We believe that a marketplace system where owners determine a player’s value, as they have for more than eighty years, is the best system for our fans and our sport. A player’s value can both rise and fall in a marketplace.spetzky said:What the hell?
So, where do we go from here?spetzky said:80 years ago, single teams didn't lose $40 thousand dollars per year. Now a team overextended themselves enough to lose $40 million
For our part, the players will continue to meet with the owners in the hopes of finding some common ground to negotiate a fair deal. The sooner the owners move off of their demand for a salary cap (or as they call it, cost certainty), the sooner we can engage in negotiations that will lead to a new agreement.
spetzky said:How 'bout $40M+Luxurytax of 10% (to 30% if $50+) And a cap of $60M w/ 50% tax)
Sincerely,
Trevor Linden
President, NHLPA
spetzky said:NHLPA, a big **** you to fans.
Please submit problems you have with my post and errors in my post
