View Full Version : NHL Olympic participation in jeopardy
The Czech Republic has followed Russia's lead in voting down the transfer agreement between the NHL and the international federation. They apparently not happy with the compensation payment schedule drawn up in the new CBA. Why this would block NHL players from Olympic participation is a mystery to me... but apparently that's the case. It's all CBA related.
In a nutshell, it sounds to me like some prominent European hockey bodies are holding the NHL hostage, and using the Olympics (which the NHL desparately needs to boost interest) as leverage.
Czech teams reject NHL deal
PRAGUE (Reuters) - The Czech Republic's top ice hockey teams rejected on Wednesday a player transfer agreement between the NHL and the international federation, a move that jeopardises NHL participation in the Olympic Games.
Under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) of the NHL, signed last month to end a 301-day player lockout by owners, the North American league would pay European teams for players based on a sliding scale.
In a vote on Wednesday, the Czech federation said, representatives from all 14 teams of the country's Extraliga, its top competition, rejected the deal.
It follows a similar vote against the CBA in Russia on Monday.
The new scale for player compensation increases the amount paid for players to their European teams, up to $900,000 for a first overall draft choice.
That amount drops by $20,000 for each successive pick until the end of the first round. Teams that lose second round picks and onward to the NHL would receive a flat $150,000. The money is doled out via the international federation. There was no immediate word from the Czech federation on why the agreement was rejected, but it was clear heading into the meeting that money was at the heart of the problem.
"If they want our players in the NHL, let them pay," the daily Mlada Fronta Dnes quoted Zbynek Kusy, general manager of last year's champions Pardubice, as saying.
OLYMPIC BLOCK
At stake is more than just compensation to European teams.
If a compromise is not reached, the NHL would not have an agreement for its players to take part in the Olympic Games in Turin next year, a tournament it has used to showcase its talent on a world stage.
NHL players playing in the Olympics and other international tournaments is covered under the CBA.
Russia and the Czech Republic both have dozens of players skating for NHL teams and often complain that their junior programs pay a lot of money to develop top level talent, only to see them leave when they are 18 years old.
Kusy's team, for example, could lose more than five players from its championship squad to the NHL, though some, such as Milan Hejduk, played at home last season only because of the lockout.
With the advent of Russian team owners such as billionaire Roman Abramovich -- who also owns English soccer team Chelsea -- the top Russian league is emerging as a serious competitor to the NHL for European talent, especially with NHL owners facing tight spending guidelines.
"We want about $300,000 to $350,000. And if Russian teams offer more, we will send our players there," Kusy said.
http://ca.today.reuters.com/news/NewsArticle.aspx?type=sportsNews&storyID=uri:2005-08-03T171138Z_01_N03472822_RTRIDST_0_SPORTS-NHL-CZECH-COL.XML&pageNumber=0&summit=
In case anyone is following here's some more.
Russia Refuses to Ratify Agreement With IIHF, NHL
Russia has refused to ratify an agreement with the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and National Hockey League (NHL).
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has met with the leadership of Russia?s Professional Hockey League and clubs of the upper league but he was unable to convince them to ratify the agreement.
According to the new agreement, NHL is to pay a million dollars to a European club whose player would be chosen on the draft under the first number. Earlier, the price was $150,000. Also, NHL clubs now may invite not more than 60 players from Europe. The U.S. league agreed to increase the joint compensation to the European clubs for the training of players up to $13 million. NHL is now also to pay fines to European clubs if their players played less than 30 matches per season in his main club.
However, Russian clubs are dissatisfied with the compensation rate, they stand for direct negotiations with NHL clubs on selling and buying players. The head of Russia?s Hockey Federation, Alexander Steblin quoted by Sovetsky Sport newspaper said Russia should make a pause in the compensation talks. ?After consultation of the upper league club leaders with the clubs? owners, consultations with the head of the Russian Sport Federation Vyacheslav Fetisov, we will have a conference in a week and will discuss this problem. I hope we will make a right decision,? he said.
Russia and the Czech Republic are the only European hockey countries to refuse to ratify agreements with IHF and NHL.
Two points.
1) Why will this prevent NHL players from Olympic participation? I must be thick headed... because for the life of me I cannot see the correlation here.
2) I think the NHL should revise it's compensation figure it pays for European players to something more favorable like.........
$0.00
Those players come to the NHL for a reason. Let individuals decide where they want to go play. If they don't want to come here then don't come. If they want to come here it's their own decision.
I didn't see Boston University with their grubby hands out looking for compensation when the Rangers yanked away Tony Amonte during his sophomore year. Why do European oranizations feel the need to be compensated?
If Jagr decides to leave the NHL and go play in Russia - then I demand the Rangers get compensated!!! :curse:
Pay them nothing, ZIP! If Russians and Czechs want to stay away from the NHL, it's their loss. The NHL will be just fine without them.
Yeah you tell em Gary!!! Don't take no #*%$ !!! :box:
http://www.todayonline.com/OthPictures/SGE.RWW28.050805171722.photo00.quicklook.default-165x245.jpg
NHL commissioner Bettman warns Russian hockey bosses
National Hockey League commissioner Gary Bettman has warned Russia's icehockey chiefs the country's game would face trouble if they rejected the player transfer agreement.
"We want to sign the agreement, that makes the player transfers fair for both sides," Bettman said. "I think Russia should not reject the deal."
"If Russia refuse to accept the deal, the country's clubs will not get a single penny for their players who decide to join NHL sides.
"Only the players and their agents can decide which league they chose to play," he added.
"I was surprised that Russian Superleague clubs budgets reach the level of 45 million dollars a year. But it just cannot last forever. Russia will also face the threat of a lockout in the near future."
Earlier this week Russian Superleague clubs presidents unanimously refused to accept the agreement whereby the sport's international ruling body IIHF was set to distribute the cash among the national federations and clubs that supply players to the NHL.
Russian clubs demanded the NHL should respect the contracts between the players and the Russian sides.
They also demanded more cash from the NHL, saying Russian clubs were investing more in developing players than the NHL offered as indemnity.
"The sums the NHL offers to compensate our work are definitely not enough," Yaroslavl president Yury Yakovlev said.
"The past 10 years revealed that our losses from such a deal are much greater than our income.
"We still seek a compromise with the NHL, which takes our interests into consideration but it's not easy to do."
The IIHF president Rene Fasel said he believed the sides could find an agreement.
"We are hopeful that we can get everything completed and continue our arrangement to benefit all parties," he said.
"I believe Russia should accept the deal otherwise the players will join the NHL clubs for free. The agreement will protect the interests of the Russian clubs." - AFP
http://www.todayonline.com/articles/65236.asp
During final stages of the CBA, the NHL didn't want to shut down for 3 weeks their first season out of the gate. Everyone knows that the IIHF will do what the NHL says, does anyone else think this smells like a rat?
Two points.
1) Why will this prevent NHL players from Olympic participation? I must be thick headed... because for the life of me I cannot see the correlation here.The olympic hockey event is an IIHF event, if they don't allow NHLers to play, NHLers can't play.
The olympic hockey event is an IIHF event, if they don't allow NHLers to play, NHLers can't play.
So the IIHF will not allow NHL players to paricipate because Russia and the Czechs aren't satisfied with the completely unnecessary millions of dollars they get in compensation when their players join the NHL?
Sounds like a crock of nonsense to me. It should have no bearing on the Olympics.
If they pull this then I say Gary throws up a big middle finger and prohibits these countries from being drafted by the NHL. If they want to foster such a separitist attitude, let's give it to them. More jobs for north Americans. The NHL will still be the best league on the planet.
Guaranteed we'd see discrimination law suits of barred Europeans who wish to join the NHL. We'd have flash backs to the days of European juniors "defecting" just so they could join the NHL.
The hell with them.
If they pull this then I say Gary throws up a big middle finger and prohibits these countries from being drafted by the NHL. If they want to foster such a separitist attitude, let's give it to them. More jobs for north Americans. The NHL will still be the best league on the planet.
Guaranteed we'd see discrimination law suits of barred Europeans who wish to join the NHL. We'd have flash backs to the days of European juniors "defecting" just so they could join the NHL.
The hell with them.Gary and the Owners (Sounds like a bad cover band, but hey most owners have pacemakers ;) ) didn't want to particapate in the Olympics this year anyway, so the plan is apparently working ;)
NHL nails down Olympic agreement
Game On (http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?id=133131)
bluemeanie
8-11-05, 11:11 AM
Anyone think that Crosby goes?
NHL nails down Olympic agreement
That's good news. I like the international stuff.
Anyone think that Crosby goes?I think he gets invited to camp. After that who knows. Remember he is still a boy.
That's good news. I like the international stuff.A man who has been to Hamburg perhaps? I know a good place in Hamburg where they really know how to wash a hockey helmet, well I did 17 years ago ;)
A man who has been to Hamburg perhaps? I know a good place in Hamburg where they really know how to wash a hockey helmet, well I did 17 years ago ;)
I was in Germany when I was a kid. Too young to understand the art of helmet (Helmut?) washing. :conspire:
I was in Germany when I was a kid. Too young to understand the art of helmet (Helmut?) washing. :conspire:potatoe potato??? LOL Ok sue me!
Huh? Well which is it?
Aug. 12, 2005. 05:05 P.M.
NHLers' Olympic participation still up in air
GENEVA (AP) ? The Czech and Russian ice hockey federations again refused to sign a proposed player transfer agreement between the NHL and the International Ice Hockey Federation on Friday, jeopardizing the league's participation in next year's Winter Olympics.
The two countries were given a 6 a.m. EDT Monday deadline to join the accord between the NHL and the sport's world governing body.
If they fail to sign "then we could possibly face a situation with no agreement, where transfers between Europe and the NHL are not regulated," IIHF spokesman Szymon Szemberg told The Associated Press.
The NHL could allow its players to appear in the Olympics even if the Czechs and Russians refuse to sign. But it could use participation at the Olympics as a bargaining chip to get the two reluctant federations to fall in line.
Despite the discord, officials hammered out logistical arrangements for NHL players in Turin during a meeting Friday. NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly, NHLPA executive director Ted Saskin, IIHF president Rene Fasel and International Olympic Committee executive director Gilbert Felli all took part.
Czech clubs insist the minimum amount of compensation the NHL pays European federations when signing players is too low. The Russian clubs would like to deal directly with NHL teams in determining player compensation.
With their clubs opposing the deal, both national federations declined to sign at a meeting in Zurich and are pushing for a better system.
Representatives of all seven European leagues ? the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland ? attended the meeting. The other five federations have said they would sign the new proposed deal.
In the proposed five-year player transfer plan, the NHL would pay $12.5 million annually to a fund managed by the IIHF ? a $3.5 million increase from the previous deal.
The IIHF would distribute the money among the national federations and clubs that lose players to the NHL based on a formula devised by the IIHF and the national federations.
A player picked first in the NHL draft is worth $900,000 with each successive pick down to 30th decreasing by $20,000. Later draft picks are valued at $150,000 each.
The previous NHL-IIHF agreement covered player transfers, as well as NHL players' participation in Olympic, world championship and World Cup tournaments.
source (http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1123840520150&call_pageid=968867503640&col=1053692575155)
On Off On Off... On?
Deal with top Europeans removes Olympic hurdle for NHL
Wed Aug 17, 2005 8:41 AM ET
By Alan Crosby
PRAGUE (Reuters) - A deal between the National Hockey League and six of Europe's biggest hockey nations has paved the way for NHL players to take part in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.
Professional teams in the Czech Republic removed their opposition to a part of the NHL's recently signed Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) on Wednesday, leaving only Russia out of the deal among the sport's super powers.
Along with the Czechs, who voted 8-6 in favor of the new deal, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Germany and Slovakia have all agreed on compensation levels for clubs whose players transfer overseas.
A total of 194 European players signed with NHL clubs during the previous CBA which ran from 2001 to 2004. Out of that total, 41 came from Russian teams.
If the deal had not been concluded, the NHL would not have an agreement for its players to take part in the Games next year, a tournament it has used to showcase its talent globally.
"I am very pleased that we were finally able to reach this agreement with the six countries," said Rene Fasel, president of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) in a statement.
"This was also a bump on the road toward what we two weeks ago assumed was secured -- NHL players' participation in Turin 2006, but this obstacle has now also been cleared and we can look forward to another Olympic hockey feast in February."
TOO LOW
The Czechs, along with Russia, had opposed the deal saying clubs' compensation for players heading to the NHL was too low. Russia now stands alone in its rejection of the deal.
"I regret deeply that a hockey nation like Russia is not part of it. We did everything we could to convince them to join but the owners of clubs of the Russian league were not willing to authorize the Russian ice hockey federation to sign the agreement," Fasel said.
For now, Russian players signed by the NHL will not be regulated by the CBA. Russian clubs have said all along they would like to deal directly with NHL teams over compensation.
The CBA sets out guidelines for player transfer compensation, the number of players who can transfer and the timeline for deals. The deadline is now set for August 24.
The IIHF said it would give full details of the deal in September after an official signing by the federations.
The CBA, which lasts for five years, also means the NHL will pay $12.5 million annually to the IIHF for development of the sport. This is up by about $3.5 million.
Europe is a major source of hockey talent for the North American League. About 300 Europeans played in the NHL during the 2003-2004 season, nearly 30 percent of the league's player-total.
source (http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=sportsNews&storyID=2005-08-17T124021Z_01_EIC745628_RTRIDST_0_SPORTS-NHL-OLYMPICS-DC.XML)
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