Madferret
4-19-05, 11:47 AM
Canadian Press
4/18/2005
The NHL lockout will be front and centre in New York this week with labour talks resuming today followed by a board of governors meeting Wednesday. Both could go a long way towards deciding what's next for the locked-out league.
Much of what the owners discuss Wednesday will be decided in large part by what transpires today in the latest collective bargaining session with the NHL Players' Association. ''I really don't know what to expect,'' said NHL executive vice-president Bill Daly. ''Hopefully what we talked about in the last hour of the last meeting will lead to further negotiation and possibly a framework down the road.''
The two sides last met April 4 in Toronto when the union introduced a concept that could have some appeal to the league side. NHLPA senior director Ted Saskin said he hoped to continue discussion of that concept, which could bridge the gap between the two sides' positions. ''Of equal importance is a discussion on whether the NHL is prepared to move in the direction of having a real revenue sharing program,'' Saskin said. ''We are certainly looking forward to hearing what they have developed in this area.''
The NHLPA introduced a floating team-by-team payroll range that has a lower and upper limit linked to league revenues. Based on last season's revenues of $2.1 billion US, the upper salary cap would be $50 million per team, with a minimum base of $30 million.
But the cap changes depending on revenues. Given that revenues are expected to take a major hit because of the damage from wiping out an entire season, the cap figure will likely be lower. If, say, revenues are $1.5 billion the first season back, the union plan would lower the upper cap number to around $35 million and the base number to $15 million. On the other hand, if NHL revenues grow down the road, the upper limit on payroll would rise accordingly.
In the end, the payroll range would be altered year-by-year depending on revenues. The two sides would also need to agree on what constitutes revenue - no small hurdle. A payroll tax is also likely to be included in the middle of the payroll range, further discouraging some teams from spending. For the league to buy into the model, it's believed the $20-million gap between the base and upper limit would have to be reduced somewhat.
Depending on how today's talks go, the board of governors the following day may or may not formalize plans for the use of replacement players. Daly, commissioner Gary Bettman and outside counsel Bob Batterman are expected to be joined at the talks Tuesday by New Jersey Devils CEO and GM Lou Lamoriello, board of governors chairman Harley Hotchkiss, Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs and Nashville Predators owner Craig Leipold.
NHLPA executive director Bob Goodenow will head his side alongside Saskin, associate counsel Ian Pulver and outside counsel John McCambridge. NHLPA president Trevor Linden will not be at the meeting
4/18/2005
The NHL lockout will be front and centre in New York this week with labour talks resuming today followed by a board of governors meeting Wednesday. Both could go a long way towards deciding what's next for the locked-out league.
Much of what the owners discuss Wednesday will be decided in large part by what transpires today in the latest collective bargaining session with the NHL Players' Association. ''I really don't know what to expect,'' said NHL executive vice-president Bill Daly. ''Hopefully what we talked about in the last hour of the last meeting will lead to further negotiation and possibly a framework down the road.''
The two sides last met April 4 in Toronto when the union introduced a concept that could have some appeal to the league side. NHLPA senior director Ted Saskin said he hoped to continue discussion of that concept, which could bridge the gap between the two sides' positions. ''Of equal importance is a discussion on whether the NHL is prepared to move in the direction of having a real revenue sharing program,'' Saskin said. ''We are certainly looking forward to hearing what they have developed in this area.''
The NHLPA introduced a floating team-by-team payroll range that has a lower and upper limit linked to league revenues. Based on last season's revenues of $2.1 billion US, the upper salary cap would be $50 million per team, with a minimum base of $30 million.
But the cap changes depending on revenues. Given that revenues are expected to take a major hit because of the damage from wiping out an entire season, the cap figure will likely be lower. If, say, revenues are $1.5 billion the first season back, the union plan would lower the upper cap number to around $35 million and the base number to $15 million. On the other hand, if NHL revenues grow down the road, the upper limit on payroll would rise accordingly.
In the end, the payroll range would be altered year-by-year depending on revenues. The two sides would also need to agree on what constitutes revenue - no small hurdle. A payroll tax is also likely to be included in the middle of the payroll range, further discouraging some teams from spending. For the league to buy into the model, it's believed the $20-million gap between the base and upper limit would have to be reduced somewhat.
Depending on how today's talks go, the board of governors the following day may or may not formalize plans for the use of replacement players. Daly, commissioner Gary Bettman and outside counsel Bob Batterman are expected to be joined at the talks Tuesday by New Jersey Devils CEO and GM Lou Lamoriello, board of governors chairman Harley Hotchkiss, Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs and Nashville Predators owner Craig Leipold.
NHLPA executive director Bob Goodenow will head his side alongside Saskin, associate counsel Ian Pulver and outside counsel John McCambridge. NHLPA president Trevor Linden will not be at the meeting