Players putting squeeze on Goodenow?

[Mel]

I hope so. From the sound of this it wouldn't surprise me if Goodenow found himself out of a job if he doesn't get a deal done soon. (emphasis mine)

Players to raise voices in talks
May 15, 2005

When we finally reach the end of this mind-numbing lockout and a compromise is reached between the NHL and the players association, mark last week as a critical moment.

The players have long been criticized for blindly following executive director Bob Goodenow. And why not? He has made them rich beyond any imagination over the past 10 years.

But recently, there has been a change in the union's dynamic at the negotiating table. Instead of just Goodenow controlling everything from the schedule to the decisions to even the information given to the players, the players have demanded that president Trevor Linden and members of the executive committee remain by Goodenow's side from now on. Consider it a little old-time hockey self-policing on the part of the players, who want to hold Goodenow accountable for his actions as this costly eight-month process has gone well past the point of frustration.

"I finally got the sense that the players - for the first time - are taking an independent interest in the process," one person involved in the talks said.

Late Friday, during a heated conference call with player representatives, the NHLPA meeting set for May 24-26 in Toronto was canceled. Linden publicly said it was because "there is not sufficient new information to justify another meeting at this time."

But another player rep put it more succinctly: "Players have no interest going up to Toronto to hear the same old ----."

Goodenow finds himself back in the crosshairs of his constituents, three months after he managed to survive brief turmoil when the 2004-05 season was canceled. The greatest concern by the players and even the NHL is Goodenow's attempt to play a neutral-zone trap while Linden, Mike Gartner and the NHLPA executive committee are trying to be proactive.

A person with knowledge of the situation said after Tuesday's negotiating session, Goodenow had to be convinced by his colleagues to postpone a planned trip to the World Championships in Austria and accept the NHL's invitation to extend the talks into Wednesday and Thursday.

Goodenow will be present when talks continue this week in New York with the emphasis expected to be back on the contentious salary-range issue. The players will wait until June to have their annual meeting.

They hope to have good news by then, or at least have the chance to vote on the NHL's latest offer.

So when the NHL asked Goodenow to cancel the Austria trip to hold more talks he said No! :eek:

He had to be talked into it. That is simply unbelievable to me. :rolleyes:

http://www.newsday.com/sports/hockey/islanders/ny-sbnhl154261389may15,0,3962164.column?coll=ny-islanders-print

[Rusty]

Now if they can only get rid of the Basketball guy on the other side........................ ;)

[leaferfan87]

It's great to know that the players are starting to become fed up with this whole affair and just want a deal done. I think they realize that Bettman and Goodenow hate each other so much that it is affecting their ability to get a deal done.

[Amoroq]

So when the NHL asked Goodenow to cancel the Austria trip to hold more talks he said No! :eek:

He had to be talked into it. That is simply unbelievable to me. :rolleyes:

Especially when not a single source is named :rolleyes:

[Mel]

Especially when not a single source is named :rolleyes:

Yeah it could be hearsay, granted. But I am really starting to think the players are viewing Goodenow as more of a road block than somebody they should blindly follow. I have no doubt the players are heated at this point. They are losing prime earning years off their careers.

I don't disagree with Rusty, that maybe Bettman has to get out of the way as well.... but (and you already know this amo) I think Goodenow is the stick in the spokes here. That's my humble opinion.

But if Bettman needs to be ousted for a deal to be struck... by all means get him the hell out of there and let's get it done.

I just don't see that happening. I think of the two men, Bettman has far more support among the group he's representing.

[KB in Kelowna]

The players have prospered under Goodenow, and he has never defrauded or misrepresented any of his clients ala Eagleson. However he may have miscalculated the resolve of the owners, and now it appears the solidarity of the players. For me the first rumblings were when Trevor Linden attempted his end run around the process before Christmas in his talks with Harley Hotchkiss (sic). Those of you that know me, realize that this is not an endorsement of Bettman's leadership either. I blame him and his "what me worry" approach to leadership of the league in the past decade. If they had done more on enforcement of obstruction as well as paying attention as the NHLPA drove a truck through loopholes in the previous CBA, perhaps we wouldn't be in this mess.

[PDO]

Especially when not a single source is named :rolleyes:

Is it really all that hard to believe that the players losing 1.2 billion in money that they will never have a chance to make again are starting to worried that it could happen again and put them back into the stoneage in terms of popularity? If I was a player right now, I'd be extremely angry at Goodenow for screwing me out of a year. The players might be stupid, but even they're going to realize that they've been hosed by this idiot. An average NHL career is what, 12 years? I'm talking about the guys that can play into their 40's, just the average player.. I'm guessing you get in around 23 and leave around 35. They just lost 1/12 of their playing time, are they really prepared to make it 1/6? The best deal they could've got is long since passed, and I think they're starting to realize this.

[Amoroq]

Is it really all that hard to believe that the players losing 1.2 billion in money that they will never have a chance to make again are starting to worried that it could happen again and put them back into the stoneage in terms of popularity? If I was a player right now, I'd be extremely angry at Goodenow for screwing me out of a year. The players might be stupid, but even they're going to realize that they've been hosed by this idiot. An average NHL career is what, 12 years? I'm talking about the guys that can play into their 40's, just the average player.. I'm guessing you get in around 23 and leave around 35. They just lost 1/12 of their playing time, are they really prepared to make it 1/6? The best deal they could've got is long since passed, and I think they're starting to realize this.Bob Goodenow didn't lock the players out. Bob Goodenow didn't cancell the season. Bob Goodenow has the tougher job in this negotiation because he is doing so from a give back position. He knows it, the players know it, and rest assured Gary Bettman and the NHL know it. In every step the NHLPA and Bob Goodenow have given something back to the NHL.

At the present time the 2 sides are at a point where they are finally discussing whats revenue and whats not, trying to determine a cap number. Bob Goodenow has finally accepted the idea of a cap tied to revenues. Isn't that what you all wanted all along? Now its just a matter of determiming a low and a high. The low is too low and the high is too high, and this is whats being worked on as we type.

June 1st is fast approaching. This date is very important to the NHL and to a lesser extent the NHLPA. It is on this day that ESPN has to decide to pick up its option on the NHL or drop it. ESPN picking up the option is important to both sides, neither wants to lose ESPN. ESPN and NBC are going to be key in the massive effort to get fans back in the USA. They don't have to worry as much with the fans in Canada, watching hockey is in our genitic make up.

As for the players not being happy. Who is in this mess? But I'll just say this, there are over 750+ players that make up the NHLPA. Thats 750+ personalities, 750+ that can say what they want, to whomever they want, whenever they want. But all we hear are sources say, an source inside the committee states....etc etc etc. When we know the name of the source 9 times out of 10 a day later there are comments of well that was taken out of context, this what I was really trying to say, but by then the cat is out of the bag and we're not even getting that. And this is happening on both sides of the issue, its hard for any of on the outside to know whats really going on. With 750+ personalities and the press hounding them for comments, you'd expect to know who is saying what and when wouldn't you? But we're not hearing any of that from anyone. What we are getting is from unnamed sources and when I read or hear unnamed sources I usually tune out.

These are desperate times and cracks may begin to show on both sides. A cynic might suggest the NHLPA cancelled its massive players' gathering originally scheduled for later this month because Goodenow didn't want to face the angry rank and file, but that's more rumour than fact.

Now I'll tell you why I am encouraged that a deal will be reached in time to save the next season. Its simple and its sweet. Both sides are working on the the April 4th offer from the players, trying to make it work fairly for both sides. In the past, both sides showed the attitude that its our way or the highway. To that I give credit to the NHL negotiating team for thouroughly looking at the offer and seeing something they could work with. Maybe I'm being too optimistic but I really do believe there is good news to come and very soon.

[nhldave]

With the latest news that June 15th is the drop dead date for next season (according to the Ottawa Sun) because that's when the sponsors will take their rmoney elsewhere and of course ESPN will look for other programming as well I'd say the NHLPA better get off their collective ass and put a deal together now.

I am optimistic things will get resolved but let me be the first to say why did we have to go through all this garbage to get to the point that anyone who knew anything about the situation knew we would get too two years ago.

The NHLPA are a bunch of dipsticks and Goodenow is the biggest dipstick of all.