Madferret
6-01-05, 6:31 PM
McKenzie: Not so fast
TSN.ca Staff
With regard to a report from a Toronto radio station that agreement on a new CBA is imminent or effectively done or just requiring the dotting of Is or crossing of Ts, we present for your consideration reaction to that...from people who are actually part of the negotiations. The first person could not be more succinct though it does require some editing. "Total horsebleep," is what one individual said of the report suggesting a deal is virtually done.
The second person was equally emphatic. "A deal is definitely not done and much work remains to be done. I don't know where this deal is done nonsense is coming from." One of those quotes came from someone on the NHL side. One of them came from the NHLPA side. And who said the NHL and NHLPA can't agree on anything?
The truth is there is widespread expectation that a deal is going to be done, sooner rather than later. It's extremely doubtful that we should be anticipating that deal being done in a matter of hours. Could it be just days away? Perhaps. Could it be weeks? Perhaps. Could it still blow up? Perhaps. If you're frustrated by the lack of absolutes there, if you're dismayed at our reporting skills for mouthing what any hockey fan at home could figure out for himself, well, that's the reality of this situation.
Collective bargaining is a delicate process. Until the deal is done, fully done, it's not done at all. And it is, apparently, not yet done. And as often as I get lied to in this business, I'm prepared to take "the deal is not done" responses from the individuals involved at face value. Unfortunately, there are likely to be a lot of these "deal is done" reports surfacing in the next little while, what with the two sides clearly on the right track to reaching an agreement. One of them will actually prove to be true and someone will get the scoop.
But you would like to think we all would have learned our lessons from the last time out, that fateful Friday in February when The Hockey News jumped the gun and posted a website story that said the deal was done. It wasn't, as we all found out on what has become known as "Sad Saturday." Clearly, we are now closer to getting that deal. Much closer. But it's not done, not yet anyway.
For TSN.ca, I'm Bob McKenzie.
I wonder if Bob ever realizes the irony in that he always has to "set the record straight" on nonsense rumours that his fellow TSN scribes usually start. Anyone? Bob?
:conspire:
TSN.ca Staff
With regard to a report from a Toronto radio station that agreement on a new CBA is imminent or effectively done or just requiring the dotting of Is or crossing of Ts, we present for your consideration reaction to that...from people who are actually part of the negotiations. The first person could not be more succinct though it does require some editing. "Total horsebleep," is what one individual said of the report suggesting a deal is virtually done.
The second person was equally emphatic. "A deal is definitely not done and much work remains to be done. I don't know where this deal is done nonsense is coming from." One of those quotes came from someone on the NHL side. One of them came from the NHLPA side. And who said the NHL and NHLPA can't agree on anything?
The truth is there is widespread expectation that a deal is going to be done, sooner rather than later. It's extremely doubtful that we should be anticipating that deal being done in a matter of hours. Could it be just days away? Perhaps. Could it be weeks? Perhaps. Could it still blow up? Perhaps. If you're frustrated by the lack of absolutes there, if you're dismayed at our reporting skills for mouthing what any hockey fan at home could figure out for himself, well, that's the reality of this situation.
Collective bargaining is a delicate process. Until the deal is done, fully done, it's not done at all. And it is, apparently, not yet done. And as often as I get lied to in this business, I'm prepared to take "the deal is not done" responses from the individuals involved at face value. Unfortunately, there are likely to be a lot of these "deal is done" reports surfacing in the next little while, what with the two sides clearly on the right track to reaching an agreement. One of them will actually prove to be true and someone will get the scoop.
But you would like to think we all would have learned our lessons from the last time out, that fateful Friday in February when The Hockey News jumped the gun and posted a website story that said the deal was done. It wasn't, as we all found out on what has become known as "Sad Saturday." Clearly, we are now closer to getting that deal. Much closer. But it's not done, not yet anyway.
For TSN.ca, I'm Bob McKenzie.
I wonder if Bob ever realizes the irony in that he always has to "set the record straight" on nonsense rumours that his fellow TSN scribes usually start. Anyone? Bob?
:conspire: