Deal? - Reuters

[grim]

League and union 'agree deal to end lockout'
Thu Jul 7, 2005 8:12 AM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The National Hockey League and its players' union have agreed in principle a new salary deal which would end a season-long lockout, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday.

If the deal is approved by the 10-strong NHL executive committee Monday and then the union members, players would be signed up for the new season over the following 10 days and the new season would begin in early to mid-October.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman locked players out on September 15 after owners and unions reached an impasse over proposed economic changes to the way the league was run.

The new pact will feature a salary cap linked to 54 percent of league revenue and a 24 percent rollback of existing contracts and qualifying offers, the newspaper said, citing anonymous sources familiar with the negotiations.

Also in the deal is a provision that will limit the salary of any single player to 20 percent of the team cap figure in any year, the Times said.

The owners-union dispute led to the NHL becoming the first major professional sports league to lose an entire season to a labor dispute.

The Times said negotiators estimate revenues will be $1.8 billion next season, down from $2.1 billion in 2002-03. The salary cap will be $37 million and the floor will be about $24 million.

Players will be allowed to represent their home countries at the Winter Olympics in Turin next year, it added, and the league will take an 18-day break for the event.


Source (http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=sportsNews&storyID=2005-07-07T121208Z_01_L07686185_RTRIDST_0_SPORTS-NHL-PEACE-DC.XML)

[Max Power]

You had to expect this
It?s got to be close though


Lockout not settled yet


TSN.ca Staff



7/7/2005 9:42:39 AM

The NHL lockout continues to dwindle down to its final days and hours, but the new deal between the NHL and NHL Players' Association is not yet done, despite a report in the Los Angeles Times suggesting an agreement has been reached.

"It's an inaccurate report," an NHLPA spokesman told TSN.

The league also denied the report, with vice-president of communications Bernadette Mansur telling TSN that the report was not true.

This long and drawn out process won't actually be complete until every "i" has been dotted and every "t" has been crossed and representatives of the NHL and NHLPA sign off on the agreement, pending ratification.

And that moment, sources tell TSN, is definitely not going to happen today. The earliest projections of when that might occur are some time this weekend, although sources close to the NHLPA are suggesting it could easily carry into next week. The NHL has been targeting this weekend as the wrap up and even scheduled an NHL board of governors' executive committee meeting on Monday in New York City.

But that executive committee meeting will only happen as scheduled if the agreement is reached before then.

It should, however, be duly noted that the NHL and NHLPA have reached agreement on most, if not all, critical issues in the new CBA and these final days of meetings in New York are all about the lawyers doing their job vis a vis language and legalities. But until such time that both sides sign off on the document, pending ratification, there's no deal. It's an all or nothing process.

The Times reported some details of what it believes will be in the new accord. One of them was that when the NHL entry draft lottery is held to determine order of selection that every team will have an equal chance -- one in 30 -- of getting the first overall pick and the right to choose phenom Sidney Crosby.

Sources tell TSN that when the lottery is conducted, it will be a slightly weighted lottery, giving the teams that have performed poorly over the last three or four seasons a slightly better chance than those who have performed well.

[bluemeanie]

* dusts self off* ...Well, that wasn't so bad.

[Mel]

It's certainly hitting the wires that the deal is, for all intents and purposes, complete.

A glance at our very own news feed (http://www.hockeystation.com/hockeynews.php) shows that.

[grim]

A glance at our very own news feed (http://www.hockeystation.com/hockeynews.php) shows that.

Our own news feed? Oooo.

http://infomesh.net/sbp/hjs.gif

[Madferret]

NHLers fight to keep deals / Want '04-05 contracts honoured
By BRUCE GARRIOCH -- Ottawa Sun

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is being asked to carry over last season's contracts by the players union so as to keep the market from being flooded with free agents.
The NHL Players' Association is fighting for one last concession as a new collective bargaining agreement draws closer.

Multiple sources told the Sun yesterday that the players are making another pitch to the NHL, asking it to honour contracts from the 2004-05 season to keep the market from being flooded with free agents.

"My understanding is the players really want their contracts from last year to move forward. They've given in on just about every other issue and this is one they want to fight to the finish," said a league source.

But other sources said there's no way NHL commissioner Gary Bettman will give in to the request as it could cost owners millions in buyouts.

Meanwhile, there was talk a tentative deal could be announced as early as today, but the speculation now is it might be announced on the weekend in the form of a simple press release.


Sources say the two sides won't hold a major press conference until the deal is ratified by the NHLPA and the owners -- something that could take up to 10 days after the tentative deal is announced.

As discussions continued late last night between the NHL and NHLPA, sources were speculating on what the new CBA might contain:

- There's talk there will be a maximum salary on each team which can be no higher than 20% of what is expected to be a $37-million-$39-million (all terms US) cap. For example, if the cap is $37 million, then no player could earn more than $7.4 million in one season. "If that's the case, this system might be completely idiot-proof for general managers," said one league source.

- The sides have discussed the possibility of using baseball-type arbitration. That means the owners submit a salary number and the player goes through a similar process. The arbitrator has to decide on one or the other. There could be major changes to the walkaway rights for the clubs, too.

- Instead of a luxury tax after $30 million, there's now discussion that the top-10 spending teams will pay a percentage of their revenues to the lower-spending teams. That would not be considered a significant form of revenue sharing and might be frowned upon by the union.

- There's talk that rookie deals will be standardized at each position, which would halt the massive amounts being paid to young players in performance bonuses around the league

If it's true, do you think Bettman will go for it?

[Max Power]

If it's true, do you think Bettman will go for it?

I would hope so... If that's all the players want and all that would hold them up then he should

[Max Power]

It would be good for Sens fans
Hossa at 1.9 million would be a steal :D

[Leafs_Fa_Life]

If it's true, do you think Bettman will go for it?

IMO he wouldn't because I'm pretty sure a lot of the owners would want those contracts off the books. That way they can start from scratch when the NHL resumes, and sign players to contracts in a more reasonable market.

[Bob burns]

Well this is good news. Luckily nothing was lost in the process of the two sides coming to an agreement. :conspire:

[Man.Utd]

If it's true, do you think Bettman will go for it?

Probably. But only because he knows he wins either way, he can get this thing done sooner, and his job is now secure. But these guys a very stubborn so we shall see.

From an Ottawa point of view, it'd be better for the contracts to be honored. We could keep the team together and maybe even add a player or two, as opposed to being right on the line (maybe having to cut a few million) with contracts being scrapped.

[Amoroq]

IMO he wouldn't because I'm pretty sure a lot of the owners would want those contracts off the books. That way they can start from scratch when the NHL resumes, and sign players to contracts in a more reasonable market.Its not going to happen. IMO one of the key points for Bettman closing for a year was to lose all those contracts. I think a more palatable option from the NHL side is to allow players to re-negotiate those deals. They should also throw a bone to the teams with high payrolls. There should be a grace period to allow such teams to re-sign players they bought out. As an example, 30 days, a player can only negotiate with his original team, after that they can deal with all the teams in the league. The NHL commish wants to be fair to all teams right?

[Madferret]

They should also throw a bone to the teams with high payrolls. There should be a grace period to allow such teams to re-sign players they bought out.

Like what teams Amo?

[Man.Utd]

And just why do they deserve a bone after having the whole blessed bird last CBA?

[Max Power]

More news but nothing realy new

Moves a hint deal is close

Manoeuvring may mean lockout over
By AL STRACHAN -- Toronto Sun

Is NHL losing young guns?



The NHL Players' Association is gearing up for a tentative labour deal that will see cutbacks in salaries and a salary cap likely under $40M per hockey team. (CP File Photo/Adrian Wyld)
If the National Hockey League had indeed reached a deal in principle with its players, it would have been announced by now.

Both the league and the NHL Players Association know that it makes no sense to try to keep such a development from public scrutiny.

But the fact that an American newspaper has made the latest claim of a done deal is of some merit, even if it's not accurate. It's one more indication that the deal is close.

Everybody who is interested already knows that. The hiring of general managers, the shuffling of coaches (look for Anaheim general manager Brian Burke to go after Mike Johnston, assistant coach of the Vancouver Canucks, now that he has forced his incumbent, Mike Babcock, out of his post) and the over-all gearing up of the league, are all indications that a new collective bargaining agreement is not far away.

Nothing is finalized yet, but a lot of concepts are very near to agreement. They might change slightly as the tit-for-tat shuffling of concessions continues, but in essence, the deal will be pretty much the way Bruce Garrioch spelled it out in Monday's edition of the Toronto Sun.


The players will take a significant drop in salaries, but that's no surprise. Their first meaningful foray into the bargaining waters was a 24% rollback. They were always aware that they wouldn't be able to maintain the levels that the owners had established over the previous decade.

Team salaries will be capped in the $39-million range and for most teams, that won't represent a major hardship.

The Toronto Maple Leafs, for instance, had a payroll of approximately $55 million when the owners started the lockout.

Reduce it by the 24% that has long been accepted as part of the deal and that leaves a payroll in the $42-million range. Subtract the $5.5 million salary of Alexander Mogilny who never had any intention of playing again, no matter what he might have said in radio interviews, and the Maple Leafs' payroll is down to $36.5 million.

That leaves $2.5 million to find a replacement for Mogilny.

Curiously, getting over the salary cap figure might prove to be more difficult than getting under it. The floor will be in the range of $24 million -- which represents a payroll of almost $32 million in pre-rollback terms.

Season-ending payrolls are a bit misleading because of deals made at the trading deadline, but probably at least six teams will have to increase their payrolls -- after the rollback -- to meet the $24-million minimum.

There's no doubt that the new CBA will create some problems around the league.

Hockey is, after all, a game that lends itself well to retribution, and some of the players who undermined the efforts of the majority will, on occasion, find themselves becoming the centre of attention.

Also, the low entry-level salaries could see the league lose some of its best young players to Europe.

By virtue of its status as the best league in the world, the NHL represents the aspirations of most youngsters. But do they necessarily want to play in the NHL as teenagers, or do they want to do a transitional term in Europe?

For Europeans, it's not a tough decision. The top draft pick of 2004, Alexander Ovechkin, can earn a lot more playing at home in Russia than in the NHL. The second pick, Evgeni Malkin, reportedly has already agreed to stay in Russia rather than report to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

As a North American, Sidney Crosby will probably opt to stay here, even though he can earn more in Europe. But he too could decide to postpone his NHL debut.

Those are decisions that will be made in the near future, once the clauses of the deal are officially released

[bluemeanie]

Signs point to Done-ish Deal....and so on and so forth....
The hiring of general managers, the shuffling of coaches (look for Anaheim general manager Brian Burke to go after Mike Johnston, assistant coach of the Vancouver Canucks, now that he has forced his incumbent, Mike Babcock, out of his post) and the over-all gearing up of the league, are all indications that a new collective bargaining agreement is not far away. more (http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/NHL/2005/07/08/1122699-sun.html)

[Max Power]

Signs point to Done-ish Deal....and so on and so forth....
more (http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/NHL/2005/07/08/1122699-sun.html)

Man that article looks just like the one I posted above...
But at least I posted the whole thing. I'm not clicking on no stupid link

[bluemeanie]

Man that article looks just like the one I posted above...
But at least I posted the whole thing. I'm not clicking on no stupid link


Yeahhhhh oooo-k buddy. Have another one.


Two articles the same... suuure, and I suppose next you'll be tellin' me that Dolphins swim "under water" too eh??? Whatever.