Fischler: It's Settled!

[Newfie John]

Please Be True (http://www.msgnetwork.com/content_news.jsp?articleID=v0000msgn20050713T13140 9796&newsgroup=ap.sportsml.columnist.article&sports=ice-hockey&team=other&league=nhl)It's settled!


Jul 13, 2005

The ice HAS, at last been broken!

At 8:42 a.m. I got the phone call from one of the NHL?s chief negotiators.

?It?s settled,? he said. ?We worked all Tuesday night and finished it Wednesday morning.?

While there remains, as he put it, ?a day or day-and-a-half of papering? still to be completed, the basic, new Collective Bargaining Agreement has been written.

?The players side still has to get a look before it?s officially announced but the deal is done,? one of the chief bargaining officials for the league added.

The fact that a document of more than 600 pages has been written does not yet guarantee the 2005-2006 season only because the NHL Players? Association now must ratify the pact ? and there?s no firm assurance that they?ll give it the green light.

Nevertheless, a number of marquee players such as Jarome Iginla already have indicated their support and it is expected that the vote will be in favor although not necessarily by a landslide.

[Madferret]

NHL, NHLPA talk around the clock as they hope to finish deal Wednesday

NEW YORK (CP) - The NHL and NHL Players' Association met around the clock into Wednesday morning as they continued their efforts to close a deal on the 301st day of the lockout.

The end appears in sight. Sources on both sides of the table were hopeful but not sure a deal could be completed later Wednesday.

The two sides began talks at noon EDT Tuesday and were still at it as of 9 a.m. EDT Wednesday.

Just another day at the office for union and league officials, who have been meeting for about 15 hours a day over the last few weeks trying to wrap up a deal. Both sides had expected an announcement long ago but certain issues that were not seen as critical have proved a little more difficult to overcome.

Through Tuesday, the NHL and NHLPA have held 82 negotiating sessions since commissioner Gary Bettman cancelled the season Feb. 16. They have met 10 consecutive weeks since early May.

Once a deal is finally announced, the NHLPA will schedule a mass players' gathering within three days to a week to ratify the agreement. The league, in turn, will hold a board of governors' meeting so owners can vote on the deal.

Only after ratification by both sides will there be a news conference "relaunching" the game.

Not so fast John..

[Newfie John]

TSN is saying they're still in the room and the deal should be done today. Actually they have changed their top story title to "Deal To Be Done Today".

Looks like its over.

EDIT- Sportsnet is saying the same thing as TSN now.

It is clear the National Hockey League feels the 13th of July, the 301st day of the lockout is the end point.

That motivation has fueled the leagues key negotiators to remain in a marathon session with the union that began Tuesday at noon and continues this morning in New York.

At varying points throughout the night and early morning the two sides provided indications a "deal" was about to be agreed on.

Yet, the negotiation is ongoing with the hope an agreement will be finalized at some point today, officially marking the start of returning the league and players to where both belong, back to the ice.

The fact this session has nearly circled the clock without word of resolution shouldn't be viewed as evidence of a snag in bargaining, but rather proof of how unbelievably detailed and comprehensive this package is.

A reality that supports the need for the 7-10 day window needed to ratify a new CBA, before embarking on the more usual hockey tasks like the NHL Entry Draft, the signing of free agents, and the opening of training camps.

Through Tuesday, the NHL and NHLPA have held 82 negotiating sessions since commissioner Gary Bettman cancelled the season Feb. 16. They have met 10 consecutive weeks since early May.

Once a deal is finally announced, the NHLPA will schedule a massive players' gathering within three days to a week to ratify the agreement. The league, in turn, will hold a board of governors' meeting so owners can also vote on the deal.

Only after ratification by both sides will there be a news conference "re-launching" the game.

[bluemeanie]

I feel strangely disappointed... like I've just lost a button on my shirt or something.

[Newfie John]

Sportsnet is now reporting the deal will have an out clause for the players 4 years in.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/article.jsp?content=20050713_090348_2992

[Max Power]

From Sportsnet



New deal has 'four-year' itch
The new CBA deal will have a backout clause for the players.

Sportsnet has learned the NHLPA negotiated a significant twist in what will soon be a new CBA.

Sources say the six-year agreement includes a clause that will allow the union to re-open the agreement after the fourth year.

This option allows the players to renegotiate this massive contract, if after four full years of working under its guidelines it's deemed "unsuccessful."

Sources say the deal is essentially done and the painstaking process of "cleaning it up" is believed to be what is holding up the release announcing resolution pending ratification.

Through Tuesday, the NHL and NHLPA have held 82 negotiating sessions since commissioner Gary Bettman cancelled the season Feb. 16. They have met 10 consecutive weeks since early May.

Once a deal is finally announced, the NHLPA will schedule a massive players' gathering within three days to a week to ratify the agreement. The league, in turn, will hold a board of governors' meeting so owners can also vote on the deal.

Only after ratification by both sides will there be a news conference "re-launching" the game.

-- with files from CP

[Madferret]

Deal To Be Done Today (http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?id=130240)

[Newfie John]

I was just watching TSN and Mckenzie came on for another update. This is what the deal looks like.

-21.5 million dollar floor
-39 million dollar cap(Including Player Benefits)
-24% salary cap
-Payroll % put in Escrow account.
-6 year term, 4 year out clause for PA, or PA can extend the deal to 7 years.
-Linkage-54%
-Player can take up a maximum of 20% of cap- (7.8 million for 39 million dollar cap)
-450 K is minimum salary

[Max Power]

I was just watching TSN and Mckenzie came on for another update. This is what the deal looks like.

-21.5 million dollar floor
-39 million dollar cap
-24% salary cap
-Payroll % put in Escrow account.
-6 year term, 4 year out clause for PA, or PA can extend the deal to 7 years.
-Linkage-54%
-Player can take up a maximum of 20% of cap- (7.8 million for 39 million dollar cap)
-450 K is minimum salary

Any mention of last years contracts being honored?

This mean Yashin will make the league max :laughing:

[Newfie John]

Any mention of last years contracts being honored?

This mean Yashin will make the league max :laughing:

Haven't heard anything, I'm guessing they aren't.

[Newfie John]

Everyone is now reporting that the players will be holding a conference call at 12:00 ET. The FAN 590 is saying this is to ratify the deal but they're just idiots so we'll forget they exist. :nod:

[scorpionn]

-Player can take up a maximum of 20% of cap- (7.8 million for 39 million dollar cap)

Don't a select few players stand to make MORE than 7.8 million (Yashin, Lidstrom, Jagr etc...)

I wonder if these players don't agree to have their contracts negotiated that they can be bought out? That certainly is an interesting new twist, especially with the player buyout rumour, looks like Yashin could make a wad of cash then sign with another team, still having a significant salary.

[Max Power]

Yashin will make 7.6
Lidstrom $7.6 also
Jagr salary is split so that is an interesting dilemma because I think he's over 8

[Newfie John]

The line may be lower than 7.8 because that 39 million cap number includes benefits. Player salaries cap may only be 37 million.

[Newfie John]

Mckenzie is now reporting that the CBA announcement and draft lottery will take place next Thursday, July 21st(post ratification).

[Madferret]

NHL, NHLPA reach tentative deal
TSN.ca Staff

And now for the words everyone has been waiting to hear: The deal is done!

The NHL and NHL Players' Association have finally reached an agreement (pending ratification) on a new six-year collective bargaining agreement that - if approved by the NHL board of governors next Thursday and the rank and file membership of the NHLPA next Tuesday - will officially end the stalemate sometime next week.

The agreement, a complex document reportedly numbering more than 600 pages, came after the two sides staged marathon negotiating sessions for nine consecutive days. Since the 2004-05 NHL season was officially cancelled on Feb. 16, the league and union have met on 82 occasions, leading to an agreement that will revamp the way the entire professional hockey industry conducts its business.

The league went into this lockout, which started on Sept. 15, 2004, seeking cost certainty and believes it has achieved that with a new economic system from top to bottom.

It is expected both the NHL and NHLPA will move to ratify the agreement within the next seven days, with a formal announcement on July 21. During that time, it is expected the new CBA will be distributed to all in the hockey industry so they can begin getting themselves up to speed on a myriad of new rules and regulations.

Among the most significant are:

- a hard team-by-team salary cap with a payroll of range of $21 million to $39 million (in the first year), which includes all player costs (benefits, insurance etc).

- the league's total expenditure on player costs (salaries, bonuses, benefits and insurance) is not permitted to exceed 54 per cent of defined hockey-related revenue and the salary cap and payroll range will move up or down as revenues increase or decrease each year of the deal.

- a 24 per-cent salary rollback for any NHL player who has time remaining on an existing contract, keeping in mind that the players will receive none of the monies they were slated to earn in the lost season of 2004-05.

- liberalized free agency (including unrestricted status at 27 by year four of the deal), a more restrictive entry level system, totally revamped salary arbitration, improved pension benefits and a revenue-sharing plan.

This agreement (pending ratification) will kick off the most bizarre and busiest off-season in NHL history after the league became the first major professional loop to lose an entire year to labour strife.

As tutorials are conducted to allow NHL owners, general managers, NHL players and player agents to understand the new economic order, plans are already in the works for the two ratification votes.

The NHL board of governors is expected to convene in New York City some time next week. And the NHLPA is expected to call a membership meeting in Toronto for around the same time.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman will be recommending acceptance of this agreement to the governors, so a simple majority of the league's 30-man ruling body will be enough to ratify it.

It's also expected the NHLPA's executive committee, led by president Trevor Linden, will be endorsing the deal, which means a simple majority of the NHLPA's more than 700 members will be enough to make it binding. For those players who cannot physically make it to the membership meeting, the vote will be conducted through the NHLPA's secure website, The Source.

Assuming both groups ratify, the NHL is expected to begin a brief transition period before the league fully re-opens for business.

But before teams and players start to concern themselves with the specifics of transition - such as the buying out of some players to allow teams to meet cap requirements or the attempted signing of 2003 and 2004 draft picks who would re-enter the 2005 entry draft if not signed - the league is expected to unveil significant changes to the game, on and off the ice.

Because no season was played in 2004-05, there is no order of selection for the 2005 entry draft, which is tentatively scheduled to take place as a scaled-down event in Ottawa on July 30. Usually, teams draft in inverse order of finish from the recently-concluded season, but this time there will be a weighted draft lottery (with the teams who have fared poorest over the last few years to get marginally better odds than those who fared well) to determine who gets the first overall pick and the right to pick young phenom Sidney Crosby. That lottery is scheduled to take place on July 21 when the NHL is expected to formally announce the new CBA.

In addition to that major business, the NHL is also expected to unveil significant rule changes aimed at making the game more exciting and fan friendly, including shootouts to end tie games and the removal of the red line for the purpose of allowing two-line passes.

While the regular season will remain at 82 games long for each team, the format of that schedule may be altered, along with a potential expansion of the NHL playoffs from 16 to 20 teams.

Once the NHL's formal news conference is put to bed, along with the lottery and rule changes, the brief transition period should unfold in order to take care of the loose ends from the expired CBA. At some point, the NHL will declare itself open for business and NHL teams will be sorting through a huge pool of unrestricted free agents as many teams make themselves over from the ground up.

Whether it is the brave new world the NHL hopes, remains to be seen, but the level of activity and uncertainty will be higher than at any other time in league history.

For now, though, the only thing that matters in the short term is this: The deal (pending ratification) is done.

http://images.tsn.ca/images/stories/20041024/nhl_deal_bg_64035.jpg

Giddy up...