Greed and Lack of Negotiations Could Destroy NHL Season

September 15 is a date many fans of the National Hockey League are dreading. That is when the current collective bargaining agreement between the team owners and the NHL Players Association expires. As anyone who has observed what has been happening the past couple of weeks knows, discussions on a new deal have not progressed.

One question looms over this: what the hell is the problem?!

Both sides are rich. Both sides have much at stake, including fan loyalty and millions of dollars in revenue. It would appear, though, that only one side wants to actually resolve the issues in a timely fashion in ways which would apparently benefit both sides. It’s equally obvious that the other side wants the cake and ice cream for itself.

The owners’ original offer was a pile of crap, and they had to know it. Then the NHLPA counter-offers much of what the owners allegedly wanted, including a provision to bend over and say “thank you, sirs.” (That last point might be somewhat embellished.)

Gary Bettman, who is up there with the “glowing puck” of Fox Sports when the topic turns to “bad things for hockey,” gets paid nearly $8 million a year but he doesn’t earn his keep to represent the interests of the game. Nope, he’s paid to be the mouthpiece for the owners, and in that role he does exceedingly well. The task fell to him to respond to the players’ innovative proposals, and gave the media a rather aggravating version of “no comment” which, not coincidentally, resembled the language he used in 2004.

Noticeably absent in the commissioner’s reply was talk of any specifics outside tenuous comparisons to the NFL and NBA. There is a “wide gap” between the two sides in this dispute, he said. Really? How about some details, Mr. Commissioner?

Human nature being what it is, it’s doubtful that absolutely every owner is 100 percent behind this entrenched “take no prisoners” stance. Some of them likely just want to get on with things and make money and entertain the fans. Obviously, not all of them do.

Someone must know which owners want complete capitulation from the players’ side with no meaningful negotiation. It would be interesting to see which of them want to stop the season, if only so that we can know which scum-sucking greedheads to prepare the tar and feathers for.

Sadly, there was no possibility of any give-and-take in Bettman’s reply, only that the players’ offer “wasn’t particularly responsive to our proposal.” While it makes sense for the commissioner to not negotiate in the press, it would be helpful to at least throw the public a bone or two and give us a hint on where the major disparities are or at least to point out which of the NHLPA’s ideas were lacking, and how. Since Bettman didn’t seem to want to do that, it’s pretty clear that the owners were intending to lock out the players no matter what their offer would have been.

NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr said he will talk to Bettman by phone before CBA talks resume next week. Perhaps there is some hope that substantive conversations will take place and maybe hockey fans will get the gift of meaningful NHL action by Christmas. And maybe rainbow-riding unicorns exist, too.

In the meantime, you might want to figure out what you plan to do with the time you would have spent watching your favourite team. I plan to set up a dartboard, with Bettman’s eyes lined up at the “triple 20” spot — not that he gives a damn, but it will help to channel my impotent rage. Where’s my unicorn, dammit?!