I really don't want to see Ryan Nugent-Hopkins play for Team Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championships this Christmas. I'd rather watch him playing for the Edmonton Oilers.
We all would. We all miss the NHL tremendously.
So it's with a certain amount of hope that we look at the meeting this afternoon between 18 NHL players and six NHL owners. Reps from the PA and the league will be there too, although they aren't suppose to be saying anything. The point of this entire exercise is to allow players and the owners to share ideas.
The optimist in me says a meeting like this wouldn't happen if both sides didn't believe there was still a chance to save the season. Unfortunately, logic suggests there's a better chance this meeting will make things worse than better. I mean, what can the two sides possibly say that are going to make this any better?
Here's what I think is going to be said:
The owners are going to speak first. They are going to explain to the players that half the teams in the league do not make money. They are going to try to assure players that they are not fudging the books and that their accounting can be trusted. Further to this, the owners are going to explain their position that if the season is lost, the entire league; both players and teams, will suffer for years because of it. Expect the owners to speak about the billions that are at stake here for everyone involved. It will be sort of a, "do you really want to do this?" message.
The players will then take their turn. They'll talk about how they took it on the chin last lockout in 2004/2005. They'll remind owners that they're just employees, and it wasn't their fault GM's from around the league have made the decision to pay them what they get. They'll point out that the "57% cap" number is a bit of fiction: That 57% would be what we'd have if all teams spent to the cap limit. In truth, teams spend closer to 53%. Then the players will remind owners that they have contracts and with that comes a measure of protection. The players will let the owners know that it's not their fault if some teams lose money, and it's up to the league and ownership to design a business model that keeps franchises competitive. Finally, players will indicate that they do care about the league and the fans, but they see themselves as partners in this business, and expect to be treated as such. While they do have some openness to seeing cap expenditures shrink to 50/50, they aren't willing to do it at the expense of their rights as employees.
Both sides will be right in their positions, and that's what makes this meeting so potentially dangerous. I don't expect both sides to get angry and to punch each other in the head. The meeting will be calm and civil. The players truly believe in what they are saying, as do the owners. With the US about to go over a fiscal cliff, we all know the economies in North America are about to take a hit. When that happens, luxuries are the first thing to go. Hockey tickets are a luxury. What owners are trying to do is prepare for the worst.
But the players do have contracts and do have a reason to resent this entire situation. It's not like the league has just asked for money; they've asked to change a bunch of things including free agency, arbitration, contract lengths, etc. From the players' point-of-view, if they give up money, they should get something back in return. Like, for example, the chance to choose for themselves where they play.
The problem in all of this is, the players will lose. It could be today, it could be two years from now after desertification and a league-wide apocalypse. Everyone is losing millions right now, but the owners have more money...meaning, they can last longer than the players. The players need to make a decision whether they want their spanking now or later. It sucks and it isn't fair, but this is the reality of the situation. The logical decision is to take the beating now and to get back to work as soon as possible. Do I expect this to happen? It depends: Do the players listen to and respect Donald Fehr more than Jeremy Jacobs?
It should be an interesting day.
This just in...
Local country artist Brett Kissel asked me if I could post his hockey song. Enjoy!
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»