NHL offers NHLPA 50/50 Split

[OnAFly]

This is contingent on a Nov 2 start date to a condensed 82 game season and includes NO SALARY ROLLBACK!

If the NHLPA does not accept then they are completely nuts. At this point, I might have to switch over permanently to college hockey. Hopefully they understand that not taking this agreement would make them look terrible. Though, with Fehr at the helm, you never know what they will try and do.

[solbes]

Get this deal done NHLPA. As PA mentioned on the radio, this lockout is getting no buzz whatsoever. Its almost as if the NHL has completely faded from people's minds, at least as far as National coverage goes.

Not a ton of damage done if they can sign the deal and drop the puck.

[Bear55]

Get it done!

[LundProAngler]

I want Hockey!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GET ER DONE!

[hoppe56307]

I feel the same way, if they don't take the offer the players union will now look like the bad guys.

[PierBridge]

No possible way they "players lawyers" take this deal and that big of a hit. And as much as I want to watch NHL Hockey, frankly, I don't blame them.

[10,000 Casts]

Quote:

Its almost as if the NHL has completely faded from people's minds, at least as far as National coverage goes.

I think it has.

isn't it always an 82 game season? By condenced do they mean less days off and more back to backs? My vote would be to just cancel the missed games so the Wild have less games to get hurt in and more chance they are healthy in the 2nd half..

[schmitty3]

No possible way they "players lawyers" take this deal and that big of a hit. And as much as I want to watch NHL Hockey, frankly, I don't blame them.

Wouldn't say there is no possible way they take this deal. Now is when they would normally start getting paychecks. They wan't to play and stop losing money.

Get it done

[Bryce]

Most of the players that matter are receiving paychecks in Europe right now. Nice solidarity.

[OnAFly]

Yeah, looking at the player group, the ones who need the money the least are the ones off in Europe still making money. They 3rd/4th liners are stuck back here hoping that they can get back on the ice and make some money before their careers' are over.

BTW - The 82 game season is an incentive for these players. It means they lose nothing. It's also good for the owners and businesses that gain from the games too. Hopefully this can get done and we can see all 82 games, if nothing else, for the sake of all those small businesses near the X that are hurting from this.

[scsavre]

It is crazy how everyone has already forgot about the NHL.

The players are getting a steal with this deal. I don't understand what right they have to to strike anyway. I'll do that at my corporate office and I bet it goes real well. A bunch of greedy players putting the burden on concession workers, bartenders and janitors. All for what, to let don fehr build up his ego. They still never counter offered on the first 4 proposals. This is a joke. So now they will decline the offer, for money they get through escrow anyway, the will hold the new league alignment hostage to bargain for longer contracts..........

They better accept, if they don't I hope they cancel the season. I'd rather watch the gophs anyway.

[archerystud]

I lost faith in the PA when the hired Donald Fehr. He only cares about the people he's representing. He needs to also take into account the fans.

I read his comments on the latest proposal and he's questioning what the owners are giving up. Seriously?!?

What will the players be gaining if teams start folding because they are losing too much money??? Fehr is a F#@%#%@D.

[OnAFly]

I totally agree. He would seek a deal which would end the NHL in a year if he could get the players another dime tomorrow.

The players were giving statements today that sounded suspiciously Fehr-like. I'm sure if he weren't there, there would be hockey right now and the players would still be making millions.

[mulefarm]

For the NHL to negoitiate through the media is completely wrong. My guess is Fehr has them running scared and this is the only way they can make the players look bad and get the fans on their side.. Giving up a yr on salary arbitration, maximum lenght of a contract is 5 yrs, age 28 or 8 yrs to become a free agent are a lot for the players to give up. The league made 3.3 billion dollars. I don't see a real need for the 50/50 split immediately. Why not lower it 1% each year until it reaches 50/50. For those who don't like Fehr, he is getting paid to represent the players and get them the best deal possible, I bet the NHL wishes he was representing them and not Bettman. I don't think most of the owners made their millions worrying about their employees,fans and other businesses that count on games, only the bottom line! If the owners wouldn't have locked the players out we would have hockey from day 1 and negotiating could have continued, which is what the players wanted. Greedy owners are the problem.

[OnAFly]

How is the NHL negotiating through the media? Neither side has been willing to talk to the media about negotiation details. Both sides have released details about their proposals only after the the other side has had a chance to go through it.

[Bear55]

I've been with the owners the whole way, most of the teams are hurting and its not a revenue problem. I also don't think the players should lose a dime on their current contracts, the teams signed them and they should honor them. The 50/50 split is fair, that is the biggest issue, 12+ year contracts are just plain stupid and need to end, they should be able to find some middle ground on the rest of the issues. Lets get the season fired up already. NHL already plays a distant 2nd to college hockey and the state tournament in my book, don't make me push you further down the list.

[mulefarm]

Don't see how you could be for the owners on this? They are the ones that found loopholes in the present CBA. They signed the players to rediculous contracts, both money and the length of contracts. They forced the lockout both times. They continually want more of the revenue, but are unwilling to show some fiscal discipline. Now they want more rules to control themslves at the players expense. Like I said before, these owners did not become billionaires by losing their money, they may have lost money on paper, but not out of their wallet!

[OnAFly]

Preaching fiscal discipline is all well and good, but you and I both know for a fact that if one player signs a crazy contract, that contract becomes standard. Not standard to the owners. Not standard to the GMs. It becomes standard to the next player signing a contract.

Player agents are a part of this too. If the players want to make more, keep the sport healthy.

[Bear55]

mule

I kind of see your ponit but let me ask you should the Wild have passed on Parise and Suter because of their crazy contracts? They paid market price and by all accound those players could have gotton more money if they wanted. A system needs to be in place to control what owners and gm's can do, otherwise they are forced to spend out of control to stay competative. When a player hit free agency they are in complete control, if you don't pay top dollar most of the time they will land with the team that does.

On top of everythign all the other pro sports are near a 50/50 split, I see no reason why NHL players should be getting 57%. If the system isn't fixed there is no doubt in my mind some teams will start to fold, all of the sudden that 50/50 split is looking pretty good when there are 50 to 100 less NHL jobs for the players.

[solbes]

Fehr is just plain crazy. Everyone was all abuzz about some serious progress from the latest NHL offer. Even players were excited. But a $0.3M loss from average 2.4 to 2.1M salary is too much to handle I guess. They are going to counter propose this afternoon and I can gaurantee they will offer a 50/50 split at the END of the 6-7 yr CBA. So kind of a ramp down of the player splits from today's 57% to the 50%. This will not work so many teams deep in the red. Contraction of the leauge would then be almost necessary. Contraction would be disastrous for players as many of the 3/4 line players fall off the back end (think minor league teams too).

Sadly I think we are just a hair closer to a deal than we were a week ago, which is to say not very close. Up until this point, it was all a game. A full season could still have been played, very little if any revenue falling off the table.

If it goes beyond Oct 25th, the Winter Classic will be lost and with it a huge chunk of revenue. Every game that is lost will hurt the little guys and the fans more than it will the owners and players. Think of all the businesses and employees that depend on a 41 game home schedule. They're making a working man's wage, not millions.

I have always been a fan of the NHL, but if this goes on much longer I'm getting more and more disgusted. The greed has become so evident that it's not worth my time. Hail College Hockey!

[mulefarm]

I agree that a 50/50/ is agreeable. If the owners truely cared about the league they won't have used the loopholes to sign players at rediculous contracts. The owners locked the players out and cancelled a whole season before the last CBA was signed and the players took a 24% cut. Now they want them to take a 12-15% cut. They want more money escrowed, longer time to become an unrestricted free agent, length of contract to 5 years. We are not talking about a league that is losing money(3.3 billion profit). Really don't want to hear that it is the players or agents fault for the rediculous contracts that the owners continued to give right up to the lockout. Bettman was even taken back by these actions, pretty hard to cry wolf when owners continue to act like thay do. If the owners really cared about anything but the bottom line, there would be no lockout. I think it was great what the Wild did and they must have felt they could afford these contracts. Nobody wants to see teams lost, especially the players, if the owners get a 50/50 split, which is 7% more than now, I would think the league would be extemely healthy!

[scsavre]

I love how some people confuse revenue with profits. Don't forget to net out expenses. There are some owners that make no money. Actually there are a couple that loose money still. To a player that revenue share is all profit, to the owners there is still expenses. These owners have no way to bargain anymore if they don't make these ridiculous deals and contracts. We complain when we don't sign parise and sutter and now mule complains when. We do sign them.

I don't think Donald fehr is even doing what's best for the players. He is doing this for his own glory. These players need to quit saying they care about the fans, they obviously only care about the money.

[archerystud]

Hail College Hockey!

Right on Brother!

So Fehr says the players stand to lose 1.6B under the current contract. How much do they lose if only about 15% of them play in leagues overseas. I would bet it's substantially more than that!

[hoppe56307]

NHLPA made 3 counter offers today and bettman called the meetings today a step backwards.

Looks like the players are digging in and willing to forgo the whole season.

[Bear55]

Time for the players to get real jobs I guess. Call up the CHL and College kids, lets get this thing going with the young guns. I bet you a lot of the players would be happy to cross the picket line.

[PierBridge]

Thank you Mulefarm for the great posts!

I guess I'm astounished you guys would be on the NHL/owners side of this in such force being it's 100 percent their fault we don't have hockey right now.

First off the players are LOCKED out by the owners, the players wanted to play and work out the differences but the owners/Bettman who have had 5 years to get it done ruined that and why in the heck would they take a huge paycut for the owners INCOMPETENCE and the NHL's business deficiencies?

No chance they settle for that 50-50 non-sense with all the other underlying issues that the NHL is trying to screw the players out of.... thats just plain nuts and a slap in the face!

[solbes]

Sure the owners locked out the players. Thats not a mystery. What is a mystery is why there seems to be little to no give by the players on this issue. I don't see how its sustainable for the players to receive 57% of the cut when many teams are in the red, and will be in the red for the forseeable future. As someone pointed out (Bear?), most other leauges are centered around 50% cut for players. You can't fix stupid, and I have no idea why they moved ~ 10 teams down south. But thats what the league has to work with now.

If this season is lost, there will be a sizeable chunk of players who will make less over their remaining few years than if they had taken this 50/50 deal. That says nothing of the fans who were left out in the cold. Some of whom will not return, or will return very slowly. I think Fehr and the players need to get their heads out of their A%@#s and put a real counter proposal on the table. The players might have had some people on their side, but after yesterday I think Mule and Pier are about the only ones left.

[archerystud]

The owners are partly to blame but I think the players are being much more greedy.

IMO, the owners have a lot more risk than the players. That and the fact that the more the players attempt to take, the more it will get stuck to the fans.

TGFCH (Thank God For College Hockey).

[OnAFly]

OK, here's an idea. Players continue to get 57%, but take on 57% risk too. If the team loses money, everyone's pay is reduced to cover it. I bet you'd see a lot of players arguing for lower salaries at that point.

Right now it's just gimme gimme gimme.

[mulefarm]

Interesting how everybody is so concerned about the 50/50 split which I believe the players know will happen. Last lockout the players took a 24% cut. Did the price of tickets get reduced by 24%, or did the owners reduce or increase ticket prices. To say the players are the problem is insane, they don't ok the siging of the contracts or decide if the organization can afford them. The players wanted to continue to negoitate and keep playing, the owners caused the shutdown, why is that so hard for people to understand? Everybody agrees that all professioal athletes are overpaid, but the leagues and owners continue to make money, continue to sign players to rediculous contracts and get cities to build them arenas and stadiums or they threaten to move. The money is definitly an issue, but escrow, length of contracts, free agency are important to the players and future players.