Broker Posted January 6, 2013 Report Posted January 6, 2013 Finally.. My winter is now complete.. A little story from tsn here .. "Don Fehr and I are here to tell you that we have reached an agreement on the framework of a new collective bargaining agreement, the details of which need to be put to paper," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman confirmed to reporters early Sunday morning. "We have to dot a lot of I's and cross a lot of T's. There is still a lot of work to be done, but the basic framework has been agreed upon." The next stage is documentation and ratification of the deal, with the start date and number of games in the 2012-13 season still to be announced depending on how long the final process takes. "Hopefully we're at a place where all those things will proceed fairly rapidly and with some dispatch," said NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr. "We'll get back to business as usual just as fast as we can. Hopefully within a very few days the fans can get back to watching people who are skating, not the two of us." According to TSN Hockey Analyst Aaron Ward and TSN Hockey Insiders Darren Dreger and Pierre LeBrun, the agreement features the following elements: - The players' share of hockey-related revenue will drop from 57 percent to a 50-50 split for all 10 years. - The league coming off their demand for a $60 million cap in Year 2, meeting the NHLPA's request to have it at $64.3 million - which was the upper limit from last year's cap. The salary floor in Year 2 will be $44 million. - The upper limit on the salary cap in the first year is $60 million, but teams can spend up to $70.2 million. The cap floor will be $44 million. - The 10-year deal also has an opt-out clause that kicks in after eight years. - The salary variance on contracts from year to year cannot vary more than 35 per cent and the final year cannot vary more than 50 per cent of the highest year. - A player contract term limit for free agents will be seven years and eight years for a team signing its own player. - The draft lottery selection process will change with all 14 teams fully eligible for the first overall pick. The weighting system for each team may remain, but four-spot move restriction will be eliminated. - Supplemental discipline for players in on-ice incidents will go through NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan first, followed by an appeal process that would go through Bettman. For suspensions of six or more games, a neutral third party will decide if necessary. - Revenue sharing among teams will spread to $200 million. Additionally, an NHLPA-initiated growth fund of $60 million is included. - The NHL had hoped to change opening of free agency to July 10, but the players stood firm and it remains July 1 in the new agreement. But with a later ending to the season, free agency for this summer will start at a later date. Also, a decision on NHL participation at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games will be made outside of the new CBA. While it is likely that the league will participate, the IIHF and IOC will have discussions with the NHL and Players' Association. "I'm really happy a deal has been reached," Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby told The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review on Sunday morning. "It's exciting to know we will be back playing hockey." Both sides met face-to-face along with federal mediator Scot Beckenbaugh for 16 straight hours from Saturday afternoon through the early hours of Sunday morning to get the deal done. The two sides spent Friday in separate rooms while Beckenbaugh went back and forth to each group searching for middle ground on the unresolved issues between the two sides. Depending on when a new CBA is reached, the league - according to TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun - has 50-game and 48-game schedules drawn up. A 50-game season would start on Jan. 15 and a 48-game season would start on Jan. 19. The existing 2012-13 NHL schedule was already canceled through Jan. 14. "Everyone is obviously relieved that it's over and done with, for all intents and purposes, and we're able to kind of move on to what we kind of enjoy doing a lot more than this," said Phoenix Coyotes captain Shane Doan, who was involved in the negotiations. The NHL and NHLPA had been without a CBA since the previous one expired just before midnight on Sept. 15. The lockout cost the league 510 regular-season games, including the New Year's Day Winter Classic and the All-Star Game in Columbus. While the CBA negotiations didn't fall apart and force the cancellation of the season, they certainly brought plenty of drama and frustration for the owners, players and fans. The NHL's first offer tabled on July 13 proposed that the players' share in revenue drop from 57 per cent to 43 per cent and suggested contract rule changes with term limits of five years and an extended entry-level system. The league eventually responded with another proposal on Oct. 16 in an effort to preserve an 82-game season with a 50-50 split of revenues. The players responded with three of their own proposals that were quickly rejected. On Dec. 4, Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews and four new team executives - including Toronto's Larry Tanenbaum and Pittsburgh's Ron Burkle - entered the talks, making enough headway for NHLPA special counsel Steve Fehr and NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly to address the media together for the first time. However, things took another turn for the worse when Fehr presented a new proposal that was rejected by the league. Then on Dec. 14, the NHLPA began voting on giving the executive board the authority to file a disclaimer of interest, which would have given the union - until Jan. 2 - the power to dissolve and file anti-trust lawsuits against the league. Two weeks later, the league came back with a 288-page proposal that softened demands on contract and salary rules and reintroduced $300 million in 'make whole' payments.
Fisherman Posted January 6, 2013 Report Posted January 6, 2013 And...the world didn't end when there was no hockey, matter o fact it was quite refreshing.
salmon Posted January 6, 2013 Report Posted January 6, 2013 (edited) IMO I found other things to do. I did not miss it Edited January 6, 2013 by jchau53
TerryC Posted January 6, 2013 Report Posted January 6, 2013 (edited) I would like to say i didn't miss hockey. But this news makes me happy. Edited January 6, 2013 by Clarence
d_paluch Posted January 6, 2013 Report Posted January 6, 2013 I am man enough to say that I missed hockey. I really felt it once the world juniors started on boxing day. Go Leafs Go
Ralph Field Posted January 6, 2013 Report Posted January 6, 2013 I didn't miss it, and I do not intend to watch NHL hockey any more.
Broker Posted January 6, 2013 Author Report Posted January 6, 2013 I for sure missed it, having my foot broken and being in a cast these last 10 weeks left me with little to do. Although go lots of practice tying flies!
moxie Posted January 6, 2013 Report Posted January 6, 2013 YA I KNOW!!! ISN'T THAT GREAT?!?!?! They'll be on the ice again today for a practice after a 2 week holiday break. GO Blue Thunder!!!!! (Daughters Hockey Team). Doubt I'll watch any NHL hockey anymore. My time is just too valuable.
Rod Caster Posted January 6, 2013 Report Posted January 6, 2013 I would like to say i didn't miss hockey. But this news makes me happy. Same here. I ended up not missing it, but it will certainly replace some of the crappy evening tv shows I watch now. Lets see if I can take this year seriously.
i2cool2fool Posted January 6, 2013 Report Posted January 6, 2013 YA I KNOW!!! ISN'T THAT GREAT?!?!?! They'll be on the ice again today for a practice after a 2 week holiday break. GO Blue Thunder!!!!! (Daughters Hockey Team). Doubt I'll watch any NHL hockey anymore. My time is just too valuable. The NHL and NHLPA can suck a pickled egg. Just my censored opinion of course. But hey... If others are happy with the news, enjoy.
kickingfrog Posted January 6, 2013 Report Posted January 6, 2013 I learned last time that I could "survive" without it (something I never would have thought possible) and quite easily I might add. I'll watch some games, but the priority won't be what it used to be. And I will do everything possible to not contribute a dime to the league.
Broker Posted January 6, 2013 Author Report Posted January 6, 2013 Not so fast. The union membership still has to vote to ratify. They've proven themselves idiots already by losing more money than they fought to save! Maybe Ovechkin will hold his word and stay in Russia? That'll be interesting to see if he does come back or not, aswell with a few other russian players
kickingfrog Posted January 6, 2013 Report Posted January 6, 2013 While the nhl is the league with the most talent, for now, I can certainly understand playing/working in your home country even if the money is not the same.
kickingfrog Posted January 6, 2013 Report Posted January 6, 2013 Not so fast. The union membership still has to vote to ratify. They've proven themselves idiots already by losing more money than they fought to save! Maybe Ovechkin will hold his word and stay in Russia? Two years of the 24% roleback and 43% percent share of revenue first offered more than covers the approximate 40% salary lost this season.
kickingfrog Posted January 6, 2013 Report Posted January 6, 2013 The PA was always going to loose. They sacrificed 40% of one year's salary to get the best of a bad situation.
SirCranksalot Posted January 6, 2013 Report Posted January 6, 2013 The PA was always going to loose. They sacrificed 40% of one year's salary to get the best of a bad situation. Given that they all earn megabucks, pls define what you consider to be a "bad situation"??
John Posted January 6, 2013 Report Posted January 6, 2013 Well let's see if we put our money where our mouth is (or don't put our money).........Hope I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure that the lemmings will all be back in a few weeks spending big bucks to watch a mediochre product. Yes, I have become cynical. I used to watch more than my fair share of NHL games, BUT I have become very tired of overpaid underachievers and owners who blame everyone else but themselves for their financial woes. I definitely won't be back. Minor hockey works for me...
kickingfrog Posted January 6, 2013 Report Posted January 6, 2013 The talk is the deal is very similar to the PA's offer from early December. That would be the one where Bettmen had the bug eyed tantrum and Daly said that was a hill they "would die on".
Broker Posted January 6, 2013 Author Report Posted January 6, 2013 Suppose after this contract runs out, they'll go back to another lockout because they'll be fighting over millions again?
kickingfrog Posted January 6, 2013 Report Posted January 6, 2013 It'll be interesting to see when all the numbers come out... And we know the teams/agents are already trying to figure out the loopholes.
Pigeontroller Posted January 6, 2013 Report Posted January 6, 2013 It would sure be nice to see empty seats and poor ratings when these 'games' finally begin...Maybe they'd realize where all that money they've been squabbling over comes from!
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