2008 Woodie Awards
NHL Locks Players Out
AN OPINION
Jeffrey Samuels
Issue date: 9/29/04 Section: Sports
- Page 1 of 1
The National Hockey League locked out its players Sept. 16, perhaps ending the 2004-05 season before training camp ever opened.
It is unknown when owners and players will sign a new contract to replace the expired contract.
Both sides have indicated that they are far from agreement on the crucial issue of finances. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said the sides "weren't speaking the same language."
Owners of NHL teams claim they have collectively sustained losses of $1.8 billion over the last 10 years, and continuing under the current system would ensure financial disaster for the league.
Players in the NHL say the owners are overstating their losses in an attempt to force the introduction of a salary cap, which limits the amount of money any given team can spend paying its players.
The NHL players are vehemently opposed to a salary cap, while the owners insist it is the only way to make sure the league does not go bankrupt.
Owners have said that they lost $273 million in 2002-03, and $224 million last season, paying players an average of $1.8 million per year. The players countered with a proposal to cut $100 million a year in expenses and drop average salaries to $1.3 million, but owners quickly rejected the offer, saying it lacked the inclusion of a salary cap.
This is the first work stoppage in the NHL since 1994, when owners locked out players for 100 days and saw 468 games canceled before a new agreement was reached. There was also a 10-day strike in 1992 that postponed 30 games.
It could be much longer before a new agreement is reached this time, with the league acknowledging that there is a possibility there will be no hockey played this year.
Bettman has already advised teams to release use of their stadiums for 30 days after the lockout began, almost guaranteeing that the season will not start as planned on Oct. 13.
Under U.S. labor and union laws, it is possible that the NHL could unilaterally impose new work rules, similar to a new contract, and force the return of players under those conditions, but Bettman said that option had yet to be considered.
Players' Union Chief Bob Goodenow said that declaring new rules would be a "very, very ill-advised strategy" and that "the results could be catastrophic."
Nonetheless, many players will still get a chance to play, with many European players returning home to play in local leagues. U.S. players do not have as many options, although there has been talk of many players shifting to the minor-league American Hockey League until the work dispute has been resolved.
It is unknown when owners and players will sign a new contract to replace the expired contract.
Both sides have indicated that they are far from agreement on the crucial issue of finances. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said the sides "weren't speaking the same language."
Owners of NHL teams claim they have collectively sustained losses of $1.8 billion over the last 10 years, and continuing under the current system would ensure financial disaster for the league.
Players in the NHL say the owners are overstating their losses in an attempt to force the introduction of a salary cap, which limits the amount of money any given team can spend paying its players.
The NHL players are vehemently opposed to a salary cap, while the owners insist it is the only way to make sure the league does not go bankrupt.
Owners have said that they lost $273 million in 2002-03, and $224 million last season, paying players an average of $1.8 million per year. The players countered with a proposal to cut $100 million a year in expenses and drop average salaries to $1.3 million, but owners quickly rejected the offer, saying it lacked the inclusion of a salary cap.
This is the first work stoppage in the NHL since 1994, when owners locked out players for 100 days and saw 468 games canceled before a new agreement was reached. There was also a 10-day strike in 1992 that postponed 30 games.
It could be much longer before a new agreement is reached this time, with the league acknowledging that there is a possibility there will be no hockey played this year.
Bettman has already advised teams to release use of their stadiums for 30 days after the lockout began, almost guaranteeing that the season will not start as planned on Oct. 13.
Under U.S. labor and union laws, it is possible that the NHL could unilaterally impose new work rules, similar to a new contract, and force the return of players under those conditions, but Bettman said that option had yet to be considered.
Players' Union Chief Bob Goodenow said that declaring new rules would be a "very, very ill-advised strategy" and that "the results could be catastrophic."
Nonetheless, many players will still get a chance to play, with many European players returning home to play in local leagues. U.S. players do not have as many options, although there has been talk of many players shifting to the minor-league American Hockey League until the work dispute has been resolved.
