In a surprising move last weekend, the NHLPA rejected the proposed schedule realignment for next season. This left Gary Bettman, the commissioner with no other choice but to announce that next season will see the same schedule configuration as this season. Unfortunately, the union's actions last week could result in there not being a season at all next year. With the current Collective Bargaining Agreement expiring on September 15th, the NHLPA is beginning to show they will be aggressive when negotiations begin. This could result in a long and bitter battle of power similar to the 2004 lockout where both sides wait for the other to break. As the current season reaches the half way mark, speculation about the future has begun and it does not look pretty.
During the last labour dispute in 2004, the most important issue was introducing a salary cap. The league wanted it so teams such as Toronto and Detroit could not use pure financial power to lure players from smaller markets. This would balance the teams and make the league more competitive. The players hated this idea as they felt it took away the opportunity to make the biggest salary possible. How did it all resolve? The salary cap was added and now almost every team can be competitive in any game. For the players, they are signing long term contracts worth well over $50 million. On top of that, the third and fourth line players are becoming more important to teams and are seeing their salaries go up accordingly. As you can see, both sides did reach an agreement. The problem is that a whole season had to be canceled to do it.
In 2012, the issue of dramatic realignment has been and will be front and center throughout the negotiations. It no longer is just about making money, the players also want a life of luxury with fewer long flights and cross country trips. By requiring every team to visit every other city once a year, all teams will see increased travel times when they have games scheduled against teams in California and Alberta. One team that was looking forward to a change was the Winnipeg Jets who would rather play Minnesota and Detroit than Florida and Carolina. Obviously each team has their own preferences, but when 26 out of 30 league governors approved a change, all the problems appeared solved.
Then the NHLPA rejected the new plan and it became clear that this issue will be around for quite some time. What the union is citing as their biggest issue though is interesting. They feel the new playoff format is unequal with four teams from each of the four divisions making the playoffs regardless of how many teams are actually in the division. Some have eight teams and others have seven and it is believed that the seven team divisions have a better chance of advancing past the regular season. This is a practical issue but it is likely to be a big part of the union's argument. This gives the NHLPA the power to say the league made decisions without consulting with the them. The union is trying to show that they won't be pushed over during negotiations and they are doing a good job at that.
What happens now and until the new deal is reached will be very interesting. I was only 10 years old during the last lockout and do not remember much from it. This time though, I am paying a lot closer attention and I am not liking what is going on. I believe everyone should be treated fairly, but I feel the players and owners have a certain obligation to put their differences aside and keep the next season from being lost. Though the league was improved after the lockout of 2004, missing a entire season was not good and should be an important thing to avoid during this round of negotiations. After the NHLPA's actions last week though, it is clear that this will be a long and difficult resolution that puts the season in jeopardy. Only time will tell what does happen, and I will be following the story as it unfolds.
As always, feel free to comment below this post or send your thoughts in an email to josh@jbenny.com. Please visit my website, www.jbenny.com, to read more articles that I've written and follow me on twitter via @jbenny15 to get updates on the hockey world and other topics. Thanks for reading.
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