On Tuesday, six NHL owners will meet with a small group of NHL players to talk about the stalled CBA talks.
Nice idea. Worth a shot. No Gary Bettman in the room. No Donald Fehr.
Question: is it a waste of time or can something meaningful come from it?
The floor is open.
A Raleigh native, Chip has worked at the N&O since 1979 and is the Canes beat writer. He can be reached at
Comments
Doomed?
Tue, 12/04/2012 - 07:25 — lewpulsThe overall situation seems to be:
Notice I separate Fehr and the players. The players have already lost more than they could possibly gain, but Fehr evidently doesn't care. The union leader is the person who ought to be "making sense" to the players.
So I conclude that regardless of side sessions, only one thing MIGHT prevent us from no hockey this year, decertification. Which Fehr may not support.
I would not be surprised to lose part of next year as well. Even losing all of next year isn't inconceivable.
This isn't about making a deal...
Mon, 12/03/2012 - 19:19 — AllenH...this confab is about communication and sorta education, too. The players want to get their points across to more than the hardlines and to hear other voices than Jacobs and Bettman and their spiel; to find out the views of other owners.
Jacobs will want to drive his agenda and beat the players over the head with it. Hopefully, the others will explain their viewpoints and feelings and, even needs.
There isn't likely to be any negotiation going on. At first, I thought this would be a good time for the mediators to return but then realized that the way they work is to keep the two sides seperated so that all the communication is through them. That way would assure no communication would take place.
on a somewhat different
Mon, 12/03/2012 - 14:58 — louis12580but sad note, please not the passing of Jeff Millar co-creator (with Bill Hinds) of Tank McNamara. Best sports satire strip ever. Their skewering of sports stars and personalities was priceless. No one was spared. Best was their Sports Jerk of the Year award. The nominees came from the fans of the strip.
GO FIGHTING SANDCRABS!!!!
For the player's sake I hope
Mon, 12/03/2012 - 11:50 — RewardFor the player's sake I hope it's just not star players like Crosby and someone that has a business brain.
More of the same.......
Mon, 12/03/2012 - 11:49 — oldpoliticalsThis group is really no different than other S.Fehr/Daley only sessions except there will be a few "new" observers brought into the room to back them up.
I don't see anything happening since they will both be working off scripts. A major fundamental change in position will be necessary; this group will not/can not deliver that change. Hope I am wrong.
If S and D Fehrs/Bettman and Daley do not attend there are some intriguing possibilities. But at the end of the day nothing can be decided by either side without going back to their offices and get the leaders to sign off.
Doubtful
Mon, 12/03/2012 - 11:42 — spookyalfWith Jacobs there, I doubt anything will come of this meeting tomorrow. From reading Spector's blog, I will post a link to it below, it sounds like Peter Karmanos, Jr. is also considered a "hawk". If he is, makes no sense, since we are not in the top teir of making money.
That being said, I am all for the Canes either moving or being contracted and move the Checkers up here. This way we can actually have hockey every year without lockout fears.
I among the skeptics anything will happen.
Here's the link to the blog from Spector's Hockey. He has a link to the actual article that references PK, Jr.
http://spectorshockey.net/blog/nhl-owners-players-meeting-could-be-as-futile-as-mediation/
AHL here? No thanks. It's
Mon, 12/03/2012 - 21:21 — ctillAHL here? No thanks. It's NHL or bust for me.
Forbes
Mon, 12/03/2012 - 12:23 — CanarseI think it makes perfect sense that PK is in the hawk group. According to the recent Forbes "Business of Hockey" article the Hurricanes lost $9.4M last season. He'll lose less this season if they don't play! Even arenas where they pack the house like Buffalo and Minnesota lost money last year. 13 of the 30 teams lost money last year and the top 3 teams in the leauge, Toroton, NY Rangers and Montreal, made 83% of the league's income. That isn't viable long term.
Unless you think the Forbes article is BS, it makes no sense for the Hurricanes to not want a better collective bargaining agreement.
Depends...
Mon, 12/03/2012 - 10:14 — Caniac5Depends on if Fehr has programmed the "key" players to answer the way he wants them too. Unfortuantely, Crosby is one of the worst to have there. He seems, to me of course, to be Fehr's puppet. If he is there, things will not go well.
But, I am hoping these owners and players can see they are being played by Bettman and Fehr and 1) work out a deal, 2) realize they are killing the sport after working so hard to make it where they were, and 3) they decide to fire both Bettman and Fehr!
Good Luck with the talks but I am not holding my breath!
depends..
Mon, 12/03/2012 - 10:43 — louis12580as well, on how poisoned the rest of the owners present have been by Jacobs.
He should not be one of the owners present. It would be delicious if Crosby is part of the player group since one of the co-owners of the Penguins is listed as one of the six owners. Too bad it's not Mario.
Neither Bettman nor Fehr are going to get fired. Bettman is taking the bullets for the owners and that's his job since he's employed by them.
Might help to illuminate the
Mon, 12/03/2012 - 07:01 — ctillMight help to illuminate the underlying issues. Unlikely a deal would be reached.