NEW YORK — The NHL imposed a lockout of its players Saturday night — the league’s third since 1994 — as no formal negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement were held before a 10 p.m. MDT deadline on the expiring agreement.
“We spoke today and determined that there was no point in convening a formal bargaining session in light of the fact that neither side is in a position to move off of its last proposal,” deputy commissioner Bill Daly wrote in an e-mail before the deadline. “We are sorry for where we are. Not what we hoped or expected.”
The Players’ Association issued a release quoting special counsel Steve Fehr, who said in part, “Today we suggested that the parties meet in advance of the owners’ self-imposed deadline. … The NHL said that it saw no purpose in having a formal meeting.”
The central issue remains disagreement on how to split hockey related revenue. The players want a guaranteed amount, reported at $1.8 billion to $1.91 billion in the first year of a player-proposed five-year deal, while the owners are offering a sliding percentage based on actual income starting at 49 percent and dropping to 47 in the final year. Both sides have said their offers would be off the table if a lockout occurs.
Camps were to open Friday and regular-season games are scheduled for Oct. 11. The last lockout canceled the entire 2004-2005 season.
Contemplating the lockout, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said: “Nobody wants to make a deal and play hockey more than I do. … This is really hard. You only get involved when you understand what the issues are and you know you’re doing the right thing for the long-term stability of our game and our sport. This is very hard. And I feel terrible about it.”
The lockout is the league’s fourth work stoppage since 1992 and the third to hit a major sports league in 18 months, following ones in the NFL and the NBA.
All four of the major leagues in the United States — football, basketball, baseball and hockey — have gone through labor negotiations within the past couple of years. Both the NFL and NBA went into lockouts, and though the NFL missed no regular-season games, the 2011-12 NBA season was shortened. Some have suggested that the fact MLB didn’t have a work stoppage has to do with the fact that baseball has no salary cap, allowing for more wiggle room in negotiations.
Locked out again
For the third time in 18 years, the NHL on Saturday instituted a league-wide lockout of its players. A look at the key points of contention between team owners and players:
Money: Players received 57 percent of league revenue last season. Owners want to reduce that percentage. Their latest offer has players receiving 49 percent in the first year of a six-year deal that would phase down to 47 percent.
Length of contracts: Owners want to limit contracts to a maximum of five years.
Free agency: Owners want to raise the benchmark for unrestricted free agency from seven years of pro experience to 10.
Revenue sharing: Players believe their most recent proposal would better address the needs of the league’s underperforming teams. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman calls it a “nonissue” when it comes to the owners’ core problem: player costs. Adrian Dater, The Denver Post
