OT: NHL makes new 50/50 Offer to NHLPA
New 50/50 Hockey related revenue proposal on the table. NHLPA rep Donald Fehr is going to talk in the next 10 minutes or so. Proposal involes an 82 game season starting Nov 1. I'll update as I get more info, but this could end the lockout.
Update 1: Fehr says league offer "at least six years".
Repeating info from my twitter feed. Buccigross and Pierre LeBrun as well as Jesse Rogers are providing the info.
Update 2: ESPN story http://espn.go.com/chicago/nhl/story/_/id/8512006/nhl-offers-players-50-50-split-hockey-related-revenue?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
October 16th, 2012 at 1:18 PM ^
PLEASE BE TRUE. NAAOW
October 17th, 2012 at 1:57 PM ^
The deal is true, the question is will it go through?
October 17th, 2012 at 1:58 PM ^
I would be very blue if it didn't go through, I think most fans would be too.
October 16th, 2012 at 1:22 PM ^
Right now, the owners are taking all the heat for the lockout. If the PA rejects this deal, all the negative focus shifts to them. This is the median that most people have guessed they would eventually meet at.
October 16th, 2012 at 1:27 PM ^
Sounds like there are protections in there too for current player salaries, as in no current contract will have to take a pay cut
October 16th, 2012 at 1:31 PM ^
50/50 seems like the most logical split for every league.
October 16th, 2012 at 1:33 PM ^
The owners should always get more. That's why they're the owners.
October 16th, 2012 at 1:36 PM ^
I would be very surprised if this didn't go through. This is good news.
October 16th, 2012 at 2:04 PM ^
The no rollback on current contracts is a huge deal, but I'm waiting to hear more specifics on the definition of hockey related revenue in this 50-50 proposal. The owners original proposal claimed that they only cut down to 46% of HRR, but with the changes to the defnition of HRR it was actually a cut down to 43%.
Regardless, it's a huge step in the right direction, and hopefully it leads to the signing of a dela in the matter of days. I need to purchase some plane tickets for the winter classic, so I'm ecstatic that there is finally some solid movement.
October 16th, 2012 at 10:00 PM ^
But the loss of the Winter Classic at the Big House matters more to me than anything else about the lockout.
October 16th, 2012 at 1:38 PM ^
October 16th, 2012 at 1:45 PM ^
the owners were waiting and waiting for an NHLPA offer. I don't know if they ever submitted one, but it seems like they gave the owners some time to regroup, for sure.
October 16th, 2012 at 1:41 PM ^
So if there is a season (please, please, please) are any of the players locked into European contracts? I thought I remembered reading the KHL had been demanding full-season commitment.
October 16th, 2012 at 1:44 PM ^
(Malkin for example)
October 16th, 2012 at 1:49 PM ^
October 16th, 2012 at 1:56 PM ^
I can tell you that KHL teams have been very, very clear about not accepting NHL players unless they agreed to remain in the league for their full contracts (one year). However, I imagine exceptions have been made for the big names, like Kovy and Malkin, but who knows, The KHL is a league run by mobsters, you never know what to expect.
October 16th, 2012 at 2:01 PM ^
Ovechkin threatened that he'd stay in the KHL for his full tenure, so assuming that the deal is completed in the next 48 hours, would certainly suck for the Caps if he didn't come back to Washington.
October 16th, 2012 at 2:06 PM ^
One guy to watch for is Ilya Kovalchuk, he may not come back. I know that he had told people if the lockout wasn't resolved by late October he was going to sign a long term deal and never come back.
He was offered a long term deal that would make him the highest paid hockey player in history on a per year basis.
October 16th, 2012 at 2:11 PM ^
In Soviet Russia, contract signs YOU!
October 16th, 2012 at 2:00 PM ^
Very excited, but an 82 game season might start Nov 2nd. Considering the weeks that have already been cut off because these clowns couldn't negotiate this before the season started, it seems like they'll be cramming a lot of games into a short period of time. Just cut games out of the schedule. 82 games is too many, especially in a supposed lockout-shortened season (I'm being extremely optimistic and assuming that the NHLPA says yes)
It's a good deal that the NHL put on the table for the NHLPA and as said before, I am extremely optimistic that hockey will be played again this season. I am very eager to see how the Red Wings will do this season
October 16th, 2012 at 3:14 PM ^
Gary Bettman said it's one extra game every five weeks.
October 16th, 2012 at 2:22 PM ^
This is probably way too much to ask for, but will the new CBA address possible realignment at all? They came up with what I thought was a pretty good 4-conference format in the middle of last season, then announced that they were scrapping it.
The current set up really sucks, travel-wise, for Detroit, Columbus, Nashville, and Winnipeg. Hopefully there is some provision to remedy it soon.
The owners, especially the Eastern conference owners (who, it seems, have been the primary ones pushing the lockout), need to stop thinking about themselves and instead what's best for the league as a whole.
Also, a full 82 game schedule, plus playoffs? Are they trying to kill the players? Between Nov. 1 and the end of the year is 61 days, and then Jan-April 13 (the last day under the current schedule) is 93 days, for a 154 days total. That's a hockey game more than every other day. It was a problem last year when the NBA did a condensed schedule, it will be far worse for the more physically demanding sport. Expect tons of injuries and reduced quality of play. They should shorten the schedule about 10 games or extend the regular season further into April.
October 16th, 2012 at 3:30 PM ^
If they wanted 82 games, they should have negotiated it before they decided to lock out the whole season. 82 games is too much in such a short period. I really don't see why games can't be cut out, other than owners wanting to maximize profits.
October 16th, 2012 at 6:14 PM ^
Starting Nov. 2nd would mean losing 3 total weeks. The Wings will have lost 10 games by then and have over 20 weeks to get those games in to end on the scheduled April 13th. So we're talking squeezing in a game every other week. More than doable. Poll the players, I bet they prefer 82-games as that gets them their full pay check for this season, rather than a prorated amount if they lose anymore of the year.
Update: According to Bob McKenzie, if this deal gets done, they'd extend the regular season through the end of April.
October 17th, 2012 at 11:21 AM ^
with all the other issues on the table. The 4 conference plan wasn't perfect but better than what we have now. Wings get screwed by the schedule more than any other team in the lague which is a joke.
October 16th, 2012 at 7:20 PM ^
Here's an article which, at its end, lists some of the other proposals in the league's offer to the NHLPA. (LINK)
Some of the more interesting ones would include:
- The league and owners want the salary of AHL players to count against the cap.
- Limiting contracts to a maximum of five years, which the players initially did not want.
- Retaining salary arbitration, which the league wanted to end initially.
October 16th, 2012 at 10:21 PM ^
October 17th, 2012 at 12:31 AM ^
October 17th, 2012 at 12:02 AM ^
October 17th, 2012 at 12:23 AM ^
October 17th, 2012 at 8:50 AM ^
The NHL still exists? I am shock.
October 17th, 2012 at 12:39 PM ^
They won't take it, only a $59 Million cap and a max contract length of 5 years. I think it would be a good compromise at $65mil and 7 years