• HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • Site Index
  • NHL Salary Caps
  • Hockey 101: A Beginner’s Guide
  • Join Our Team
  • Free Newsletter
  • Store
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
Home
The Business of Hockey

NHL and NHLPA Are Still Far Apart on a New CBA

By Michael Rappaport August 16th, 2012

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

With a month remaining before training camps around the NHL open, fans of every team should be excited about the start of a new season. Instead, they are watching the ongoing negotiations between the NHL and NHLPA regarding a new collective bargaining agreement, wondering if as well as when the 2012-13 season will begin.

The current CBA expires on September 15th.   In spite of negotiations that have taken place throughout the off-season and the meetings that have dragged on for the  better part of the last month, there are still a number of differences that remain unresolved.

Both sides have reported there is common ground on some issues, but there is still a meaningful gap when it comes to the core economics of the league. According to Donald Fehr, the executive director of the NHLPA, the reason for the gap is the owners’ initial proposal to the union.

Donald Fehr of the NHLPA (Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE)

“There is a pretty substantial monetary gulf,” Fehr said to a group of reporters in Toronto on Wednesday. “When you start with the proposal the owners made, how could it be otherwise?”

In their initial proposal, presented on July 13th, the owners wanted to cut the players’ percentage of hockey related revenue from 57 percent to 46. This reduction would have cost the players $450 million, and financed all of the league’s revenue sharing.

On Tuesday, the NHLPA offered its alternative proposal to the NHL’s initial offer. According to Fehr, the union is willing to make a concession on hockey related revenue, a move that he estimates could cost the players $465 million over a three-year period, if the league’s growth is the same as it was since 2005-06.

Despite the concession, Fehr does believe that in the long run, the union’s proposal will benefit the league.

“We do believe the proposal the players made, once implemented, can produce a stable industry that going forward can give us a chance to move beyond the recurring labor strife that has plagued the NHL,” Fehr said on Tuesday.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman doesn’t have the same assessment that Fehr does about the union’s proposal:

“It (the union’s proposal) wasn’t particularly responsive to our proposal,” Bettman said. “We value the union proposal and what it means in terms of its economics differently than the Player’s Association does.”

With Fehr scheduled to make trips to brief the membership, he and Bettman won’t return to the negotiation table until Wednesday in Toronto, although they do plan to communicate in the interim.

Bettman made it clear last week at the NHL offices in New York that there will be a lockout if no agreement is reached before September 15th,

“The owners are not prepared to operate under this collective bargaining agreement for another season,” Bettman said on August 9th.

Fehr has maintained that the players don’t view the expiration date of the CBA in the same way that the owners do:

“There’s only one party that’s talking about September 15th. Players haven’t threatened a job action; it hasn’t even been discussed. We don’t want to have to discuss it; hopefully we won’t.”

At this point, NHL fans around the world can only hope that the two sides can get a deal done in the next month.

  • Tags
  • CBA
  • Donald Fehr
  • Gary Bettman
  • Lockout
  • NHLPA
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

Get theScore App Now!
Recent Posts
Jan 22nd 6:25 PM
Column

Winnipeg Jets News & Rumors: Hellebuyck, Scheifele, Ehlers & Connor

Jan 22nd 5:35 PM
Advanced Stats

Kings’ Anze Kopitar Still Has Trade Value, But Big Cap Hit Hurts

Jan 22nd 5:25 PM
Columbus Blue Jackets

Blue Jackets Held Back By John Tortorella’s Stubbornness

Jan 22nd 5:15 PM
Edmonton Oilers

Edmonton Oilers Newcomers Finding Their Roles

Jan 22nd 5:05 PM
Nashville Predators

Predators’ New Third Pairing Paying Early Dividends

Jan 22nd 4:55 PM
Winnipeg Jets

Jets Could Use Heinola’s Offensive Skill & Hockey IQ for Seasons to Come

Jan 22nd 4:45 PM
Carolina Hurricanes

Hurricanes Must Improve After COVID-19 Pause

Jan 22nd 4:30 PM
Nashville Predators

Predators’ Power Play Lacks A Lot

Jan 22nd 4:20 PM
Women's Hockey

Meet the NWHL’s EBUG: Mariah Fujimagari

Jan 22nd 4:10 PM
Calgary Flames

Flames Rewarded Early by New Top Line of Tkachuk, Lindholm & Dube

Editor’s Picks
2021 NHL Draft Rankings: Baracchini's Top 75 Rankings

2021 NHL Draft Rankings: Baracchini's Top 75 Rankings

NHL TV Blackouts & Why They Happen?

NHL TV Blackouts & Why They Happen?

Masthead

Newsletters

RSS Feeds

Privacy Statement

Contact Us

About THW…

Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. Updated daily with news and features from over 130 writers worldwide. Over 2 million monthly readers now come to THW for their hockey fix.

© The Hockey Writers 2020. All rights reserved.
logo
  • HOME
  • Hockey Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • North Division
    • Calgary Flames
    • Edmonton Oilers
    • Montreal Canadiens
    • Ottawa Senators
    • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Vancouver Canucks
    • Winnipeg Jets
  • East Division
    • Boston Bruins
    • Buffalo Sabres
    • New Jersey Devils
    • New York Islanders
    • New York Rangers
    • Philadelphia Flyers
    • Pittsburgh Penguins
    • Washington Capitals
  • Central Division
    • Carolina Hurricanes
    • Chicago Blackhawks
    • Columbus Blue Jackets
    • Dallas Stars
    • Detroit Red Wings
    • Florida Panthers
    • Nashville Predators
    • Tampa Bay Lightning
  • West Division
    • Anaheim Ducks
    • Arizona Coyotes
    • Colorado Avalanche
    • Los Angeles Kings
    • Minnesota Wild
    • San Jose Sharks
    • Seattle Kraken
    • St Louis Blues
    • Vegas Golden Knights
  • World Juniors
  • CHL
    • Ontario Hockey League
    • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
    • Western Hockey League
  • THW Podcast Network
  • Store
  • FREE Newsletter
  • Search THW
  • More…
    • Join Our Team
    • The THW Archives
    • Prospects
    • The Goalie Page
    • NHL Salary Cap Information