Split The Difference, You Fools
All it took was a press conference scheduling announcement to blow things wide open, apparently. The NHL and NHLPA have been offering, final-offering and counter-offering all day, following the NHLPA’s agreement to a salary cap not linked to leaguewide revenues.
The league proposed $40 million, the players caved and offered $52 (both proposals including luxury taxes at the top end and exemption clauses). The NHL issued a “final offer” at $42.5 this evening, demanding a response by 11 AM, and the NHLPA responded at $49 before closing things down for the night.
Before that, the biggest news of the day was Canes owner Peter Karmanos, one of the leading ownership hardliners, shooting off his mouth to the Raleigh paper yesterday before negotiations opened up. So let me say this to Karmanos and his ilk: SPLIT THE DIFFERENCE, IDIOTS. Midway on the first two offers today was $46 million. The second two split at $45.75M. The players have given you “cost certainty,” which you’ve wanted and I believe the majority of fans have supported, and you have given up linkage — which will actually work to your benefit at the end of the proposed new CBA, given inflation and the likelihood that revenues will rise over its term (they can’t get a whole lot worse). We don’t hate you quite as much as we hate Goodenow yet, but that’ll change if you don’t play fair now.
$46 million. GET IT DONE, and give us our hockey back.
15 February 2005 / 3 Comments / Tags: hockey