Is there a solution looming.

This is good news... Right?

NHL-NHLPA meeting still going....
— Pierre LeBrun (@Real_ESPNLeBrun) November 7, 2012

#CBA As of 9:25 p.m. ET, talks between NHL/NHLPA still ongoing. Interpret that as you wish...
— Katie Strang (@KatieStrangESPN) November 7, 2012

Tweets of the day - CBA, Preseason killed

Parise considering job in Switzerland; Parise, Koivu crunched by Big John; Rest of #NHL preseason canceledstartribune.com/sports/blogs/1…
— Michael Russo (@Russostrib) September 27, 2012

I think we're going to see a lot more NHL Players start heading overseas soon if we don't see some movement in the CBA Negotiations.

There's a stunner RT @nhl: NHL announces cancellation of remainder of preseason schedule.bit.ly/QXuMTZ
— John Forsyth (@blackbear93) September 27, 2012

ICYMI Mathew Dumba is on a list that allows him to be recalled when the Lockout ends. bit.ly/P92aoV #mnwild #wildprospects
— Nate Wells (@gopherstate) September 27, 2012

CBA Meetings Planned Through Sunday: from the CP at TSN, The NHL's collective bargaining talks are set to restart... dlvr.it/2DVl7s
— Kukla's Korner .com (@kuklaskorner) September 27, 2012

I have a bad feeling and this labor dispute could go on for a very long time. I like many NHL hockey fans are feeling more powerless by the day.

NHL Cancels Remaining Preseason Games: NEW YORK (September 27, 2012) – The National Hockey League announced today... dlvr.it/2DVl6C
— Kukla's Korner .com (@kuklaskorner) September 27, 2012

Rest of #NHL exhibition season bagged officially, but #cba negotiations to resume (kinda) Friday in NYC #nhlpa #lockout
— Rob Rossi (@RobRossi_Trib) September 27, 2012

NHL cancels rest of preseason schedule bit.ly/V1Alof
— John Vogl (@BuffNewsVogl) September 27, 2012

CBA update

This is what the Commissioner of the NHL Gary Bettman had to say about the NHL Owners second proposal.

"We need to get on the same page on the economics," Commissioner Bettman said, "and we're hoping that by virtue of the proposal we made today that there will be some traction and that there will be a framework for the negotiation."

"We believe we've made a significant, meaningful step," he added. Bettman also said, he said it was "a significant proposal with meaningful movement."

This what the head of the NHLPA Donald Fehr has to say about the proposal.

"It's a proposal that we intend to respond to," said Fehr. "I'll leave it at that."

While there won't be a response today, there should be a response by the players tomorrow according to Fehr. 

“There’s not a lot to say today,” Fehr said. “We want to work further on it overnight. We have an expectation, based on what we know now, that we’ll get back together tomorrow afternoon.

“It is different in some respects from before, but I don’t want to categorize it until we have an opportunity to really go through it and we understand it and come up with an appropriate response.”

Looks like the owners latest proposal is asking for a 52/48 split from the players - so there is some movement.

Darren Dreger from TSN tweeted this break down of what the Owners proposed today - you can see that the owners are going for the 50/50 split.

NHL lockout: raw power to the players

This is a good read that I found today’s Vancouver newspaper the Providence – this year’s CBA negotiations almost seems like a case of déjà vu – we have seen this act before – didn’t like it very much the first time. The Owners led by Gary Bettman are going to bully the players – the owners are hoping that the players will start squabbling among themselves – when this happens the owners begin the break the players down they will then get an agreement.

Tony Gallagher, The Province --- It is about naked power and leverage, nothing more. The players had to know that, because after they hoisted the white flag and agreed to give the owners everything they wanted after the last lockout, the owners retained the same leadership. To expect a different approach now would be unrealistic.

And the key word in that last paragraph is ‘agreed.’ The players eventually agreed to those conditions.

Not only is Gary Bettman still at the helm, it’s the same law firm calling the same shots, which were called the last time, from the same firm calling the shots employed by the NFL and the NBA owners. So there are no surprises here.

In an excellent piece a couple of weeks back, Larry Brooks of the New York Post asked what people would think of the players if they, like the owners are doing now, basically insisted upon a 24 per cent raise in all their negotiated salaries before they took the ice this season. And he pointed out that’s exactly what the owners are doing by insisting the players take rollbacks again this time on contracts that both parties have already freely entered into. Good point.

We are going to have a lockout this season. I believe that there is no way to avoid it; It’s my prediction that hockey fans are going to lose at least a ¼ to ½ of the 2012-13 season.

Why the whole season won’t be lost… During the 2004-05 season the owners waited the players out. This time we won’t lose the whole season. When the lessor paid players hockey players start feeling the pinch of the lockout – this is when the players will succumb to the owners demands. The lesser paid players will pressure the higher paid players to settle so they can go back to work and make a pay check.

Much like 2004-05, fans are going to fill the void of not having the NHL with NCAA Hockey, AHL and JR hockey. One will also have more time, to keep up with their favorite sitcoms. Lastly, there will be more time for family members because there will not be as much hockey on the television.

Bettman proves that he is a ________!

If you had any hope of the CBA getting hammered out by the September 15, 2012 - those hopes were squashed today. This is the zinger that Commissioner Gary Bettman uttered today at the end of 90 minute negotiating session between the NHL Owners and the NHLPA.

Gary Bettman:"we believe that we are paying the players more that we should be."
— Renaud P Lavoie (@RenLavoieRDS) August 23, 2012

Jesse Spector of the Sporting News has a really good story on Bettman's comments that he made today and lets just say that the NHL's Commissioner isn't going to make a lot of friends with the fans and with the players.

Based on the comments that Bettman made today - we can say that the good will is over and it's game on now.

As fans we just hope that we don't have another lost season. As it stands right now, Bettman is bound and determined to lock the players out because he can.

Jesse Spector Sporting News --- Another difference between Bettman of early August and Bettman of late August is that the younger Bettman expressed a “need” to lower costs, which was understandable. For teams that are struggling financially now, or that would be in several years under the current system as leaguewide revenues outpace local revenues, spending to the NHL’s salary floor is becoming an annual challenge. Seven teams finished 2011-12 under the projected $54.2 million floor for 2012-13 under the current CBA.

Contrast that with Thursday, and “we think we’re paying too much in salaries.” That’s a shift from a statement of plain-to-see fact to difficult-to-grasp opinion, and one that comes off as entirely hypocritical in the face of the $196 million the Minnesota Wild spent this summer on Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, or the Nashville Predators’ matching the Philadelphia Flyers’ $110 million offer to Shea Weber.

The counterargument to that is that teams are just playing by the rules of the current CBA, trying to compete as best they can. But the NHL’s owners did not become owners by making stupid business decisions, and it would be a lot easier for Bettman to make his case if star players were only getting offers from teams in the biggest markets. There’s a salary cap and a salary floor, and when the small-market Predators talk about wanting to be a cap team, it doesn’t do much for the case that the players are currently overpaid.

I agree with Spector – seriously – how can these NHL owners pay these outrageous salaries to the NHL players and then turn around and in the next breath say that they are paying too much in player costs? It makes no sense what-so-ever – or at least from a sane person’s point of view.

Let’s not forget that they want to also limit player salaries to five years also – so what do they do they turn around and sign players to 6,7,8.9, 10-13 year deals.

I don’t think I am missing the point – if you’re hurting financially you don’t go out and spend a bunch of money that you claim that you don’t have.

Is anyone taking these guys serious when they wheel their representative – who is pompous, condescending, mealy mouth jerk – this is also the same guy that has preceded over two other work stoppages and in his smug way say’s that the NHL owners are paying players too much and they need to wheel back the players salaries and oh yeah the Edmonton Oilers just paid Taylor Hall who has played in the NHL a grand total of two seasons 6 million a year over 7 season.

Bettman’s kick to the groin of hockey fans

Twitter has kind of blew up this afternoon with posts from NHL Hockey fans, agents and journalists about Gary Betman's announcement that there will be no NHL season without a new CBA - the NHL owners will lockout the NHL players if the two sides do not reach an agreement by the 15th of September.

I think it's kind of a kick to the groin because there is no reason the two sides can't come to an agreement before the season is to begin. It sounds like the two sides are far apart and might want to get talking if they are to reach a deal some time in the near future.

I think it would be a very bad idea for the owners to lock the players out. That being said there are some really good tweets and posts out there right now that kind of layout what is at stake here.

Damien Cox from the Toronto Star has a really good article that he wrote today.

Pay no attention. Ignore them.

That's about the best advice anyone can give a hockey fan these days as the NHL and NHL Players Association start the verbal sparring of yet another round of collective bargaining negotiations that almost certainly will result in another work stoppage.

For the "crime" of loving the game too passionately and supporting the 30 NHL clubs too enthusiastically in the wake of the last lockout, NHL fans and customers will now pay the price of watching the league and players demonstrate once more they care more about the business of the game than the sport or the fans.

They'll shut the game down, at least for a while, because the fans didn't punish them emphatically for shutting it down the last time. And it appears nothing will stop that from happening.

Mark Spector of Sportsnet.ca has a really good article on dispelling some CBA myths. Spector has five myths to dispel and I like this myth the best.

Myth No. 5: There's no reason for the owners to lock out the players. Let's just start the season under the terms of the old CBA.

So union head Don Fehr says there is no reason to delay the start of the season. That is within accepted labour practices for the NHL to start the season under the terms of the current CBA, and continue to negotiate.

That is a fine strategy by Fehr, but unless nine-tenths of a new CBA is agreed upon by Sept. 15, it is completely unrealistic.

The fact that the owners cut the checks is the NHL's biggest hammer. If they start signing checks, what impetus is there for the players to accept the owners' terms?

How about this: The games go on as scheduled, but the players play for free until a deal is reached? Can you see that happening?

I don't think the players would like this one unless the owners would agree not to be paid either. Without the players there is no NHL.

Fehr, 'still sufficient time to get NHL deal done'

I must say that I agree with the Head of the NHLPA – I also don’t see a reason to have a lock-out either. There is lots of time to get an agreement on a new CBA and in my opinion a lock-out does nothing for progressing the game of hockey after making much progress with exposure the last five seasons or so. Why not negotiate through at least the pre-season.

The NHL and the NHL Players' Association can agree there's still more than enough time to reach a new labor deal even though the union has yet to submit a counteroffer with less than six weeks left before the current collective bargaining agreement expires.

“I don't think time's running out yet,” Fehr said by phone Monday from Barcelona, where he met with about 40 NHL players. “I still think if the parties are dedicated to it, there's sufficient time to reach an agreement.”

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly concurred.

Daly declined to discuss the NHL's plans if an agreement is not reached by mid-September. [Associated Press]

Who is to blame? 

I am going to respond to a comment a fan made on a blog post that I wrote yesterday by someone named Bar Down, this is the comment that he posted, “Don't the players have something like a 57%-43% split??? What other sport is that uneven? I could be wrong...but if I'm right you must quit blaming the owners.” I do blame the owners – who else is culpable? The players were offered the current outrageous salaries by the owners. Do we blame Zach Parise, Ryan Suter and Shea Weber for their multiyear million dollars salaries? If the owners are willing to agree to these salaries I don’t blame the players for signing the contracts and taking the money.