Winter Classic could be in danger with looming Lockout -NHL Update
The regular season is definitely in jeopardy as both sides of a new labour deal negotiation, the National Hockey League (NHL) and NHL Players Association (NHLPA), up in arms over a deadlock between each other on a number of different issues.
With the September 15th expiration date of the current collective bargaining agreement closing in, it seems like a lockout has become more and more of a possibility and should not be ruled out in any case at the moment, that is unless a miracle
does come into play.
“You can get into speculation and drive yourself crazy trying to wonder what somebody else is thinking,” Bruins defenceman Andrew Ference said. “You control what you can and we can control how we respond. I’m sure there’s isn’t one unified [ownership] feeling
on all those issues. One team might feel differently than another because they’re in different situations in different markets. We don’t view Sept. 15 as a be-all and end-all date. We need to work through that date with a system so we don’t have to re-visit
this in four or five years and do it all over again.”
In less than a decade, the NHL is set to go into another lockout, of which there is no limit to the extent it might last, but some analysts are terming the annual NHL Winter Classic to be a real deadline if the current one does pass.
Initially, it was believed that despite the September 15th deadline passing, both sides would agree on continuing with the current one until a new deal was not reached but the league has confirmed that they would not be siding with that lenient
option at any cost.
The main battle seems to be the share of team revenue with the players, to which the NHL is wanting to cut from the current 57 percent and lower down to 46 percent. The NHLPA has boldly let the league know of their desire not to go with that proposal in
any sense and the will to fight till the end to get what they term to be a ‘fair’ deal.
Tags: