How NHLPA Is Winning the PR Battle

On Wednesday the NHL and NHLPA agreed to meet after the players turned down Gary Bettman's request for a 2 week break. As expected the players submitted a new proposal and in almost predictable fashion it was turned down and met with disappointment. Or so the public is lead to believe. Since the two sides accomplished nothing yesterday, we're staying away from the depressing CBA talk and instead focusing on how and why the NHLPA has been able to win the fans support.

Let's get something straight right off the bat; We the public only hear and see exactly what the two sides want us too, which is why there is so much negativity right now. For whatever reason the two sides have decided to paint the picture that things are not going well and neither side has really compromised. Truthfully I don't think they're as far apart as they would have us believe. Just the same as when Bettman called the fans mindless sheep, the NHL and NHLPA know that we are just pawns in their game. If they tell us too jump we will; how else would you explain the swing in emotions on twitter on Wednesday? Whatever they tell the media gets relayed back to us the fans, and because it first passes through the media it will be dramatized.

Make no mistake, Donald Fehr and the players aren't stupid, they know exactly what they're doing and how they're going to win the fans over in the media so they look good. Don't believe me, let's look over some of the quotes from yesterday's media scrum.

"The players are suffering right along with the fans."

By saying that the players are suffering just as bad as the fans it helps draw the fans into the players world and earns them empathy. Fehr is making the fans believe that they can relate to the players and that the players in turn are relating to the fans. What fan doesn't want to hear that the players are in the same boat as them?

Considering there are at least 100 NHL players who have headed over season to play hockey, I don't think they're suffering at all actually. Another thing to note, is the players are still getting payed during this lockout. Sure they aren't getting any of their $6 million a year, but they are receiving money every week.

"We made an enormous move in the owners' direction to try and end it"

This one is pretty self explanatory. Fehr is telling everyone that his side is working hard to find a solution to the lockout and getting back to playing hockey, not only are they working hard they've made some major concessions to get a deal that is closer to the owners requests. Ironic how various members of the NHLPA started to leak their proposal before they even met with the NHL. Public negotiations aren't going to solve anything.

"The players are making enormous concessions to the owners and we want some protection on the downside"

This quote right here does a fantastic job of pinning everyone against the NHL and Bettman. Fehr is insinuating that the owners haven't backed off at all from their original proposal and wont help compensate the players on the concessions they've made. Truth be told the NHLPA hasn't offered many concessions, their "best offer" from Wednesday wasn't their best, you can almost bet that we'll see another one from the NHLPA.

Now back to the notion that yesterdays proposal was immediately thrown out by the league. The NHLPA's proposal was a HUGE step in the right direction and shows that they are willing to cave slightly to get a deal done. Bettman even acknowledged that this was a big move from the players; " There was movement on some issues by the players' association and that was appreciated." This proposal puts the NHLPA and NHL back in the same universe and talking the same

language. Many of the key points from the proposal are perfect starting blocks for further negotiations as long as the two sides are willing.

But the way Fehr and many of the players have been able to persuade the fans is by doing what they know best, whining. Listen to any Fehr press conference, interview, conversation, heck I imagine he even whines in his text messages, he never stops whining. In the same sense look at the players calling Bettman an idiot and their tweets on twitter, it's just nonsense.

https://twitter.com/BrandonPrust8/status/271364641664425984

All the players and Fehr do is whine to the media about Bettman and the owners. It's all about how hard done by they are, how the owners are against them and how they feel like they're the only ones negotiating. I don't know whats worse hearing these lies or the people who actually believe what they're being fed! As much as they want us to believe they haven't really given up a lot and the NHL isn't completely ignoring them. When you look at Bettman during a interview or press conference he doesn't blame the other side or complain that it's all them. He tells it like it is; "both sides are still far apart" Because Bettman is more of a realist and doesn't stoop to play the blame game he gets a lot of blame.

Yes I know it's a tactic and they're trying to win the public over by blaming this lockout on the other side, but they are misleading. Maybe just for a second stop listening to everything you hear on TV and see on the internet. Heck I wouldn't believe anything anyone from the NHL or NHLPA let the "media know". The story of the boy who called woof didn't end well, take note NHLPA.

Latest CBA Talks Bring Optimism

If you follow me on twitter or have read some of my latest articles, you know that I have always been fairly optimistic about these CBA negotiations. Even when the NHL "cancelled" the Winter Classic and fans instantly fled to twitter to share their despair about the season, I was still holding hope that we would see hockey. Finally this weekend the NHL gave me a reason to legitimately be optimistic about seeing some hockey this season. If you saw my article yesterday, I explained my optimism. Although it sounds weird, I'm perfectly happy with the silence coming from the two sides as it means we're inching closer to getting a deal done and some NHL hockey back.

Don't fret hockey fans, there is reason to be optimistic about seeing some NHL hockey in the near future and that optimism comes from silence. The two sides met for a marathon meeting on Saturday that lasted until the wee hours of Sunday and then had a 7 hour meeting on Tuesday and are again expected to meet on Wednesday. The best news that has come from these meetings is the fact there hasn't been any news or rumours leaked to the media, immediately following the meetings.

3 Reasons I'm optimistic that we'll see hockey by December.

1. Media Games Have Finished

With a debacle as big as the CBA negotiations there's always a third side in the matter, the fans. Through the media the two sides have been firing missiles at each other in an attempt to win fan support, just in case the lockout lasts the full season. But the mind games with the fans are just maddening; through the wild circus I've gone from full support for the players, to the owners side to just get a stinkin' deal done! Judging from twitter most fans are now on board with the later side and just want to see some hockey, who cares who's responsible? It's come to the point that if there is a full season lockout, both sides are likely to shoulder the blame from the fans for the loss as both are equally responsible for this avoidable lockout.

Now that the two sides are negotiating strictly between themselves, and aren't posting their proposals online, they can finally begin to seriously talk about the issues. They've put down their guns and have decided that firing shots at each other isn't going to solve anything, about time! Now that the media is getting little to no information about the meetings, its a sign that both sides are making a serious attempt to come to terms on a new CBA and don't want the media to ruin these discussions. The less information leaked the better the negotiations are going. Although we may not enjoy the silent treatment we're receiving, it's key to ending this lockout and getting the game we all love back. The less we hear the better things are going.

2. Bill Daly Stepping Up

There hasn't been much of anything guaranteed or made known to the fans during this lockout. We've been told both sides want to get a deal done and we've seen player after player jump ship to go play overseas. But one thing that has been constant and portrayed to the fans, is the players hate and resentment towards Gary Bettman. The fact they dislike him so much is the driving force behind the NHLPA and has actually worked to unite the players. As dangerous as it may be this may be the most powerful and unanimous players association the NHL has ever come up against, the fact they have Donald Fehr heading things up sure as heck doesn't help matters.

With Bettman directly heading up the NHL and presenting ideas to the players, things haven't gone well and the players have been almost determined to turn down any deal Bettman presents unless it's clear cut the players are getting the better deal. Finally the NHL has seen the light and has taken Bettman out of the direct spotlight and have replaced him with Bill Daly. The marathon meeting on Saturday and the meeting on Tuesday were both headed up by Daly, instead of Bettman, and as a result there was much less hostility between the two sides. They actually sat down, managed to discuss the issues and have a negotiation. Imagine that. The key to calming the players down and getting them to agree on a new reasonable CBA is as little Bettman as possible, as long as Daly is running interference the two sides are able to talk and have no need to run crying to the media.

3. The Owners

The current owners involved in these discussions are not the same owners from the 2004-2005 lockout. What I mean by that, is that these owners are not ready and willing to sacrifice a whole season like they were willing too last time. For some their teams simply cant' afford to miss a whole season for any reason, let alone because Bettman refuses to lose. Teams like Phoenix and Florida have far too much at risk, to have a whole season go by without any NHL action. These owners know that a whole season without hockey isn't going to fly like it did last time as things are different this time around in the eyes of the public. Due to the fact the owners are not willing to sacrifice a whole season, they're not going to let Bettman get away with goofing off during these negotiations and as a result what we are seeing right now between the two sides is because of pressure from the owners on Bettman to get a deal done. If we see the NHL cave, you can thank the owners.

The last reason I'm optimistic about the two sides possibly getting a deal done is the silence. Think about, right before any large storm there is quite and the same thing took place right before both the NBA and NFL ended their respective lockouts. Right before deals were reached the media was fed very little information and then bam, the two sides had agreed on a deal. Hopefully the NHL will follow suit and this long painful silence will indeed be worth it, but judging on the past, the NHL seems to heading down the right path towards ending the lockout. This next two weeks are crucial to determining if a deal will be reached, so expect to hear very little from the either side down the stretch. If it's still quite near US Thanksgiving, there's a great chance we'll see hockey in December, as long as the next two weeks go smoothly there's a chance.

Now you know why I'm optimistic about the NHL, why are you optimistic or are still being skeptic?

Agenda During Latest CBA Talks

The good news right now for fans is the fact both the NHL and NHLPA are at least meeting and talking to each other. In 2004-2005 the two sides went for 3 months without speaking, the longest this time around has been roughly 2 weeks. The unfortunate news is the talks as of late have been focused on the "secondary issues" as neither side is willing to back down from their current proposal.

So what exactly is going on behind closed doors during these meetings? Thankfully my sources were able to pass on some important information from the last few meetings. Here's the just of how things went Monday when Bettman and Fehr got together with their posies.

9:00 a.m.- Let's be real they're not meeting as early as 9.

9:30 a.m.- Donald Fehr and 7 NHL players who have yet to leave for Europe arrive to the meeting a little early to discuss their strategy for today's meeting. Fehr opens with "Let me get this straight, if he's not willing to end the lockout and give the players more money by the end of today you'll be in Europe by tonight?" The Players respond will a resounding "Yes!" "Good what's Bettman going to do with no players?"

10:00 a.m.- Bill Daly shows up alone with a smug look on his face and a cup of coffee.


DF- "Where's Gary?!"
BD- "He's coming, had a rough sleep last night"
TP- "Is he finally feeling guilty about this whole lockout situation?"
BD- "No he couldn't figure out if he wants to cancel another 2 weeks or up it to 3 weeks." Followed by evil laughter.

10:30 a.m.- Gary Bettman finally arrives followed by 3 NHL owners with black eyes.


DF- "You're late Gary!"
GB- " Oh am I? I must have lost track of time. I was just discussing how the owners and I are unanimous about this lockout, isn't that right gentlemen?"
O- "Yes, we all agree."
DF- "Have you brought the files regarding how much revenue the league earned last season?"
GB- "You were serious about wanting to see that?"
DF- "GARY!"
GB- "I kid, I kid. I know I keep telling the public and the TV stations we made tons of money, but we actually lost money. Unless the players are willing to take a significant cut we refuse to continue CBA talks."
Sidney Crosby- "That's it Gary I've had enough of your crap, I'm heading to Europe. I hear the KHL is looking for superstars"
GB- "But Sid you can't go, you're my main money maker! Alright Fehr, have your side prepare a new proposal and submit it to the owners"
DF- "Sure thing, we'll have it to you in 2 weeks"
SC- "Make sure you include the clause that no one is aloud to hit me!"

11:30 a.m. After Bettman reiterates the fact the owners refuse to backdown from their current proposal and the NHLPA may submit another proposal as long as it is reasonable to what the NHL has submitted.

GB- "Well that's enough talking for the morning, why don't we break for an early lunch?"
DF- "But we haven't negotiated anything. We have a season to salvage Gary!"
GB- "Oh there's lots of time for negotiating. Besides no one really tunes into the NHL till late December anyways."
DF- "But Gary what about Canadian hockey...
GB- "Canadian hockey fans?"
BD- "Time to break for lunch"

Bettman jumps up from his seat and heads towards the door followed by the 3 owners and Daly, the quickly vanish out of the building. The players and Fehr remain in the boardroom as the players begin to call their agents to look for teams overseas.

DF- "So are you guys finally ready to accept a smaller piece of the pie?" "Or how about accepting the leagues last offer, it seemed pretty fair"
Dustin Byfuglien- "Did someone say pie?!"
TP- "Go away Byf. Remember Don, you work for us. Whatever we want you said you would be committed to getting. We want a bigger share of the pie and longer contracts.
DF- "Fine, fine I'll make up a new proposal. But this isn't going to get us back playing anytime soon."
TP- "There's the KHL and other markets in Europe, we're not worried."

1:00 p.m. Gary and Bill both return from lunch without the any owners.

DF- " Where's the owners Gary?"
GB- "The owners only need to be present if we're "negotiating" a new CBA. Since the players refuse to accept our offer we're not negotiating today. Now on to the topic for today: Player safety, NHL rules and players commitment to pre-season.
TP- "Wait what do you mean we're not negotiating today? We could sign deals in Europe tonight, how are you going to play without us?"
GB- "Oh I'm glad you brought that up. If the players refuse to come to terms with the fact we the owners will win these negotiations and are still holding out by the end of November, the NHL is fully committed to moving forward with replacement players."
TP- " You're going to attempt to replace us? With who?"
GB- "I don't have to attempt to replace you, I will. There are several AHL players who would love their shot to play in the NHL, and how about all the European players jobs you guys are taking? I'm sure they need a place to play.
TP- "Good luck getting the fans out!"
GB- "The fans are dumb enough to come out and support the AHL players as long as they're wearing NHL jersey's"

2:00 p.m. Gary swiftly changes the talks play safety

GB- "With the rise of concussions, we need to address player safety. Let's bring in Brendan Shanahan"
BS- "The game is so fast it's getting harder and harder to tell if a hit was clean or not"
GB- " If it's a big time player or a rich team's player, it's a clean hit. If it's someone no one has heard of before it's dirty"
SC- " Anyone who hit's me should get an automatic 20 games!"
GB- "Calm down Sid, just send Matt Cooke after them."
GB- "Any thoughts Don?"
DF- "Make the equipment smaller?"
GB- "Naw that won't fix anything, guess there really isn't an answer to this problem"

3:00 p.m. The two sides talk about more secondary issues like medical care, drug testing and player grievances.

GB- "Well that should do it for today's meeting, any last thoughts Don?"

The players quickly surround Fehr and discuss things in a little huddle. After 10 minutes they break the huddle.

TP- "Tell him Don!"
DF- "I suggest we get rid of the Salary cap..."
GB- " Hahahahahahahahahaha. Wait you were serious? You do realize we sacrificed the whole 2004-2005 season in order to get a salary cap right?"

4:30- Bettman decides the meetings for the day are complete and leaves the room with Bill.

There you have it folks, an inside look at the NHL CBA talks. Will we see an end to this madness soon?

 

Where You Can Find Players During a Lockout

 

The mood around the NHL right now is sombre and tense. Will there be a lockout or will we get to see hockey?
The best way to lighten a mood and break the tension is to laugh. That's why today's piece is guaranteed to make you chuckle and forget about your lockout blues.

We'll be taking a look at where you can find some NHL stars and what they'll be doing while hockey is on hold.

Raffi Torres- Anger Management Classes

Torres is the type of player who skates the thin line between tough guy and all around idiot. He received a 25 game suspension for a hitting Blackhawks Marian Hossa in the head. Prior to the Hossa hit Torres had been suspended twice for hitting opponents in the head. During the lockout you can find Torres taking some anger management classes to help him channel another outlet for his anger so he no longer feels the need to take out star players because they get more ice time or score more goals than himself.  You can tell if the classes have taken worked when he goes to hit another opponent; Does he leave his feet and leap at the players head or simply drive his elbow into their head?

http://youtu.be/W2mX7LqBGo4

Ilya Bryzgalov- Teaching a class about the Universe

Did you know that the universe is "humongus big"? True story, I learned it from Bryzgalov. During to the the 24/7 series that followed the Flyers up to the Winter Classic, fans were treated to a little peak inside the Russian goaltenders mind. As it turns out Bryzgalov is obsessed with the universe, unfortunately for Flyers fans he wanted to see if he could get his Goals Against Average to be as "humongus big" as the universe which he studies. Good news for students you can expect the goalie to be at a school near year teaching about the universe and the solar system. In edition to teaching about the universe he will also be teaching courses on personality and how to handle the media.

http://youtu.be/OtaWkLFfevc

Alexander Ovechkin- Starring in Music Videos

On top of being one of the best hockey players in Bryzgalov's "humongus big" universe, Ovechkin also likes to spit out the rhymes. A video came out in January that featured the Capitals captain rapping in a Russian Music Video. No need to cry for Ovechkin during the lockout, he has a pretty solid backup plan that pays just as well as a hockey career. Look for Ovechkin to realize his own music videos and maybe even sign a record deal this offseason, after all he's pretty "ill".

http://youtu.be/qhhzC7rzre0

Henrik Lundqvist- Touring with his band

On top of being one of the best goalies in the NHL, the most stylist athlete and an al around classy guy, Lundqvist can "shred" pretty hard on the guitar. During the offseason the Rangers goalie spends time with his band and playing gigs, looks like he has his backup plan all worked out. Rockstars also make some pretty decent money.

http://youtu.be/vDXnlB9obDU

Sidney Crosby- Reliving his glory days with the TimBits

Over the last two seasons Crosby has had nothing but trouble with concussions and "concussion like symptoms". Right now he claims to be fully healthy and ready to go, too bad there's going to be a lockout. Why would Crosby risk getting hurt playing in the KHL or in Europe when he can play with little 6-7 year olds who can't cause any harm to him, heck they can't even reach his head.

http://youtu.be/a7fKuOMo2r4

Tim Thomas- Run for Congress

Thomas has reached a point in his career where he no longer cares what people think of him, he made that very clear this season by expressing his multiple political views. Thomas had a crazy season mixed with poor play and politics. He's already stated he will take the season off to focus on his personal life and to once again become true to himself. Who know's maybe we'll see him run for congress, can you imagine President Thomas? If you get handed a pin with his face on it or see a poster that says "vote for Thomas" do society a favour and tear it down.

Ryan Miller- Protesting Hitting

After Milan Lucic ran over Miller in a game last season, Miller stuck around to share some words about his feelings towards Lucic. While I myself do not support the hit, the scenario itself turned out to be pretty funny. Look for Miller to be in the stands at OHL or AHL hockey games offering to do post game press conferences about dirty hits. Who know's maybe he can even get his own segment where he chimes in about how he feels about a player after a hit.

http://youtu.be/FvE82q4yKEM

Patrick Kane- Party Rocking



Whether their is a lockout or not, Kane knows what to do when he's not busy playing hockey. Pictures and articles have leaked about Kane being a partyanimal and getting drunk. Kane will be happy with a lockout as it means he can party non-stop without having to worry about hockey. If you go to a pary during the lockout be on the lookout for Patrick Kane, he'll be the life of the party. Special tip, don't ride in a taxi cab with him!

There you have it folks, a light-hearted article poking a little fun at some of the players. Hopefully there is no NHL lockout and we wont see the players in the scenarios above.

 

<p>This post is an official entry in the <a href="http://www.scottspicks.com">ScottsPicks.com</a> <a href="http://www.scottspicks.com/sports-writing-contest.htm">Writing Contest</a>.</p>

NHLPA Presents Counteroffer

At the beginning of the day things were very tense in the hockey world. Players were not very happy Gary Bettman had even mentioned a lockout. With the newly set September 15th deadline, one wrong move and the 2012-2013 NHL season will not start on time.

On Tuesday Donald Fehr and 23 players making up the NHLPA presented their counteroffer to the leagues original offer. The NHL presented their initial offer one month ago which included: a reduction of the players revenue shares (down to 43&%), new policy that players must spend 10 years in the league before becoming eligible for unrestricted free agency, limiting the length of contracts to five years and extending the length of entry-level contracts to five years.

The initial response from those in the hockey world was that the two sides were far apart. The question became how far apart? On Tuesday we got our answer. To the surprise of many the two sides no longer seem as far apart as once feared. Representatives of the league even said "It wasn't as bad as they feared it would be".

The reason there is a sense of optimism around the league is because Fehr and the NHLPA played it smart. The players showed the fans that they want to play hockey and aren't entirely focused on the money. They knew exactly what the league would object too (causing a delay in the start of the season) and went in with a game plan, now the ball is in the leagues corner.

“We do believe the proposal the players made today, once implemented, can produce a healthy and long lasting labour relationship and eliminate the labour strife that has plagued the league for the past two decades.” ~Fehr

While the exact details of the NHLPA's "alternate system" weren't released to the public as Bettman wanted more time to read it over, the major point was the players are willing to accept less money if it means playing hockey. A point that would make the league and Bettman very happy. In the leagues initial offer they proposed lowering the players share of league revenue, something the players were originally not too happy about. But as the meeting finished today the players were singing a different tune.

"Under our alternative proposal, essentially the players have indicated that they will take a reduced share of HRR, going forward, for the next three seasons," Fehr said. "That would be based on a reduction from what would be produced otherwise under the current formula with the league growing at traditional rates that it has for the last seven years. ~Fehr

While the players version of taking less money is the opposite of what the league envisioned it is still intriguing. What the NHLPA has said is for the next 3 years (possibly 4) the players will take a smaller cut of the action. Depending on the revenue going forward the players would be forfeiting between $400-$800 million dollars. The best part of the proposal is the players even had an idea on where the extra money should go, and no it wasn't to Bettman.

"In essence, when you boil it all down, what we're suggesting is that the players partner with the financially stronger owners to help stabilize the industry and assist the less financially-strong ownership groups." ~Fehr

One of the major issues with owners (especially those of smaller market teams) was the fact they weren't getting a big enough cut compared to some of the larger market teams. That issue appears to be fixed.

Things that were not brought up in the players "alternate system"

• Removing a hard salary cap


•  The length and structure of players contracts

While the fans and the NHL had to wait one month, yes one month, for Fehr and company to make their first offer to the league it appears to have been well worth the wait. Despite Bettman's deadline of September 15th there is optimism in the air thanks to the players and their efforts to salvage a season. They played it smart pinning small market owners against large market owners and winning the fans vote by stating they are willing to accept less cash. It now lies solely on Gary Bettman's shoulders. Exactly one month to make a deal!

What do you think, will we see hockey start on time?