NHL - wird doch noch gespielt ?

[dino´s best fan!]

Season could be un-canceled Saturday

ESPN.com news services

There might be an NHL season, after all.

Several sources have told ESPN The Magazine's EJ Hradek that a deal is imminent that could un-cancel the 2004-05 season.

The Hockey News reported Friday that the NHL and the players' association will meet Saturday in New York after the league requested the sides get together again. The Hockey News also reported the two sides had reached an agreement in principle that includes a $45 million salary cap.

Asked if there was any way a deal won't get done, a player close to the talks who asked to remain anonymous told The Hockey News, "Not that I can see. I couldn't possibly imagine the idea that somebody is going to try to make a name for themselves in the last minute here."

However, NHLPA spokesman Johnathon Weatherdon told Canada's TSN on Friday night that "the [Hockey News] report is absolutely false." And NHL vice president Bernadette Mansur denies that the two sides have agreed to a deal in principle, saying it is "simply not true."

On Wednesday, commissioner Gary Bettman canceled the season, saying it was too late to play any semblance of a schedule. The cancellation made the NHL the first major North American sports league to lose a full season to a labor dispute.

Or did it?

In a statement released Friday night, the players' association said the NHL made the offer late Thursday night to get back together. NHL spokesman Frank Brown told ESPN that the league had no comment on the reports.

There was no immediate word on who would take part in the meeting, although TSN reported that NHL vice president Bill Daly and NHLPA senior director Ted Saskin -- who Hradek reported was traveling to New York on Friday night -- will be in attendance. TSN said Bettman and NHLPA executive director Bob Goodenow may not be directly involved in the meeting.

Both TSN and The Hockey News reported earlier Friday that Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux are in New York taking part in the talks, but the Canadian Press reported it wasn't clear if the two would actually join the official discussions Saturday.

A second source confirmed to The Hockey News that Lemieux traveled to New York on Friday.

One general manager told The Hockey News that Bettman used the cancellation to force Goodenow's hand -- i.e., if Goodenow thought he could maintain his reputation of being a successful deadline hunter, he was wrong.

"I think the timing has always been to get an agreement so that we can play," said New Jersey Devils president Lou Lamoriello, who has taken part in previous negotiations. "Right now, it's still get an agreement, and then if we get an agreement, then can we play?

"I think it's a little different than it was before," he said.

Hradek reported that even if an agreement is reached, there is no guarantee a season will be played this year.

"The way everything has transpired, nothing surprises me," said Lamoriello, who declined to say whether he would be in attendance Saturday.

Daly was involved in a closed-door meeting Friday evening and declined to comment.

There hadn't been any official contact between the NHL and the players' association since Tuesday night -- when the sides traded what they said were final offers.

All proposals were rejected, and Bettman went ahead and canceled the season Wednesday at a news conference that was scheduled two days earlier.

The Canadian Press reported that some players, owners and general managers agreed $45 million was the magic cap number to get a deal done. But, according to the CP, neither side initiated talks in the last 12 hours leading up to the cancellation.

"I don't think anything was premature. It was a necessity," Lamoriello said. "It didn't appear to be going anywhere and there was too much jockeying going on.

"Right now, there's a chance of people getting down to possibly getting this done," he said.

Bettman said in a letter to Goodenow on Tuesday that the league's salary cap proposal of $42.5 million was as far as he could go and that there was no time or flexibility for negotiation.

Goodenow sent a letter back, proposing a soft cap at $49 million that could be exceeded by as much as 10 percent by teams twice during the course of the six-year deal.

It appeared there was momentum toward reaching a deal and that the season had a chance to be saved, since the sides were only $6.5 million apart on their cap numbers. But talking ceased after each side sent two letters to the other on Tuesday night.

There were big breakthroughs Monday in Niagara Falls, N.Y., when the NHL agreed to drop its demand that player costs be linked to league revenues and the union, in turn, came off its steadfast opposition to a salary cap.

"We got through the philosophical end of it, so there's a better chance, but I think there is still a lot of work that has to be done and it still takes some time," Lamoriello said.

Bettman said the NHL couldn't afford the union's final proposal and said if all 30 teams spent $49 million on player costs, then more money would be paid out to players than last season.

Rumors began to swirl on Thursday, once the realization set in that the season had indeed been canceled.

"A lot of players, owners, managers saw how close the two negotiating teams got to a deal and I think people are just exploring if that can be explored any more," agent Pat Morris said Friday. "I don't know if it'll have a successful conclusion."

Bettman has said that teams lost more than $1.8 billion over 10 years -- the last time a collective bargaining agreement was reached. The previous lockout cut the 1994-95 season down to 48 games per team.

NHL clubs claim to have lost $273 million in 2002-03 and $224 million last season.

Bettman said that a deal would have to be in the drafting stages by the end of last weekend if there was going to be time to play a 28-game season and a standard 16-team postseason.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.


http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=1994750

[dino´s best fan!]

Ein Finne hat auf HF-Boards einen Artikel von einer finnischen Website teilweise übersetzt... Darin heisst es, dass die Spieler in Europa zurückgerufen wurden!

NHL players playing in Finland have received confirmation on the end of the lock-out. HPK's Riku Hahl: I have information that the deal is already done.

Tappara's Ville Nieminen has also received information that the lock-out is over. "It's certain enough that I've made arrangements to to return to NA next Tuesday"



Und noch mehr:

"The deal is done," former NHL left wing and current Pittsburgh Penguins radio analyst Phil Bourque said Friday night. "There will be an announcement tomorrow (today)."

While media reports in Canada late Friday suggested an agreement is imminent, Bourque cited another contact.

"I have an incredibly reliable source that has been giving me inside information from players, agents, owners, arena workers," Bourque said.

"I'm dead-set convinced."

Bourque is a former Pittsburgh teammate of Penguins player-owner Mario Lemieux, and he said he skated with Lemieux recently, although Bourque said the two had not spoken Friday.

[dino´s best fan!]

CBC News correspondent Tom Harrington is in New York, and he reports the NHL plans to hold a press conference later Saturday, ...

http://www.cbc.ca/story/sports/national/2005/02/19/Sports/hockeytalks_resume050220.html

[dino´s best fan!]

Von hfboards...
4:00pm ET update: TSN says the press conference is called off. Howard Berger says he doesn't know anymore.


Ausserdem hat gerade ein Reporter von Fan590 gesagt, dass er Bill Daly direkt nach dem Meeting angesprochen hat! Daly hat gesagt, das es definitiv keinen Deal für diese Saison gibt! Es wird nun für die nächste Saison geplant...

[Dennis88]

[size=18px]NHL COLLECTIVE BARGAINING UPDATE, FEBRUARY 19 [/size]

NEW YORK (February 19, 2005) - Representatives of the NHL and NHLPA met for approximately 6-1/2 hours today to discuss collective bargaining matters but made no progress toward a new agreement. No further talks are scheduled. The League was represented by Bill Daly, Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer; Wayne Gretzky, Managing Partner, Phoenix Coyotes; Mario Lemieux and outside counsel Bob Batterman. The NHLPA was represented by Ted Saskin, Senior Director; Trevor Linden, NHLPA president; Vincent Damphousse of the Colorado Avalanche; Mike Gartner, Director of Business Relations, and outside counsel John McCambridge.

Following the meeting, Bill Daly released the following statement:

"We met for six hours today in New York to further explore the possibility of reaching a new Agreement with the Players' Association. Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux joined and participated in today's meeting, at the request of the Union. We talked through the parties' respective positions on the numerous elements that would be involved in designing a new salary cap-based system. The talks were cordial and informative, but revealed that there remain significant differences that need to be discussed and resolved by the parties. No new proposals were made by either side. While no new meetings are scheduled, we remain committed to continue working through the process until a new Agreement can be reached."

Wayne Gretzky made the following statement:

"Mario and I were happy to be part of the process and everyone seemed to work very hard together. We had a constructive meeting and we only hope they will continue meeting for the betterment of the NHL and its fans."

Mario Lemieux made the following statement:

"I hope all parties continue talking and come to a solution for the betterment of the game. I certainly appreciate the work Gary and Bill have done a lot more, now that I have been part of one of these sessions."



http://www.nhl.com

[Anderson#37]

Wer mag, kann sich in eine Unterschriftenliste eintragen, die den beiden Gegnern klarmachen soll, was ihre Fans von ihnen denken:

http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?nhl0405c&1

[Pantherjoe]

Quelle: Bild am Sonntag vom 20. Februar 2005

DEL vor Spieler-Chaos
Von KURT HOFMANN, ALEX VON KUCZKOWSKI und NICK SEELIGER

Klub-Besitzer und Spielergewerkschaft konnten sich nicht auf eine Gehalts-Obergrenze einigen. Deshalb wurde die Saison der amerikanischen Eishockey-Liga (NHL) letzten Mittwoch abgesagt. Jetzt die Blitz-Wende...
Die Streit-Parteien trafen sich gestern in New York zu neuen Verhandlungen. Angeblich haben sie sich auf die Einführung der Gehalts-Obergrenze von 45 Mio. Dollar pro Verein geeinigt.

Chaos in der DEL. Müssen alle 24 NHL-Stars, die derzeit in Deutschland spielen, sofort wieder weg?
Die NHL will spielen - und der erste US-Profi sitzt bereits auf gepackten Koffern. Paul Mara (Phoenix) vom Letzten Hannover verkündete gestern seinen Abschied: „Zu 99 Prozent ist die Sache durch. Am 1. März geht's los."

Auch Lance Nethery, Manager von Meister Frankfurt, geht vom NHL-Start aus. Frankfurts letzter NHL-Import Doug Weight (St. Louis) reist gar nicht erst an.

Besonders schlimm würde es Ingolstadt treffen. Der Tabellen-Vierte beschäftigt gleich vier Profis aus Nordamerika. Manager Stefan Wagner: „Wenn's wirklich los geht, war unsere Taktik falsch."
Boris Capla, Geschäftsführer in Hamburg: „Die DEL-Meisterschaft würde zum Witz. Alle Teams die jetzt oben stehen, wären plötzlich viel schlechter."

[Lucky]

Code: Alles auswählen

Boris Capla, Geschäftsführer in Hamburg: „Die DEL-Meisterschaft würde zum Witz. Alle Teams die jetzt oben stehen, wären plötzlich viel schlechter."

Und alle Teams, die keine NHL-Spieler verpflichtet haben, haben evtl. doch noch alles richtig gemacht.

[Tom]

Komisch, daß Mara dann heute gespielt hat, oder?

[meise77]

Code: Alles auswählen

Boris Capla, Geschäftsführer in Hamburg: „Die DEL-Meisterschaft würde zum Witz. Alle Teams die jetzt oben stehen, wären plötzlich viel schlechter."

Und alle Teams, die keine NHL-Spieler verpflichtet haben, haben evtl. doch noch alles richtig gemacht.

Für den AEV aber (aus sportlicher Sicht) vielleicht zu spät... Wäre schade...

[Ratman]

Komisch, daß Mara dann heute gespielt hat, oder?

BamS halt mal wieder. Die haben wohl nicht mehr rechtzeitig vor Andruck die aktuelle Entwicklung "drüben" mitbekommen. Und die Geschichte mit den gepackten Koffern klingt mal wieder nach Erfindung. Machen die Leute von Bild ja ganz gerne mal. Ich empfehle hierzu http://www.bildblog.de

[Uvira]

NHL talks on hold after tough weekend

Canadian Press

2/20/2005

NEW YORK (CP) - Jarome Iginla sighed at the other end of the phone.

Devastation doesn't come close to describing how the Calgary Flames superstar felt after hearing how bad Saturday's NHL labour talks had gone.

"It's beyond that," he said. "It's such a sad situation for hockey. It's way past anger and frustration. It's like a nightmare that won't end."

At least this chapter of the nightmare is finally over. After Saturday's failed talks ensured there won't be a 2004-05 season, it's time for both sides to sit back and regroup.

The league will hold a board of governors meeting within the next two weeks while the NHL Players' Association will gather most of its membership for a powwow in the next month or so.

Both sides need to figure out their next move. There's no book written on the subject given that no other major pro sport has ever cancelled an entire season from start to finish.

"It's uncharted territories, where we go from here I don't think anyone is quite sure," said NHLPA president Trevor Linden.

The league, for one, would like to resume labour talks sooner rather than later. It's no secret commissioner Gary Bettman would love to have a deal in place by May. That would provide enough time to save the NHL entry draft as well as allow for teams to reach out to fans and corporate sponsors, and for the league to market itself with new rules meant to open up the game.

So despite the fact there won't be in hockey games this season, the league still feels pressure to soon make a deal so it can work on relaunching itself. The players? Well, their next paycheque isn't due until next October.

"I'm not sure that I would sense that sense of urgency," NHLPA senior director Ted Saskin said when asked about the league's wish to settle before the draft.

"We all have something at stake in terms of eventually getting an agreement, but I think it is true that with the cancellation of the season and the fact that everybody worked so hard over the last few weeks to try to get something done, it's going to take a certain amount of time (to regroup)."

Linden, meanwhile, has seen better days. The likeable and passionate Vancouver Canucks centre deserves credit for asking Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux to take part in Saturday's session, hoping the presence of the two legends would help change the dynamic in the room and perhaps be the final link that could lead to a breakthrough.

But Gretzky, the managing partner of the Phoenix Coyotes, and Lemieux, the Pittsburgh Penguins player/owner, never got a chance. By the time both sides further entrenched their positions during the 6-hour meeting, the gap had widened considerably.

Hockey fans - those who still care - got their hopes pummelled for the second time in four days, yet another reminder how much work awaits both sides in winning back ticket-buyers when hockey resumes.

Gretzky has too much class and too much respect for the game to ever say so publicly, but he was surely burning inside as he left New York on Saturday night. He was brought in to help close the deal, but left realizing just how serious the problem really is.

"We clearly understood at the end of the day that we were as far apart as we feared we were when the season was cancelled Wednesday," said NHL executive vice-president Bill Daly. "So that was just a confirmation of where we thought we were on Wednesday."

To the outsider, it all seemed so easy. The league's final offer Tuesday had a $42.5-million US salary cap, the union countered with $49 million. Sign off on $45 million Saturday and call it a day.

As it turns out, a salary-cap figure was never even brought up.

"The misconception was that the negotiation was over a (salary cap) number," Linden said.

Said Saskin: "I don't want to get fixated on what the number would have been for the upper limit because how that number is impacted by the various issues and the details underneath it are really the critical things. The number is really just the tip of the iceberg."

The union wanted more details on the league's final offer, and found a system it felt it could not live with:

- The union expected the cap figure to increase over the six-year term as hockey revenues increased, but the league said the number would stay the same;

- Revenue sharing was once again a bone of contention: "While we were told earlier in the week that the NHL's revenue sharing plan would not decrease over time, the plan they revealed could decrease significantly over the term of the agreement," said Saskin;

- The union expected a payroll floor (minimum) but the league said it wanted only a maximum payroll cap;

- And the NHLPA anticipated using most of the system from its Dec. 9 offer, "with a couple of exceptions to be discussed," the NHL changed too many of the components for the union's liking, "particularly in the area of salary arbitration and qualifying offers."

In short, it wasn't even close.

"I can't see anything worse than what they put on the table," said Saskin.

The league was also mystified, privately stunned that the union didn't deliver a new offer with a $45-million salary cap as had been rumoured in the 24 hours heading into the meeting.

"The bottom line is, our understanding was that this meeting was for them to come forward with a new proposal but it never got to that point," said Daly.

Noticeably absent Saturday were the two leaders, Bettman and NHLPA executive director Bob Goodenow. The truth is that the league didn't want Goodenow in the room, just as the union would prefer Bettman to stay away.

It doesn't exactly paint a healthy picture for the future of this labour disagreement when the two leaders are no longer welcome in the negotiating room.