22 Oct
If players and owner do not agree by October 25, 2012, the NHL full season appears to be in jeopardy. The player’s latest proposal calls for 82-game season and 50 – 50 split of hockey related revenues. Players received 57 percent revenue under the recently expired collective bargaining agreement. Owners indicated that players’ proposal will never reach 50-50 within the five year time period and players still are looking for 56 to 57 percent. Players’ association on the other hand indicated that they are bound to lose $1.6 billion in revenue over six year period under the most current proposal from the owners. Owners have quickly rejected the players’ association three option offer and there are no any other proposals pending at this time. So the lockout continues.
The NHL has cancelled all games through November 30, 2012. The New Year’s Day Winter Classic is also in jeopardy if no agreement reached quickly. Impact of the impasse will be huge for the game. Fans will be the losers of the failed negotiations and at the end the game will face a setback. For the sake of the game, players as well as owners need to work quickly to save the NHL season.