An NHL Player's Unadulterated Opinion On Why There's A Lockout

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Let's get this straight: This is not a PR piece. You've seen enough of those and, frankly,I don't really care to attempt to sway public opinion. The fact is you are pissed at allof us. Owners, players, commissioner, everyone. And I would be, too. A game that maderecord setting revenue last season and that is gaining popularity everywhere is being shutdown. Doesn't seem to make much sense, does it? Why I am writing this is to help peopleunderstand how this happened and where we go from here (well, that and because I don'tcurrently have a job).I will start by saying I am 100% behind our union. Wehave stability, have been well informed and are fully confident in Donald Fehr and hisstaff. Did we anticipate missing games? Not really -- especially when we saw that thenumbers at the end of the year were record-setting. But that is where we are now, and wehave to stay the course and deal with it. The thing that is frustrating for usas players is this is the third time (second of my career) the players have been lockedout by Gary Bettman and the owners. When I look at that, the first thing I think is thatit shows a lack of respect for the fans. Secondly, it says to me that a lockout is theowners’ choice form of negotiation and that they are 100% comfortable taking alock-them-out-and-see-how-they-react approach. Lastly, and most concerning for players andfans alike, is the fact that the owners, under the guidance of Bettman, have shown thatthey are willing to let an entire season burn to accomplish their plan.I, forone, have been through one full season of an NHL lockout. The claim then was that certainteams were struggling financially and that player-salary restrictions were the only way tofix this *(remember this). After one full year of sitting (and certain aspects of ourunion crumbling), it came down to a vote and the players accepted the owners’proposal. This was a proposal that was supposed to, without a doubt, fix the economics ofprofessionalhockey. It was the owners’ proposal. The NHL now operated under a salary cap,and all players’ contracts, that we had signed in good faith with the owners, werereduced by 24%. In short, the owners got everything they wanted.Now fastforward seven years. After player concessions and a new agreement, the league hasflourished. HRR (hockey-related revenues) have grown from $2.1 billion to $3.3 billion.The salary cap system has worked and kept parity in the league. So there could be nopossible way the league would shut down again, right? Wrong. The owners have locked outthe players again, and guess what they're claiming? *Certain teams are strugglingfinancially, and player salary restriction is the only way to address it.Now,it would be completely ignorant of me to dismiss the fact that certain franchises arestruggling financially. We all know this. The NHLPA has acknowledged this, and we arewilling to make changesto help this group of teams -- but only this group ofteams. We have no problem helping struggling franchises, but we also need revenue-sharinghelp from some of the "big market teams." A reduction in player salaries, withoutmore, provides additional income to all the teams. In a league withrecord-setting revenue, there is certainly a solution in distributing revenue amongstruggling franchises. That solution will not be to take it all back from the players,this time around.Athletes are paid exceptionally well for what we do, and I amthankful for that. But I am also mindful of what is reasonable and what is not, and we arenot about to settle for less than a fair agreement for owners and players alike. So itdoesn't matter to me if you pick sides, or if you're mad at everyone involved. But youshould know the fansare what make this game special. I think we can all agree that over 1,300 games lost tolabor disputes is absurd. So why not make the voice of the fans heard? You'd be surprisedwho will listen. Continue Reading

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