Gary Bettman infuriated players across the table from him at NHL headquarters on Thursday — and, by extension, NHLPA membership — by claiming that a number of general managers had told him they regret some of the contracts they previously had handed out and would welcome the opportunity to “dismantle” their teams in order to meet the steep drop to the league’s proposed $60 million cap for 2013-14, sources told The Post.
The players responded with a mixture of anger and skepticism, demanding to know the identity of these alleged general managers. Bettman refused to name the straw men in seeking to counter the players’ position that adopting a $60 million cap — even with two amnesty buyouts — would be punitive against big-market, big-spending franchises.
The incident, which the PA interpreted as an indication of the Canceler-in-Chief’s lack of respect for the athletes, serves as an example of why negotiations between the NHL and union broke down Thursday after having taken baby steps toward resolving Lockout III.
The union believes the league’s stance changed after PA executive director Don Fehr decided against filing a disclaimer of interest at Wednesday’s midnight deadline that would have sent the dispute to court. The PA believes the NHL pulled a bait-and-switch in the immediate aftermath of Fehr’s continued commitment to the collective bargaining process.
The NHL, sources said, attempted a late change in the language regarding penalties for clubs caught hiding hockey-related revenue (HRR) through audits by the NHLPA.
The previous CBA and previous proposals stipulated clubs in violation of HRR-reporting requirements would be fined $1 million plus the loss of one first-round draft pick for a first offense, with a second offense carrying a fine of $5 million plus three first-round picks.
The NHL on Thursday attempted to change that so Bettman himself would decide all the penalties. The league withdrew the changes when the PA objected.
And in one development that is all but impossible to believe but has been confirmed by several sources, the NHL also proposed that it be allowed to re-open the CBA if an arbitrator confirms an NHLPA audit that the league is hiding a substantial amount of HRR, with the amount pegged at 2 percent.
It is as unclear whether that proposal remains on the table or whether it is meant to be taken seriously. Rest assured, however, the players took it very seriously, adding to their perception that the NHL had pulled a bait-and-switch on them once the disclaimer deadline passed.
The union has responded by authorizing yet another vote to empower Fehr to disclaim.
The PA and NHL were meeting separately with a federal mediator yesterday morning. The league has established a deadline of Friday for reaching an agreement to save the 2013-14 season.