You know the story reported in good faith all week by journalists covering the owners’ lockout, that the league would be willing to withdraw most, if not all, of its proposed freedom restrictions other than the one on front-loaded contracts if the players would agree to go 50/50?
Well, it’s not true, not any more, if ever.
For this from an individual in the room for Friday’s negotiating sessions and confirmed word-for-word by Slap Shots by a source across the aisle:
“Near the end of the meeting, Don [Fehr] said to Gary [Bettman]: ‘Let me get this straight. Even if the players agree to every single component of the league’s economic plan, we still don’t have a deal unless we also agree to every one of your proposed changes to player contract rights?’ ”
To which, both of our sources reported, “Gary said: ‘Yes.’”
* The No Hockey League demonized Bob Goodenow in 2004-05 and shattered the players’ union in the process. Now the NHL is demonizing Fehr, hoping the strategy undermines the Players’ Association yet again.
Goodenow, hot-blooded, reacted emotionally to assaults on his character. Cool Hand Fehr, quite in contrast, laughs it all off, allows owners’ attacks on his integrity to roll off his back. And then gets back to work.
None of this is personal with Fehr. He is unflappable. Union business is transparent — as transparent, in fact, as the owners’ greed.
* It is no surprise at all, but Jeremy Jacobs, the militant Boston owner who acts as chairman of the Board of Governors, is in full support of a plan that would benefit his pockets at the expense of his team.
This, after all, is the individual whose miserly ways finally drove Raymond Bourque out of Boston in search of a Stanley Cup.
The league’s latest proposal not only calls for an immediate dive to a 50/50 split of hockey-related revenue, but allows for only one season of transition — this one.
This means that the cap for 2013-14 would be set at approximately $59.4 million, thus leaving numerous clubs with essentially no space to sign (or re-sign) the approximately 250 players whose contracts are due to expire following this season.
Under this scenario, the Bruins — who do not have an NHL goaltender under contract for next season — would have approximately $6 million available to fill eight roster spots after placing Marc Savard on long-term injury list.
The Blackhawks would have approximately $2 million to fill six spots. The Wild, represented on the league’s negotiating committee by owner Craig Leipold, would have about $8 million to fill seven spots, the same situation confronting the Rangers.
The Canucks would have about $4 million to fill 10 spots. The Sharks, whose ownership has emerged as one of the more hawkish in the league, would have about $5 million to fill nine spots. The Lightning would have approximately $2 million to add eight players. The Flyers would have about $2 million to fill seven spots.
Absent amnesty buyouts — not yet discussed — the Canadiens would be over the cap on a 16-player roster.
But then, this league administration believes in genetic engineering. Its commitment is to the lowest common denominator, not to excellence. Every component of the league’s core belief system is designed to punish successful big-market franchises by legislating ways to prevent those teams from remaining intact.
Every core component of every league CBA proposal this time around is meant to restrict the players’ rights to choose.
What the league is proposing — no, what the league is demanding — is that the players accept the most restrictive system in pro sports.
Concede on rights. Concede on money. If a beer company were running an advertising campaign on this, it would be: “More filling, tastes lousy!”
It is, by the way, unknown from how many menu items the PA was allowed to order yesterday when the parties did lunch in Manhattan.
* Allow me to apologize for passing along misinformation on my @NYP_Brooksie Twitter account on Friday that the NHLPA had proposed the players be paid their full salaries for this season. Not so.
There was much confusion into the night on this one, but the true story is the union was basing its revenue projections off a hypothetical full 2012-13 and not a hard-dollars share for this year. Indeed, the PA expects pay to be prorated for this season.
I choose to believe that my original sources made a mistake and were not intentionally attempting to deceive, but the mistake was mine in forwarding the reports absent confirmation.