Season officially over

Sportsnet is reporting that there will be no deal to save this season and that the NHL is now looking to next season. Daly: Focus on next year Sportsnet spoke to Bill Daly Saturday afternoon, who said it is now too late for a season and the focus will shift to getting a deal done ASAP and preparing to come back as strong as possible next year. Sportsnet.ca -- Not even two of hockey's most revered figures could uncancel what commissioner Gary Bettman made official just three days ago. UPDATE: No new proposals were exchanged at the New York meeting, contrary to rumours the NHL was preparing a new proposal. The 6 p.m. ET press conference scheduled by the NHL is likely not going to happen due to the lack of progress. Sources within the negotiations told Sportsnet, "The number was a huge problem. The league wanted the same number for six years, $42.5 million, not being indexed (non- inflationary) over the course of the agreement. It was more than just a number, it turned out to be a ton of things as we dove into it." Gretzky and Lemieux were on hand to try to save the season acting on behalf of the owners, but again the differences proved to be too much. Original Darren Dreger to Bill Daly question: Dreger: Can a season be saved? Daly: No. Focus is getting a deal done ASAP, and prepare to come back as strong as possible next year. Details to follow ...

Lockout update: meeting on, deal off

Yesterday's reports from The Hockey News -- which said that a deal had already been agreed to -- were "entirely untrue and without foundation," according to NHL vice president Bill Daly. Still, the sides are meeting now in New York in the hopes that a thirtheenth hour deal can be reached. There is no word on who may or may not be involved at this point, though it's believed that Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux have both traveled to New York. TSN is reporting that a source close to the talks is saying the chances of a deal being brokered today are "very remote." Not quite the optimism from yesterday, but it's definitely a good sign that they're talking. Check back for more later as I'll be updating things when I can. UPDATE (4:30 pm): The meeting is over and no deal has been reached. Things appear as bleak now as they did at 1:00 Wednesday afternoon. Just three days after cancelling the 2004-2005 season, both the NHL and NHL Players' Association met in New York for 6 1/2 hours in an effort to table a new collective bargaining agreement and perhaps save the season - again. TSN's Bob McKenzie reports that no progress and no deal have materialized yet, while no further talks are scheduled at this point. A source close to the talks added that despite the presence of Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux, the situation was "not good".

Enough already

I thought I was finally done with the NHL this season, and then this story breaks. Compared to what Bob McKenzie had to say on Wednesday morning before the cancellation of the season, he seems very optimistic about this meeting: There is a possibility that the deal may already be done insofar as there's not much point in getting back together again and having public negotiations on Saturday. I would have to think at this point, the NHLPA knows exactly what would work for the NHL and the NHL knows exactly what would work for the NHLPA. I'm not saying it's a mere formality that they'll get together on Saturday and get it done but I would have to think both parties know each other's position pretty well at this point. That's what the back channel communications do. But at the end of the day, by labour law, the bargaining units for the NHL and the NHLPA must conclude this deal so it will be an interesting Saturday I'm sure. UPDATE (10:45 pm): The Hockey News is now reporting that there is a deal in principle that would include a $45 million salary cap and games played this season. Don't hold your breath, but things seem pretty optimisticat this point. I certainly feel a lot better than I did the past couple of days.

It's over

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has officially cancelled the season. I don't know that I'll have more later. I may not be blogging for a while.

NHL Letter

This was sent to me this morning from the NHL: Dear Matthew, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman will hold a news conference in New York Wed., February 16, at 1 p.m. ET. NHL.com and NHLCBANews.com will stream the press conference live. UPDATE (11:45 AM): The Associated Press is reporting that the deadline came and went with no news one way or the other. Shortly after 11 a.m. Wednesday, the NHL said nothing happened at the deadline -- but gave no immediate indication of whether the season was on or off. NHL chief legal officer Bill Daly told the Associated Press in an e-mail Wednesday morning that there was no contact or discussions between the sides since they exchanged letters the night before. Meanwhile, TSN.ca is reporting that Bettman will indeed cancel the season this afternoon. The National Hockey League's deadline for the NHL Players' Association to accept its $42.5 million hard cap proposal has passed, with all signs pointing to commissioner Gary Bettman announcing the cancellation of the 2004-2005 season at a 1pm et/10am pt news conference in New York (live on TSN and TSN.ca). The league has already sent out memos to its teams saying that it has not contacted the union since Tuesday night, and the season will be cancelled.

Still on schedule

All press conferences are still on schedule for today. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is scheduled to hold a press conference at 1:00 PM this afternoon in New York. The press conference will be carried live nationally by ESPN and, in Philadelphia, by Comcast SportsNet. (You can also find the press conference online at www.nhl.com and www.nhlcbanews.com.) Locally, this will be followed by a press conference at 4:00 PM with Philadelphia Flyers president Ed Snider, also to be carried on Comcast SportsNet. (Most, if not all, owners are expected to hold their own press conferences in their own cities.) It is also expected that NHLPA head Bob Goodenow will hold his own press conference at some time. UPDATE (9:25 AM): Hopefully it's just posturing, but most likely not. The NHLPA has announced that Executive Director Bob Goodenow will hold a press conference at 4:00 PM today. Interestingly, the press conference is scheduled to be held at a hotel in downtown Toronto and not the NHLPA offices. The general thinking is that this is to allow room for several players to be present thus showing their support for the union, which is rumored to be fractured beyond repair.

Crunch time

Another set of letters went back and forth late last night between Gary Bettman and Bob Goodenow, with Bettman rejecting Goodenow's "final" offer and Goodenow arguing with Bettman's logic. Dear Bob: It was disappointing to receive the fax of your "final" offer. We would have been prepared to propose and negotiate over a "de-linked" maximum team salary sooner, but the NHLPA had been consistent in stating that the players would never accept a salary cap. We only learned in the mediation process on Sunday that you would entertain such an offer, which is why we asked for a meeting yesterday and made the "de-linked" proposal. If every team spent to the $49 million level you have proposed, total player compensation would exceed what we spent last season and, assuming for discussion purposes, there was no damage to the game, our player compensation costs would exceed 75% of revenues. We cannot afford your proposal. Our offer of earlier today was a $75 million increase over the offer we made yesterday. I hope you will accept it, and that we can move forward and negotiate the myriad of other issues that need to be addressed. Sincerely, Gary B. Bettman Commissioner Dear Gary, This is in reply to your most recent letter. 1. Your claim that the Clubs ''cannot afford'' our proposal is based on your hypothetical fear of what would happen if every team spent to the $49 million level the Players have proposed. The notion that ''every Club'' will spend at the $49 million level is contradicted by years of actual payroll experience under the old CBA system and by Exhibit 12 of your December 14 document (attached for your recollection), in which you projected 24 teams well below the $49 million level after the rollback. Further, this experience is based on an environment without revenue sharing, taxes on team payrolls and the numerous new system restrictions. 2. Based on your own calculations from Exhibit 12, over 21 Clubs are spending significantly less than your team payroll limit number of $42.5 million. I am at a loss to understand how you suggest your offer earlier today represents a $75 million dollar increase when it only impacts the spending of nine teams! You will receive nothing further from us. Regards, Robert W. Goodenow Executive Director & General Counsel

The final nail in the coffin?

Apparently, I can't type fast enough. As I was typing up the last update, TSN.ca posted breaking news that Gary Bettman has rejected the player' latest offer of a $49 million salary cap. Check back tomorrow for details.

Are they or aren't they?

The FAN 590 -- in its 20/20 Sports Updates -- at first reported that the NHL and the PA were meeting "covertly" in or near Niagara Falls, NY, which was the site of last night's meeting. Now they are reporting that rumors are surfacing that there haven't been any meetings and that nothing is scheduled. Other reports suggest that yet another counter proposal is in the works. UPDATE (7:12 pm): TSN.ca is reporting that no meetings took place at all today, and that Commissioner Gary Bettman has made a "final offer" to the Players' Association that ups their cap offer to $42.5 million and also includes a deadline of 11:00 AM tomorrow morning to accept or reject the offer. Here is the full text of the letter Bettman sent to Bob Goodenow containing this offer: Dear Bob: We attempted to reach out to you with yesterday's offer of a team maximum cap of $42.2MM ($40MM in salary and $2.2MM in benefits) which was not linked to League-wide revenues. As Bill told Ted, "de-linking" a maximum team salary cap from League revenues and total League-wide player compensation has always been problematic for us, especially since we cannot now quantify the damage to the League from the lockout. This presents the risk we will pay out more than we can afford. As you know, if all 30 teams were to spend to the maximum we proposed, and if the damage to our business is as we discussed at our meetings in New York, then the League would continue to lose money. I know, as do you, that the "deal" we can make will only get worse for the players if we cancel the season - whatever damage we have suffered to date will pale in comparison to the damage from a cancelled season and we will certainly not be able to afford what is presently on the table. Accordingly, I am making one final effort to reach out to make a deal that will let us play this season. We are increasing our offer of yesterday by increasing the maximum individual team cap to $44.7MM ($42.5MM in salary and $2.2MM in benefits). This offer is not an invitation to begin negotiations - it's too late for that. This is our last effort to make a deal that's fair to the players and one that the Clubs (hopefully) can afford. We have no more flexibility and there is no time for further negotiation. If this offer is acceptable, please let me know by 11:00 A.M. tomorrow, in advance of my scheduled press conference. Hopefully, the press conference will not be necessary. Sincerely, Gary B. Bettman Commissioner UPDATE (10:23 PM): TSN.ca is now reporting that the Players' Association has rejected the owners' offer -- see above update -- and have sent the NHL a counteroffer that lowers their salary cap level to $49 million. Here is the full text of the letter Goodenow sent to Bettman with this offer: Dear Gary, Yesterday afternoon, Bill Daly presented us with an offer from the League that, for the first time, was not linked to League-wide revenues. We appreciated your willingness to adjust your position and we worked to respond in kind. By evening, we had fashioned and reached out to you with an offer from the PA that included, for the first time, a team maximum cap. This offer built upon the 24% rollback and other changes in favour of clubs, which were presented by the Players on December 9, 2004. As you know, and as Ted told Bill, our offer of a team cap represented a radical step for the PA. We took this step because we too believe that our sport will be damaged greatly by the cancellation of this season and the continuation of the lockout through next season. We wish that the NHL had offered a no linkage proposal before yesterday so that negotiations in that arena could have commenced sooner. However, we recognize that they did not and we agree that time is short. In that spirit, and in a final attempt to reach an agreement, we are adjusting our offer of yesterday in two respects. First, we are reducing the maximum individual team cap to $49 million in salary, which does not include the $2.2 million per team in benefits due. Second, we will adjust our exception provision so that it is available to teams only twice during the six year term and for up to only 10% over the limit of $49 million (to $53.9 million), at the tax rate of 150%. The exception provision is important so that a successful team does not have to arbitrarily dismantle its roster after it has achieved particular success or is in a unique phase of its player roster cycle. I have attached a short summary of the main deal points discussed by Bill and Ted yesterday, as modified above. I can be reached at the usual phone numbers. Regards, Robert W. Goodenow Executive Director & General Counsel NEW CBA DEAL POINTS 1. Term - 6 full seasons (through 9-15-11). 2. CBA System Incorporation of NHLPA December 9, 2004 proposal into the recently expired CBA, with indexing of financial provisions (per diems, etc.) at 2% per year, with the following additional changes requested by the NHL yesterday: (a) Increased salary arbitration rights for Clubs -- to be agreed upon. Salary arbitration available after Player leaves Entry Level System. (b) Cap on Exhibit 5 Individual B Performance Bonuses -- to be agreed upon. (c) Replace NHLPA Revenue Sharing Plan with NHL Revenue Sharing Plan to share at least $88M in each year of the Agreement. Clubs may credit any payroll taxes paid against their revenue sharing contribution. 3. Team Payroll Limit - $49M in salary and bonuses 4. Minimum Team Payroll - $25M (each team can fall no more than 10% below only twice during term). 5. Minimum Player Salary - $300K (as per NHL Proposal) 6. Payroll Taxes - $40M - $43M (25%) $43M - $46M (50%) $46M - $49M (75%) $49M - $53.9M (150%) only twice per team during 6 year term 7. Indexing of Tax Rates and Payroll Minimums & Maximums All dollar amounts would be in place for 2004-05 (pro-rated) and 2005-06. Dollar levels for tax rates, payroll minimums & maximums for subsequent years either constant or increased by % change in greater of either hockey related revenues or only the gate receipts and broadcasting segments of hockey related revenues from the 2005-06 base year. 8. 2005 Playoffs 55% of playoff revenues to be paid to Players for the 2005 playoffs.

Counterproposals

Some details of the NHL and NHLPA offers from last night can be found here. UPDATE (1:25 PM): The Philadelphia Inquirer's Tim Panaccio has some details on the genesis of the players' salary cap proposal from yesterday: Yesterday, there appeared to be an undercurrent of support from players to steer the negotiations toward a proposal in which the players would accept a salary cap at a figure higher than $45 million and not tied directly to league revenues. The proposal was drawn up by St. Louis' Chris Pronger and Calgary's Jarome Iginla. Flyers center Jeremy Roenick has been canvassing other players to see whether they would support such a plan. "I was involved with a group of NHL players who were trying to get to as many people as possible to come on board with a resolution that works for both sides," Roenick said last night from Phoenix. "The proposal has to have a number that is not tied to revenues."

Preaching to the choir

TSN's Bob McKenzie takes both the owners and the union to task for waiting so late in the game to move on the key issue. What is really pathetic about this whole negotiation process is that it took to the final 48 hours and the setting of a 1pm deadline on Wednesday for there actually to be some negotiation and some compromise for these two guys to get into the same universe. That is really sad because that is an exercise that should have happened months ago. If it had happened months ago, we might be in a situation where the NHL and the NHLPA could negotiate the numbers. As it stands now, they are so far off in terms of what is required to get this done and how they are going to do it, that there simply isn't the time to make it happen. There is a deal to be made, but they didn't leave themselves with enough time to do it. It's obvious the season is history, yet the hockey fan in me says there's still a chance, that there's always been a chance. Either way, I'm just glad that we'll finally have an answer in about 24 hours.

Lockout update

There were several key developments -- boy, there's an understatement -- that occurred over the weekend and yesterday. On Thursday, both sides stomped their feet on the ground and said they wouldn't be talking anymore and appeared more than willing to let the clock run out on the season. On Sunday, the federal mediators from the US -- which, it turns out, have been in contact with both sides throughout the lockout -- sat down with the two sides -- sans Gary Bettman and Bob Goodenow -- for about 5 hours to try to get something done. The result was the usual: nada. Yesterday brought word that the NHL had set a news conference for today, at which time Bettman was expected to officially cancel the season. Today comes word that last night the news conference was pushed back to Wednesday. This was the result of a secret, late night meeting between Bill Daly and Ted Saskin. At this meeting the NHL moved off of linkage between salaries and revenues for the first time during the lockout and offered a straight cap. The NHLPA, in a stunning move, then countered this by saying they would be willing to accept a cap of $52 million, including the 24% salary rollback from their December 9 proposal and significant luxury tax penalties. The NHL flatly rejected this offer, saying they could not go above $40 million on a hard cap if there is no linkage to revenues. At this point, I'm fuming. Both sides have finally caved enough to get a deal done and they're still going to blow it. They've agreed to a a salary cap and are now just $12 million apart on the number. SPLIT THE DIFFERENCE, YOU MORONS!! The NHL can give in by setting the cap at $46-49 million, and the PA can give in by increasing the tax penalties even more. There is room to get this thing done and let both sides claim a victory. Will they take it? **I was away from the computer most of the weekend, so I didn't get any of this news until this morning. For more detailed updates, check here, here, and here.

Talks resume

Canadian Press is reporting that talks have resumed late this morning in Toronto between the NHL and the Players' Association. Updates coming as necessary. UPDATE (12:35 PM): Scott Burnside, writing on ESPN.com, takes several potshots at Bettman and yesterday's offer from the owners: [T]his deal is no different than any of the others offered up by Bettman. It has an idiot-proof salary cap, this time buried under a lot of dressing. In the end Wednesday hockey fans got a little bit of what they craved. A line in the sand. An end point. A moment of truth. A deadline. What they didn't get was a real shot at a solution. The most telling part of Bettman's address was his rationalization for a proposal that is essentially two different philosophies jammed uncomfortably into the same collective bargaining agreement, as opposed to an actual negotiated settlement. "We didn't seem to be able to come up with a middle or common ground," Bettman said. That's because he never looked. Ouch. UPDATE (3:30 PM): The Fan 590 is reporting that talks have broken off for the day with no progress made. The meeting took place from about 11:00 AM to about 3:00 PM. NHL chief legal officer Bill Daly is scheduled to speak to the media at around 4:00 PM. UPDATE (5:00 PM): I'll have some quotes up from Daly's press conference sometime tonight. Not suprisingly, it doesn't sound good. NHLPA senior director Ted Saskin is scheduled to hold a press conference in about 15 minutes. UPDATE (8:48 pm): I was going to post some of the quotes from the two press conferences, but then I found that Off Wing Opinion had already taken care of it. So, instead of typing them up all over again, I'll just link over to Eric's site for you. I will, however, leave you with one quote each from Bob Daly and Ted Saskin that illustrate exactly where the negotiations stand. Daly: We will not reach out to the union at this point Saskin: We're not going to pick up the phone this weekend.

Developments

A story broke early yesterday that various anonymous league sources were confirming that a final deadline would be set on or about this coming Tuesday to cancel the NHL season if no deal were reached. Later in the day, word leaked out that there had been a secret negotiating session in Toronto, and at that meeting the NHL had made yet another proposal that the NHLPA rejected. Today comes word of what the offer actually entailed: it started with the players' offer of December 9 -- a 24% rollback on all salaries, a weak luxury tax, etc. -- and added to it the owners' offer of February 2 -- a salary range of $32 to $42 million per team, with total player compensation not to exceed 55% of league revenues, etc. -- and a deadline set at the end of this weekend to get something done. The proposal called for the new CBA to start with the player's offer and -- if any one of four separate triggers were reached -- would then become the hard cap of the owners' offer. The four triggers were: If the league pays out more than 55 per cent of its revenues in salaries If any three teams have a payroll of more than $42 million US If the average payroll of the three highest-spending teams is more than 33 per cent higher than the average of the three lowest spending teams If average team compensation exceeds $36.5 million It seems to me that this is about the best offer the players can hope to get -- which is what NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. The players made their offer on December 9 saying it was a fair offer and that it gave the NHL everything they wanted in controlling costs. Now the owners are essentially saying, "Prove it. We accept your offer, and if it doesn't work then let's try our system." Union chief Bob Goodenow rejected the offer outright, saying that at least one of the four triggers the NHL proposed would be met immediately. This is a fair point and begs the question, "If the triggers were negotiated to higher levels, would the deal then be acceptable?" The PA has claimed all along that NHL is refusing to negotiate. Well, this is hardly the case now. The owners have come in with a fantastic, last-minute, compromise offer and it's the players that aren't talking at all. The one good thing is that, one way or another, this thing will all be over by Sunday night.

Winging it

Brian Peoples at the Philling Station gives a short history of the Philadelphia phenomenon known as Wing Bowl, along with some details of this year's event. I still can't believe this thing has become as big as it has -- to the point that people were turned away at the door this year.

Enough already

Terry Frei, writing on ESPN.com, likens the lack of negotiations in the NHL labor dispute to torture, looks for some closure on the season, and provides a blueprint for what should be done. If an agreement were reached by February 8, a 24- or 28-game regular season would have been not an abomination, but a potentially thrilling rejuvenation, and it wouldn't have required shoving the postseason back much -- if at all. Negotiations should have been ongoing, passionate and constructive, and one doesn't even need to "pick" a side to subscribe to that view. But, my God, dragging this on any longer would be torture. For those of us paying attention, at least. It'll be like Gary Bettman running his fingernails down the blackboard while Bob Goodenow reads in a monotone from the Revised Statutes and Yanni performs his greatest hits over in the corner. For as long as this continues. Instead of letting that happen, whether for two more days or two more weeks, the NHL should shut it down. Announce the season is over. Don't pretend to have any hope. And do whatever is possible to lay the groundwork for getting this settled in time for training camps to open on schedule next September, with a new agreement in place and on-ice issues addressed as well. I can't say I disagree with the torture analogy, though I do disagree with his argument about waiting until next year to play. I want hockey now, and would settle for a 2 game season if it were feasible.

Maybe it was Willie Beamen?

In shades of Any Given Sunday, Donovan McNabb was apparently too sick ( free registration required) to even call plays in the huddle by the end of the game.

Recaps

Shallow Center spreads a little of the blame to everyone and is now officially ready for Spring Training. Boats Against the Current discusses losing a wager with one of his brothers-in-law and the psyche of the Philadelphia sports fan.

Disappointment

That's what I feel after watching Sunday's game. There were my hometown Eagles, playing on the world's biggest stage, in a dogfight with the best football team ever. The game was tied at the end of the first, second, and third quarters, before the Birds fell a field goal short. While it's possible to take solace in a three point loss to the best team in the league, it's also possible to realize that the Eagles had about 345 different opportunities to win the game and decided to fold instead. Down 10 with around 6 minutes to go in the game, Andy Reid suddenly looked like he had taken some online courses from the Mike Martz School of Clock Management. And Donovan looked like the Donovan of 2002. The positives that I'm taking from the game are this: hope that Todd Pinkston's big first half will erase his "for who, for what" season and allow Reid to trade him for a pick; the awe that I now hold for Terrell Owens and his abilities (as if he needed a reason to be more popular in Philadelphia, Owens returned in six weeks from a broken ankle and torn tendons to catch 9 passes for 122 yards -- possible MVP numbers if the Birds had won); confirmation that Brian Westbrook is a truly special player; and proof that LJ Smith is now our starting tight end. My lasting hope is that the circle is now complete. It has been almost 22 years since this city last saw a major championship, when the 76ers beat the Lakers in 1983. Since that time, the Flyers have been to the Stanley Cup Finals three times and lost (1985, 1987, and 1997), the Phillies have been to the World Series twice and lost (1983 and 1993), the 76ers have been to the Finals and lost (2001), and now the Eagles have lost in the Super Bowl. Perhaps, collectively, these teams have now exorcised the city's demons and can turn their fortunes around.

Talks to resume

Negotiations between the NHL and NHLPA are set to resume today in New York. Talks lasted until about 10:30 last night, with neither side commenting on the substance of the discussions. UPDATE (11:30 AM): The Fan 590 -- a sports radio station in Toronto -- is reporting that both sides entered an office building on 53rd St in Manhattan around 10:00 this morning.

A season on the brink

ESPN.com is reporting that an anonymous owner is claiming that the season will be cancelled as early as the end of today's "negotiating" session. If true, the NHL would be the first professional sports league to lose an entire season to a labor dispute. I have two thought processes on this. One says that this is absoloutely accurate and comes as no surprise whatsoever. However, the conspiracy theorist in me says that this is a planted story from the league to help spur today's negotiations along. UPDATE (9:40 PM): The two sides began their meeting at about 1:30 this afternoon with no word throughout the day on the progress of the negotiations. A statement was released by the league about an hour ago. "In deference to the process, there will be no comment, and no further update is expected tonight." One can only take this as positive news, that both sides realize -- finally -- what awaits them if they continue down the path they've been on.

William Blake??

Many thanks to Tom at Shallow Center for beating me to the punch -- so to speak -- about Cole Hamels.

Union rejects offer

The NHLPA yesterday rejected the latest formal offer from the NHL, which was still based on a salary cap and also included the players' offer of a 24% rollback in salaries. Talks are set to resume today in the New York area, this time with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and union chief Bob Goodenow in attendance. It is expected that Goodenow will negotiate off of the players' last proposal of December 9. TSN.ca contemplates the many legal avenues that may be taken in the near future.

Tell us how you really feel

Eric at Off Wing Opinion -- a fantastic Washington, D.C.-based blog -- offers a Bronx cheer instead of congratulations to Gary Bettman on the 12th anniversary of his hiring by the NHL. You really can't argue with his logic, either.

Players not quite putting their money where their mouths are

Locked out Detroit Red Wings Derian Hatcher, Kris Draper, and There It Is Enemy #1 Chris Chelios have signed to play with the Motor City Mechanics of the United Hockey League. Kevin Kerr, the all-time minor league goal-scoring leader, sums it up best: The hypocrisy of it is unbelievable. They don't want a salary cap, but they'll come to a league that has a salary cap and take someone else's job . . . I make $700 a week, and I have a wife and two kids and a mortgage payment. Here I wish I could play in the NHL for a fraction of what they make, and here they're going to come play in our league for $500 a week. It's really bizarre . . . I don't think those guys have ever wondered about working a day in their life. They probably make more in a week than I do my whole season.

Eleventh hour effort to save season?

Has it really been three weeks since I last posted? Okay, I need to get back in the swing here. It turns out I was very wrong about the official cancellation of the NHL season being days aways -- on December 13 no less! Three weeks and a few meetings later and nothing has changed. The most recent meeting between the improvised group of NHLPA Trevor Linden, NHLPA senior director Ted Saskin, NHLPA outside counsel John McCambridge, Harley Hotchkiss (co-owner of the Calgary Flames and chairman of the NHL Board of Governors), New Jersey Devils GM Lou Lamoriello, NHL oustide counsel Bob Batterman, and Bill Daly, the NHL's chief legal officer took place on Thursday night. After the meeting, Saskin was quoted as saying the two sides have "philsophical differences" while Daly ran out the company line about a productive meeting and open dialogue. ESPN.com is now reporting that a meeting is scheduled for tomorrow, in either Toronto or New York. Bob McKenzie, writing on TSN.ca, reveals some of the details of the plan that may or may not have been offered by the league last week and most certainly will be offered tomorrow. Some points include: a six year deal, with an option for then NHLPA to unilaterally cancel the deal after the fourth year; a total league wide link of player salaries to 55% of league revenues; if spending on salaries exceeds 55% of league revenues, the NHLPA must reimburse the league; conversely, if salaries are less than 55%, the league must reimburse the Players' Association; an individual team salary range of $32-$42 million, including player salaries, benefits, insurance, etc.; the appointment by the league and the PA of an auditor to determine mutually agreeable league revenues and profits that the owners and players would share equally (50-50) in excess of $115 million (this included a heavy penalty system for teams found guilty of under-reporting revenues and profits); a salary arbitration system that allows the teams to take players to arbitration, not just the other way around; lowering the free agency age from 31 to 30 On the whole, I think it's a good starting point. There are concepts in the proposal that have some wiggle room, though I'm getting sick of talking about them. At the start of this whole thing, I was clearly in the owners' corner. Now, though, I'm definitely on my own. I just want some stinking hockey, dammit. Both sides have acted terribly through this process -- or lack thereof, with the fans and the non-player employees suffering the most. It's high time for the charade to end and for some hockey to be played.