Michael Farber has published a text that follows from the not-so-stunning 3-2 Canadian victory over Finland last night in the World Cup of Hockey: The night hockey died. “The tournament turned out top be a pleasant diversion from the grim business ahead, no more or less. Today, the only bouquet that should be thrown are the lilies on the fresh grave of a game that deserves better.”
A lot of people around here probably think that’s an overstatement, but I really don’t think it is. The impact of the impending player lockout due to the impasse between the NHL and the NHLPA is, I believe, a much graver situation than anyone seems to acknowledge. Both sides are equally entrenched – the players won’t ever accept a hard salary cap, NFL-style, and the owners CANNOT proceed under anything resembling the current situation. I use “cannot” advisedly, because I think the important but unreported fact on the owners side is that at least 6 teams have likely given league President Gary Bettman an ultimatum: win this or we fold up the following day.
So the owners are in a bind – they are held hostage to franchises that probably shouldn’t have ever been in the league in the first place – Carolina, Nashville, Anaheim, Tampa, Florida, Phoenix, and others. So for the first time in a pro sports negotiation, you have an influence that demands discipline. Specifically, there is a sword hanging over the head of the Torontos, Detroits, and New Yorks of the league that forces them not to cave in as they likely would.
At the same time, you have a union behaving in very odd ways. Obviously they’re right not to want a salary cap – their members are THE value in the NHL, so they are justified in asking for market value on a case-by-case basis. But the only way they get out of this is if they wave goodbye to about 150 jobs – not behaviour common to most unions.
In a situation such as this, I don’t think Farber is exaggerating at all. They are all playing chicken with the NHL at our expense. And no one will hold them to it here – everyone will in the US. So they march blithely on, unconcerned about scenarios I don’t think anyone on either side has really seriously considered.
