There is hope.
The NHL and NHLPA met for several hours on Saturday at a secret location to resume talks towards a new CBA. This is the first time in almost two weeks that anything has been talked since the NHL dismissed the NHLPA’s last three counter-proposals.
Per NHL.Com
“We had a series of meetings over the course of the day and had a good, frank discussion on the most important issues separating us,” Daly said. “We plan to meet again early in the week.”
“I agree with what Bill said,” Steve Fehr said in a statement. “Hopefully we can continue the dialogue, expand the group, and make steady progress.”
Yeah, hopefully…
Courtesy: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
Rumor has it (cue Adelle) that there is hope for a 70-game schedule starting on Black Friday (everyone’s favorite holiday). Whether or not that includes the Winter Classic remains to be seen, but the fact that both sides met until 1 am Sunday morning means something must have sparked a new plan. I’m guessing the cancellation of the Classic and the potential loss of $70M of revenue might have been the cause.
This is the first time I’ve had any hope in the last few months that some deal might be reached. I never believed the hype of the NHL’s last proposal and I never had hope of getting a full season. However, after reading a lot about this, I have to agree that this is all very scripted. I truely believed that NHL was never planning on cancelling the full season and that there was always a plan to make a deal by the end of November. I believe that the NHLPA knew that and was holding out until NHL was backed into a corner. This whole ordeal, like any negotiation, is a waiting game. One side waiting out another until one of them cracks.
IF they come to an agreement, which I believe they will based on the screenplay, Fans around North America are calling for a fan strike. This whole mess has ruined the NHL experience for a lot of people and it’s going to take a lot of begging from the league and owners to get many of these people back. I’d like to say that I won’t come crawling back, but if Ted Leonsis starts giving out tickets you better be damn sure that I’ll take advantage of it. Because IF the league starts up again, I give it a month before ticket prices sky rocket again once the honeymoon with the Fans is over.
Keep your fingers crossed folks. More to come…
