NHL locks out players
No shots, no saves, no goals. The National Hockey League locked out its players Thursday, threatening to keep the sport off the ice for the entire 2004-05 season and perhaps beyond in an effort by management to gain massive economic change.
After the long-expected decision was approved unanimously Wednesday by NHL owners, commissioner Gary Bettman repeatedly belittled the union’s bargaining position, talked about the possibility the confrontation could extend into the 2005-06 season and said the conflict has jeopardized the NHL’s participation in the 2006 Winter Olympics.
“When we ultimately make the deal that has to be made, we will then see whether or not there is time for a season or some semblance of a season,” he said. “If there is, great, and if there isn’t, then we’ll deal with the next season when it comes along.”
Bettman claimed teams had combined to lose more than $1.8 billion over 10 years, and said management will not agree to a labor deal that doesn’t include a defined relationship between revenue and salaries.
“Until he gets off the salary-cap issue, there’s not a chance for us to get an agreement,” union head Bob Goodenow said in Toronto, adding that players “are not prepared to entertain a salary cap in any way, shape, measure or form.”
Far apart on both philosophy and finances, the sides haven’t bargained since last Thursday and say they are entrenched for the long run, echoing words of baseball players and owners at the start of their disastrous 7 1/2-month labor war of 1994-95.
There is almost no chance the season will start as scheduled on Oct. 13, and Bettman told teams to release their arenas for other events for the next 30 days. Bettman said the season can’t extend past June, and the lockout threatens to wipe out the Stanley Cup final for the first time since 1919, when the series between Montreal and Seattle was stopped after five games due a Spanish influenza epidemic.
“The union is trying to win a fight, hoping that the owners will give up. That will turn out to be a terrible error in judgment,” Bettman said.
“They are apparently convinced that come some point in the season, the owners’ resolve will waver, and I’m telling you that is wrong, wrong, wrong.”