Tom Benjamin's NHL Blog
The Apology
Posted by Tom on Friday, January 11, 2013 at 11:34 am
(Note: This is my last post on the Gary Bettman lockout fiasco. Promise. Unless I’m really, really provoked.) First, I think Gary’s apology was sincere. I don’t think he is a good enough actor to come across as that contrite and he did come across as contrite. Still, I wish that he had been far more specific about why he was apologising. “I’m sorry that I miscalculated the player resolve, underestimated Donald Fehr and took the fans for granted” is vastly different than “I’m sorry that it was necessary to shut down the game to get my way.” What we saw from Gary was genuine regret, but not a mea culpa. Even if we are generous enough to accept that Gary was taking responsibility, were there any indications in the press conference that the league has learned anything? I don’t think so. Bettman talked about the need for the league to regain the trust of the fans and he talked about the need to build trust between the league and the... [Read more]
Embarrassed
Posted by Tom on Tuesday, January 8, 2013 at 5:22 pm
Jenny Wren, a frequent poet/commenter over at Pass it to Bulis, sums up the feelings of a lot of hockey fans – including me – with her latest little ditty: While I admit some gratitude Fuck you remains my attitude Although I love to see them play My distaste still is in the way Corporate sponsors players too And most of all the owners knew That from their games I’d not abstain Although I watch with much distain I wish I could with Whisky Jack Just stay away and not come back Remove my flags from both my trucks And nevermore cheer the Canucks Because that’s not how things will be I find I am ashamed of me It should be easy to be a hockey fan. The sport is fast, furious, and thoroughly entertaining. The athletes exhibit great skill, courage and character. The sport has a rich history, storied franchises, and – at least in Canada – deep cultural roots. It should be easy to be a fan even if it is nothing more than hoping that the home team is – this year, finally,... [Read more]
A Deal
Posted by Tom on Sunday, January 6, 2013 at 2:38 pm
Hurrah, I guess. Like most fans, I’m still trying to spit the taste of disgust out of my mouth. The only good news to come from the fiasco is the league decision to finally quit hitting itself over the head with a hamnmer. Otherwise? 1) The new CBA – whatever the provisions turn out to be – will be bad for the fans and the game. None of the league problems have been solved. 2) The season to come will be a joke, and if history is a guide, a not particularly funny joke for the Vancouver Canucks and other Western teams. The compressed schedule will find them flying frantically around North America while only the Eastern Champion might play a game outside their time zone. 3) For the players, virtually every new provision in the CBA represents a concession of some sort. The owners “won” the dispute, in the sense that the players will get a lot less money than under the old CBA. Furthermore, the players lost several hundred million in salary and won the possibility... [Read more]
The Decertification Dance
Posted by Tom on Tuesday, December 18, 2012 at 9:29 pm
As someone who has reached the conclusion that the NHL has to change fundamentally, I am pleased that the NHLPA is taking a step towards dissolving the Union even though we all suspect the real intent behind the move. I still think the most likely outcome when the dust settles is a new CBA I am certain to dislike, a truncated joke of a season, all of the league’s problems exacerbated by a disastrous lockout, and the same bunch of clowns running the show. I don’t think the pre-emptive lawsuit launched by the NHL will produce anything that matters. I agree with Jonathan Willis that the NHLPA has a better case than the NBAPA. There are also interesting jurisdictional issues at play here, so I don’t think the case is quite the slamdunk the league pretends. Still, I think the league is likely to prevail because I think that the majority of players will be voting to decertify because they believe it is the next logical step in the negotiating process. The NHL may have difficulty... [Read more]
Coming Soon
Posted by Tom on Monday, December 10, 2012 at 11:20 am
I’ve said all along that once the money was settled the rest of the CBA would pretty much fall into place. I still think that’s the way it is going to work out and we’ll see the league play a little more than half a season. (I can’t decide how I feel about that. I will be happy to see some hockey, but I can’t imagine how that can wash the bad taste of this season away. And I can imagine being outraged again next year if the Canucks are forced to dump talent because the salary cap crashes.) Tyler Dellow has written about the remaining major sticking points blocking an agreement. I agree with what he wrote about the term of the new collective agreement. Most fans may be hoping for a long deal simply so we won’t have to endure this again for at least another decade. I’m with the players on this one because I think a long deal makes a lockout ten years down the road a near certainty. We’d see a repeat of this season with the NFL, NBA and NHL... [Read more]
Legacies
Posted by Tom on Saturday, November 24, 2012 at 1:35 pm
All of the recent decertification talk was enough to rouse me from my blogging lethargy. Unfortunately for me, Tyler Dellow wrote everything I wanted to say on the subject. I agree with him on every single point: 1) So far at least, the decertification noise sounds less like an effort to blow up the Union and more like an attempt to improve their negotiating position. 2) If the season goes, I hope the players do blow it up. The fans will be better off. 3) I think the players will be better off without a CBA too, but decertification means chaos and uncertainty, while collapsing and signing Gary Bettman’s CBA means billions in the player’s pockets. 4) If the players do not fight now, they will face the same situation again and again. Even if the threat of decertification marginally improves the owner offer, a marginally improved offer still represents a big financial hit for the players. This is the worst outcome, the outcome that the players simply had to avoid. People like... [Read more]
A Pessimistic View
Posted by Tom on Sunday, October 21, 2012 at 9:11 pm
Tyler Dellow sees some reason to be optimistic about the current state of negotiation, but I don’t think the third proposal from the NHLPA is going anywhere and I can’t share the optimism. I do agree with Tyler’s assessment of the work James Mirtle has done with the numbers (and his coverage of the work stoppage generally). I also agree with the opinion – held by both James and Tyler – that it would be crazy to blow off the season over $600 MM. Here’s Mirtle: That’s roughly 3 per cent of hockey-related revenues. And losing a season over that would be absurd… What should really frustrate fans more than the actual offers in place there is the lack of negotiations taking place between the two sides. If they can turn that $500-million or so difference over five years into $150– or $200-million, they’re basically there. And it’ll be a 54-53-52-50-50-50 type slide that guarantees players their current contracts and gets it done. That all seems... [Read more]
Ready to Negotiate? Really?
Posted by Tom on Thursday, October 18, 2012 at 1:03 pm
Elliotte Freidman has written some nice pieces about the lockout – and he’s not alone among the mainstream media – but I think he is wrong with his story this morning. For the first time in this process, Bettman is ready to negotiate. Over the past few months, players launched a blitzkrieg of negative tweets and quotes about the NHL commissioner. Their feelings are pretty clear. Fine. They don’t have to like him. But, barring an Amin-like coup from within the NHL, they have to do a deal with him. No one’s saying the players have to take the league’s proposal as is. But, it is in their own best interests to sit at the table and make a serious effort at seeing where the next week or two will take them. This must be business, not personal. I don’t think there is anything personal affecting negotiations. The players are angry and they think Bettman is a dick, but they are very well aware that the objective is to get the game back on the ice. This... [Read more]
