Wednesday, July 13, 2005
NHL OWNERS, PLAYERS REACH DEAL
The NHL Lockout is over.
Today, the National Hockey League owners and players have reached an agreement on a new 6-year collective bargaining agreement, which is expected to be ratified next Thursday, July 21.
The key features of the new CBA, according to TSN:
---A hard team-by-team salary cap with a payroll of range of $21 million to $39 million (in the first year), which includes all player costs (benefits, insurance etc).
---The league's total expenditure on player costs (salaries, bonuses, benefits and insurance) is not permitted to exceed 54 percent of defined hockey-related revenue and the salary cap and payroll range will move up or down as revenues increase or decrease each year of the deal.
---A 24 percent salary rollback for any NHL player who has time remaining on an existing contract, keeping in mind that the players will receive none of the monies they were slated to earn in the lost season of 2004-05.
---Liberalized free agency (including unrestricted status at 27 by year four of the deal), a more restrictive entry level system, totally revamped salary arbitration, improved pension benefits and a revenue-sharing plan.
---Age eligibility for unrestricted free agency at age 31 in 2005, 29 in 2006, 28 in 2007. In 2008, it's 27 or seven years of NHL tenure.
A draft lottery is expected to take place soon. This is a long overdue move for the NHL. Sidney Crosby is expected to be the #1 pick of the 2005 NHL Draft. The 17-year old has been compared to Wayne Gretzky, even though he hasn't suited up in a game yet.
Even though the NHL is coming back, not all of the fans will be coming back. The NHL is going to have its hands full trying to market the game. Hockey is a sport for diehards, so it is up to the league to try to bring in the casual fans. As for the NHL's future in the South, I can only hope that the league does all it can to help the game in the Southern markets (Nashville, Atlanta, Raleigh, Tampa Bay, Miami). In fact, two of the game's best young players, Dany Heatley and Ilya Kovalchuk, are currently playing for the Atlanta Thrashers. The Nashville Predators were a playoff team in 2004, but hopefully the momentum gained from that playoff appearance wasn't forgotten by the fans there. Raleigh and Miami have hosted the Stanley Cup Finals (Hurricanes 2002, Panthers 1996), while Tampa Bay is the defending Stanley Cup champions (2004).
Alright, hockey is back. But the league has a long way to go to regain the fans' respect. Both the owners and players are at fault, even though in the players' case, it was a lockout, not a strike. The deal that has been struck is worse than the deal that was originally presented in February. However, the players are chomping at the bit to get back on the ice.
Game On!
Today, the National Hockey League owners and players have reached an agreement on a new 6-year collective bargaining agreement, which is expected to be ratified next Thursday, July 21.
The key features of the new CBA, according to TSN:
---A hard team-by-team salary cap with a payroll of range of $21 million to $39 million (in the first year), which includes all player costs (benefits, insurance etc).
---The league's total expenditure on player costs (salaries, bonuses, benefits and insurance) is not permitted to exceed 54 percent of defined hockey-related revenue and the salary cap and payroll range will move up or down as revenues increase or decrease each year of the deal.
---A 24 percent salary rollback for any NHL player who has time remaining on an existing contract, keeping in mind that the players will receive none of the monies they were slated to earn in the lost season of 2004-05.
---Liberalized free agency (including unrestricted status at 27 by year four of the deal), a more restrictive entry level system, totally revamped salary arbitration, improved pension benefits and a revenue-sharing plan.
---Age eligibility for unrestricted free agency at age 31 in 2005, 29 in 2006, 28 in 2007. In 2008, it's 27 or seven years of NHL tenure.
A draft lottery is expected to take place soon. This is a long overdue move for the NHL. Sidney Crosby is expected to be the #1 pick of the 2005 NHL Draft. The 17-year old has been compared to Wayne Gretzky, even though he hasn't suited up in a game yet.
Even though the NHL is coming back, not all of the fans will be coming back. The NHL is going to have its hands full trying to market the game. Hockey is a sport for diehards, so it is up to the league to try to bring in the casual fans. As for the NHL's future in the South, I can only hope that the league does all it can to help the game in the Southern markets (Nashville, Atlanta, Raleigh, Tampa Bay, Miami). In fact, two of the game's best young players, Dany Heatley and Ilya Kovalchuk, are currently playing for the Atlanta Thrashers. The Nashville Predators were a playoff team in 2004, but hopefully the momentum gained from that playoff appearance wasn't forgotten by the fans there. Raleigh and Miami have hosted the Stanley Cup Finals (Hurricanes 2002, Panthers 1996), while Tampa Bay is the defending Stanley Cup champions (2004).
Alright, hockey is back. But the league has a long way to go to regain the fans' respect. Both the owners and players are at fault, even though in the players' case, it was a lockout, not a strike. The deal that has been struck is worse than the deal that was originally presented in February. However, the players are chomping at the bit to get back on the ice.
Game On!
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