DEVELOPING: NHL Offers New Proposal As Clock Ticks

((HT: Sportsnet.ca))

The National Hockey League is in, what "Puck Daddy" is calling, Day 104 of Stupid...

And he's right...

But, during a traditional time of not doing anything, someone did something...

The NHL has presented a new proposal to the Players' Association.

The league's offer, apparently, calls for player contract limits of six years- boosting the max length by all of one year...

Teams can also, in the new idea, buy out one guy on their roster outright- which is similar to the move in the NBA for really overpriced contracts for players who are either old, underperform, or both... but it still would count against the revenue share...

There are no plans for the two sides to meet, and it's been two weeks since both sides sat down at the same table to break bread (or each other's skulls).

Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun is saying that "sources" are wanting to open camp on January 12th, but Michael Grange, through his Twitter sayeth quote:

It is really hard to take seriously that the latest proposal from #NHL as 'movement' -- two sides have been inches apart for months

The guys from Sportsnet and "Hockey Central" discuss the drop-dead date for the season and the lack of urgency from both sides in the whole deal...

Here's Daren, Mayday, and Nick...
Bill Daly gave out this statement early this afternoon: "In light of media reports this morning, I can confirm that we delivered to the Union a new, comprehensive proposal for a successor CBA late yesterday afternoon. We are not prepared to discuss the details of our proposal at this time. We are hopeful that once the Union's staff and negotiating committee have had an opportunity to thoroughly review and consider our new proposal, they will share it with the players. We want to be back on the ice as soon as possible."

No NHL Agreement: Now What...??? Probably, Not Much...

((HT: Sportsnet))

Not that it's a shock or anything...

But the NHLPA put out three alternate proposals to the one that the league and the league owners released- detailing their idea of a 50-50 proposal to the players.

And the owners didn't like any of the three...

So, now what...???

Well, first, the league has cancelled any idea of regular season games through November 1st.

Sportsnet's Christine Simpson and Michael Grange discuss...
The Phoenix Coyotes' Paul Bissonette reacted on his Twitter: For you confused fans. Players will take a 50/50 split. The players will agree to that if owners honor all existing contracts. It's simple. Apparently, it's not that simple... Kyle Okposo lays it out this way: We ask for 50/50 split and to honor existing contracts and Gary says we aren't in the same ball park yet they claim in their proposal a 50/50 split and no rollback

NHL Cancels entire preseason: Nobody noticed

Gary Bettman

Hey, did you hear the one about the National Hockey League and their lockout of the players? No? Well, you are part of a rather large majority of people.

The league, in a brief, tersely worded statement announced they are canceling all preseason games. They actually had some games scheduled leading up to what would have been the start of the 2012 season, just over two weeks from today.

The NHLPA and the league are scheduled to meet on Friday and talk through the weekend, but according to most reports they are just on small issues rather than the elephant in the room, how to split their newly acquired--and possibly soon to be lost revenue.

As big a deal that most made about the NFL Locking out their officials and how big an impact that had on football, in the long run it didn't kill football.

This strike may kill professional hockey.

The powers that be here seem to think that a majority of the sporting public will stick with them and support their decision to equalize revenue sharing.

They would be wrong.

Yeah, sure, there will be the odd hockey fan in Detroit or New York or Philadelphia who will be emotional about this and come back the minute they say the lockout is over. But they will not be in the majority. NBC is sticking with their partners for now, but how long before they need to plan alternate programming. Programming that will probably do as well as the low rated NHL.

No, Gary Bettman needs to come to his senses, even if his ego won't let him. You've managed to alienate just about everyone who came back to the game, which just recovered from it's last labor issue 7-years ago.

But he won't.

The players need to realize what is at stake here too, but they are too busy chasing contracts in the KHL and in Europe.

So good luck hockey fan. Enjoy missing your sport, a sport that somehow seems to marginalize itself every time it comes close to being relevant again.