The NHLPA’s Failed Bluff

Bluffing is an extremely important element to the game of poker. By representing that you have a better hand than you actually do, you may be able to take down a much bigger pot than your cards should actually win you. In order to bluff successfully, you must convince the other players that you have pocket aces, instead of the unsuited 7-2 you were actually dealt. Bluffing, however, is not limited to card games, and recent labor disputes in professional sports have taught that it is often not without risk.

Every year, some NFL players threaten to skip training camp if they do not receive a better contract. Sometimes this strategy works and other times, like this year, the owners call the players’ bluffs, and they are forced grudgingly to report to camp. Terrell Owen’s attempt in August to renegotiate a new contract, while generating an inordinate amount of media attention, ultimately failed to get him a new deal.

Another group tried a similar tactic in the past year but ended up losing on a much larger scale – the NHL Players Association. Trying to negotiate a favorable new labor agreement, the players’ union instead lost the entire season and gained almost no concessions when the new collective bargaining agreement was finally reached.

After negotiations stalled between the owners and the NHLPA last fall, the owners instituted a lockout on September 15. The main point of contention between the two sides was the owners’ insistence on a salary cap linked to team revenues. The players strenuously objected to the cap, initially proposing a 5 percent salary rollback and a luxury tax, which the owners quickly rejected.

Negotiations stalled as game after game was canceled. Finally, in mid-February, with only hours to go before the season would be officially canceled, the players’ union made a major concession – it agreed to a $49 million cap per team, which was $6.5 million higher than the cap offered by the owners. When the two sides refused to meet in the middle, commissioner Gary Bettman cancelled the rest of the season on February 15, making the NHL the first major sports league in North America to lose an entire season over a labor dispute.

While an extremely- shortened season wouldn’t have been practical anyway, the union and the owners needed to quickly resolve their dispute and agree to a new CBA before another season was wiped out. On July 13, nearly 10 months after the lockout began, the two sides finally agreed to a new labor deal. Looking at the terms of the deal, only one conclusion can be drawn – the players got fleeced.

First, the salary cap. Instead of the $42.5 million cap that the owners initially offered back in February, the new cap will be between $37 and $39.5 million and is linked to league revenues. Of course, the cap can increase or decrease from season to season if the revenues increase or decrease.

Second, there will be a 24 percent rollback of existing contracts. Now, here’s where the players start looking like fools. The union originally offered the rollback as an alternative to the salary cap; they never intended both things to happen. So not only are the players stuck with a salary cap, which they originally said they would never agree to, their existing salaries will also be considerably reduced. Maybe next time, the union will remember to take a condition off the table.

Third, a player can make no more than 20 percent of the salary cap, so say good-bye to $10 million plus salaries. The salary of the league’s best players will max out at $7.9 million, which isn’t so bad until you compare it to the monstrous salaries that are being paid to NBA deadweights like Allan Houston, Penny Hardaway, and Keith Van Horn. (You know what other NBA player is making more than the NHL max? Maurice Taylor, who clocked in with a salary of $8.45 million last season. Does anyone even know who this guy is?)

In addition to these three major wins for the owners, entry-level salaries also were rolled back and bonuses were limited. The only minor concessions the players gained were a salary floor, an increase in the minimum player salary, and the lowering of the unrestricted free agency age. Were these gains really worth the loss of the entire season? Few would say yes.

With the return of the NHL last week, the players, owners, and fans can start to put this sorry mess behind them. The sport has a long way to go to recover its standing among the three other major sports leagues. The institution of new rules will hopefully make the game more exciting and watchable to the casual fan. More importantly however, both sides need to take away a valuable lesson from the past year – when the new CBA expires in six years, bluffing may only lead to hockey’s quick exit from the American sports scene.

NHL Judgment Day Arrives

The 2004-05 NHL season hangs in the balance as I write this, with the players' association having until 11 a.m. EST today to agree to a new collective bargaining agreement, which would include a $44.7 million individual team cap. If it does not, Bettman '74 will cancel the season at 1 p.m.

When the lockout began exactly five months ago today, hockey fans and players alike anticipated a long labor dispute. After months of negotiation, there is finally closure on this unfortunate season. Whether the season is indeed cancelled or an extremely shortened season is played, there is already a stain on the game.

Let's say there is a shortened season. How many games are they going to squeeze in? Well, if the season started at the beginning of March, under the current schedule, there would be about 20 games left. That's certainly not enough to compile any meaningful results. If the league pushes the playoffs back, we're looking at hockey in July, and that would definitely interfere with the start of next season. So, even if the players do agree to this salary cap, a shortened season is still a terrible idea.

Instead of a 20-game "season," the NHL should instead put together a 20-game exhibition schedule for every team. That way, the fans get their hockey, the players can get reacquainted with their teammates, and the league can make some money. Put the Stanley Cup away for one year, but still bring hockey back into the American sports landscape.

However, the season will probably be cancelled and the possibility of an exhibition season is also unlikely. It looks like the NHL -- and its players, because they're just as much at fault -- will be writing an unfortunate chapter into the history book of modern sports.

If this deal does not get done today, negotiations need to continue immediately. Even though this labor dispute has been on the horizon for almost two years, postponing the new CBA is not an option. Obviously, some sort of salary cap should be implemented, but the league's marketing department needs to kick into overdrive to win back its fan base and maybe attract some new fans.

There's also the 2006 Olympics and the 2005 draft to worry about. If this season is lost, then NHL players will not be playing in Turin next year. With the potential next Wayne Gretzky entering the league next year in Sidney Crosby, a fair draft order needs to be established.

This whole thing comes at a difficult time for the American sports fan. With the Super Bowl finished and March Madness still weeks away, the next few weeks are arguably one of the most boring sports periods of the year. With no hockey, it's been all basketball, all the time, on SportsCenter. ESPN is so desperate for material that it's been recycling segments from a week ago. It also tried to hype up the Pro Bowl, but no serious sports fan was going to watch that game for more than five minutes anyway.

America is a four-sport country. We don't have the attention span or the craziness to devote ourselves to only one single sport. With Europeans enjoying NHL players over in their hockey leagues, Americans should take something back -- namely European soccer. Now, obviously the world's best soccer players aren't going to transfer to the MLS, but they are easily accessible through Fox Soccer Channel. Formerly Fox Sports World, Fox Soccer Channel features matches from the English, German, French, and Argentinean leagues, as well as the Champions League and World Cup qualifiers.

While most Americans aren't really enamored with the game, there are many parallels to our sports: $100 million-plus payrolls (see Chelsea and Manchester United), intense rivalries, multiple leagues to follow, fan violence (AS Roma was forced to play a December game in an empty stadium after one of its fans threw a coin at a referee), and more. And, since there are no commercials during soccer broadcasts (except during halftime), watching soccer will probably increase the average attention span in this country. While many consider soccer boring at first glance, there is an incredible amount of excitement, talent, and creativity in the game -- evidenced by the occasional soccer play that makes it into SportCenter's Top 10 Plays. It's usually pretty amazing.

Even though professional hockey is most likely on hiatus for the next few months, college hockey fans will still have another two months to get their hockey fix. And, while the Stanley Cup probably won't be lifted this year, a regular hockey event still occurred -- that would be Boston University winning the Beanpot.

2029 Sports Lesson

"Ok, class. Open your history textbooks to Chapter 16: Sports Stories of the Past Century and turn to page 274. Since today is the 25th anniversary of the 2004 NHL lockout, we're going to read about how this labor dispute affected the players and the game of hockey itself."

... and it was clearly shown on the replay that Terrell Owens did not have possession of the ball as he fell out of bounds. Vikings coach Mike Tice then became the first NFL coach of the instant replay era to throw the challenge flag just so he could yell at the refs for messing up a game-altering call.

The Lockout: Hockey Gets Put on Ice

With hockey writers predicting a lockout almost two years in advance, the NHL work stoppage became official on Sept. 16 at 12:00 a.m. The two sides met several times in the weeks leading up to the lockout, but could not work out a deal. The players' union proposed a new plan in the 11th hour, which included a luxury tax, revenue sharing, a five percent rollback in player salaries, and changes to the entry-level salary structure. This plan was rejected by the owners, who wanted a salary cap instituted to limit player salaries.

In the 2003-04 season, the 30 NHL owners reported a loss of $224 million, of which 75 percent came from just six teams. Out of the four major sports, hockey was the only one without a salary cap or luxury tax in place. With 75 percent of the league's total revenue going towards player salaries, the owners needed a cap on salaries to turn a profit.

A last-minute deal might have been reached had the owners and league executives not been watching the World Cup of Hockey, which took place the first two weeks of September in 2004.

Players Move On

With the league's operations halted, many players signed on with teams in Europe and fledgling leagues in North America. Unfortunately for players like Peter Forsberg and Markus Naslund, who had hoped to play in the Swedish Elite League, that league's collective bargaining agreement also had expired, meaning they would have to wait out another lockout if they wanted to play in their home country. Leagues in the Czech Republic and Russia were in similar straights, and for the multitude of players who jouneyed over to Europe, the only option to play hockey was way back in North America.

The Original Stars Hockey League, which formed only a month before the lockout, capitalized on the labor situation in Europe. With its new brand of hockey and a multitude of former NHL players, the OSHL completed eight 20-game seasons in the span of one year, awarding the Assante Wealth Management Trophy to three different teams. The league enjoyed wide success thanks to its free admission and free alcohol at every game. However, hockey fans were irked at the $100 parking fees instituted at every arena.

The World Hockey Association did not enjoy similar success. Thanks to a substandard website and the loss of the AVCO Trophy, the league floundered in the first months of its season. Commissioner and former WHA great, Bobby Hull, resigned in mid-2005 to go play for the Detroit franchise of the OSHL. Isiah Thomas, having failed to get the New York Knicks to the playoffs, took the reins, and the league folded soon after.

The Next One And The Next Next One

Eric Lindros, whose career was plagued by numerous concussions and sour dealings with the Philadelphia Flyers, found himself short on money after investing a substantial amount of his savings in the WHA. Taking a page from Jose Canseco, Lindros started a service where people could pay him $10,000 to hang out with him for a day. Unfortunately for Lindros, a group of about 100 Flyers fans signed up for the first slot. Needless to say, by the end of the day, Lindros had sustained his seventh and eighth concussions.

Sidney Crosby, the young hockey protégé from Nova Scotia, was left in a bind after the lockout. With the NHL in no hurry to return, and Isiah Thomas owning his rights, Crosby gave up the game in 2006 and switched over to basketball. After spending the summer at Steve Nash’s basketball camp, Crosby received a scholarship to play point guard at Duke. After leading the Blue Devils to four straight national titles, Crosby was selected by the Los Angeles Clippers with the first pick of the 2010 draft. He has since led the Clippers to eight 30-win seasons, much to the delight of new owner Frankie Muniz.

CURLING: CANADA’S OTHER NATIONAL PASTIME

Distraught over the loss of their beloved sport, Canadians found solace in the new National Curling League. The NCL started with six franchises, named after the six former NHL teams. The league was able to secure the naming rights after agreeing to give the NHL half of its advertising revenue. At the 2006 Winter Olympics Games in Turin, Italy, Canada was the strong favorite. However, Team Canada lost in the gold-medal game when former New Jersey Devil Scott Gomez, who learned how to play the sport a week prior to the Games, led the United States team in a thrilling upset.

“For homework tonight, I would like each of you to write a two-page essay on how the New York Rangers won the Stanley Cup in the 2023-2024 season, the first NHL season after the lockout ended. References to the Rangers’ 1994 season are a plus.”

Save the NHL : Bring Back Rover

Congratulations, Atlanta!

You'll be hosting next year's NHL All-Star game! When you start planning the weekend's festivities, don't forget about all the celebrities like Kurt Russell, screaming fans (maybe you can bus some in from Georgia Tech), and be sure to set up a PA system so Jeremy Roenick can apologize again. Oh wait, you won't need that last one -- Roenick won't be there.

Or any other NHL players for that matter.

What?

You didn't know that the NHL will probably be in a lockout this time next year? You're wondering who you're gonna get to be in the skills competition? Who's going to repeat Roenick's four-for-four showing in the accuracy competition? I'd do it, but I have an intramural game that day.

OK, let's be serious for a second. You know a labor situation is bad when they're talking about a lockout two years away from the CBA (collective bargaining agreement for you non-ILRies) expiration date. Reading about the impending labor crisis in the Fall 2002 Hockey News yearbook, I could only laugh, and say "Holy Sh!$, they're blowing this out of proportion. They have two whole years to work this thing out!" Well, now there are only seven months to go 'til the NHL goes the way of the dinosaur.

The NHL Players Association is telling its members to prepare for a two-year lockout. Oh, and I forgot to mention that, so far, there has been zero negotiation. None. Nada. Zilch.

The real reason? NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman '74 went to Cornell and NHLPA head Bob Goodenow went to Harvard. They hate each other (of course) and they hate each other's schools.

OK, so that last sentence was completely false, but it might as well be the reason, because it makes no sense to me why these two weren't at the bargaining table months ago.

(On a different note, this weekend, Bettman proposed rule changes that would increase the offensive output in the league. Looking back at the level of scoring in recent years, I would have to agree with him. When my friend first told me that Wayne Gretzky scored 215 points in a season, I laughed and laughed and laughed. In fact, I'm still laughing. Markus Nasland, the current point leader this season is on pace for just under 100 points.

But that just leads to another problem with hockey. I'll bet half of you reading this column don't even know who Markus Nasland is. I blame this solely on the league's marketing office. Instead of promoting the league's stars, it instead churns out horrific commercials explaining the rules of hockey. Now, if you're watching a hockey game on TV in the first place, the odds are you probably know what's going on during the game. You don't need Shania Twain or Jim Belushi telling you that there are five skaters per team. I could write an entire column about how bad these commercials are, but I've aleady gone way too far off topic.)

I'm not going to claim that I have the answer to the labor situation, because I am neither a professional hockey player nor a labor lawyer. However, I will claim that a lockout will be bad for hockey. There, I said it. The sad thing is, the players and owners don't seem to care at all. They're perfectly content with a two-year shutdown. The players can go off to Europe or play in the new World Hockey Association, and the owners can sit on their mountains of stockpiled money. Meanwhile, all the hockey fans out there will be forced to watch Slam Ball, or bowling or -- god forbid -- Arena Football.

(Did you know Jon Bon Jovi owns an Arena Football team? If you're anything like me, that fact makes you want to watch arena football like knowing that you can check 400 books out of the library at one time makes you want to rush to Uris. Let's be honest. You'll probably never do either.)

Actually, I take that back, I am going to claim I have the answer to the CBA debacle, and here it is: bring back the rover.

What is the rover, you ask? Back in the early days of hockey, there were six skaters per team: three forwards, the point, the cover point (the equivalent of modern defensemen), and the rover. The rover could go anywhere on the ice, and was usually the team's best player. Sadly, this position got tossed to the curb as the game evolved. But, if the rover has a chance of saving hockey -- a chance -- then I think we owe to hockey to try it out again.

As a hockey fan, I feel it's my duty to increase knowledge of the game to the average sports fan, so I'm going to end this column with a fun matching game. Match the following five players with the teams they play for, and win a prize!* (What? There's an NHL team in Columbus? When did this happen!?)

A) Rick Nash 1) Atlanta Thrashers

B) Ilya Kovalchuk 2) Ottawa Senators

C) Tomas Vokoun 3) Columbus Blue Jackets

D) Dwayne Roloson 4) Nashville Predators

E) Marian Hossa 5) Minnesota Wild

*Winners will receive their prize the first week of the next NHL season.

A Red View of the NHL

The NHL season is nearly upon us, and there is a multitude of Cornellians in the league, including commissioner Gary Bettman '74. Here is a preview of some teams with a Cornell connection.

Atlantic Division:

New Jersey Devils: Congrats, you won your third Stanley Cup in nine years. It's too bad no one was there to see it, as the Devils have the eighth lowest attendance in the league. Maybe it's because New Jersey fans are apathetic or don't care for hockey. Or maybe it's because the Devils employ the mind-numbingly boring trap system.

Cornell Connection: Joe Nieuwendyk '88 was a member of last year's Cup winning team.

New York Rangers: For once, the Rangers didn't break the bank with free agent signings over the summer. They did, however, commit the heinous act of drafting Dartmouth sophomore Hugh Jessiman with the 12th overall pick. With a roster full of over-the-hill all-stars, maybe the Blueshirts will finally make the playoffs. Maybe.

Cornell Connection: The Rangers drafted Cornell rival Jessiman and recently signed former Harvard captain Dominic Moore.

Pittsburgh Penguins: They should just rename the team "Mario Lemieux and the Random Scrubs." Seriously, can you name another player on the Penguins? The team dumped most of its payroll and traded away its starting goalie. It also traded up in the draft to grab goalie prospect Marc-Andre Fleury at No. 1, who would probably have been available at No. 3.

Cornell Connection: Kent Manderville '93 is a member of the Penguins.

Northeast Division:

Toronto Maple Leafs: The Leafs have the youngest GM in the league in 36-year old John Ferguson Jr. and recently signed Nieuwendyk. After not waiting three hours in line to see the Stanley Cup this summer, I'm rooting for the Leafs so that Joe will bring the Cup back to Ithaca and maybe the line will be shorter.

Cornell connection: Ken Dryden '69 is the vice chairman of the Leafs.

Southeast Division:

Atlanta Thrashers: The Thrashers are one of the youngest and most talented teams in the league with stars like All-Star Game MVP Dany Heatley. Hopefully for him, he'll avoid the Madden Curse as he is on the cover of EASports' NHL 2004.

Cornell Connection: Stephen Baby '03 plays in the Thrashers' minor league system.

THE REST OF THIS COLUMN WAS DELETED ON THE SUN WEBSITE, SO I BRING YOU THE UNEDITED VERSION IN ALL ITS GLORY:

Central Division:

Detroit Red Wings: After an embarrassing first-round sweep at the hands of the Ducks in last year’s playoffs, the Red Wings hope to bring another Cup back to the Motor City. With the unretirement of Dominic Hasek, the team now has two tenders under contract at $8 million each, along with the league’s best backup, Manny Legace.

Northwest Division:

Colorado Avalanche: With the arrival of Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne, the Avs’ offense is nothing short of ridiculous. However, the big question mark remains in goal, with the retirement of goalie legend Patrick Roy. Can David Aebsicher backstop this team to a Cup? I don’t think so.

Minnesota Wild: It was a good year for the “State of Hockey.” The Wild advanced to the Western Conference finals and the Golden Gophers won its second straight national title. With the Wild’s top two scorers still unsigned, the team is in for a rough start. The Gophers meanwhile are poised to make a run at another national title.

Pacific Division:

Mighty Ducks of Anaheim: When the Ducks made the playoffs last season, one fan told his girlfriend that they would get married if the Ducks won the Cup. After Game 7 of the Finals, he proposed anyway. Geez buddy, you were given an out and you didn’t take it!

Dallas Stars: The Stars’ blueline took a big hit with the loss of captain Derian Hatcher, who signed with Detroit. The team does have one of the best goalies in the league in Marty Turco, who now has some postseason experience under his belt. After falling to the Ducks in the playoffs, the Stars are definitely out for revenge.

Phoenix Coyotes: The Coyotes have new uniforms, a new arena, and a new goalie signed in David LeNeveu ’05. Unfortunately, the team doesn’t have much else.

Picks: Daily Sun hockey guru Mike Pandolfini predicted last year that Minnesota and Anaheim would make the playoffs. In light of making my own picks, I have consulted him.

“I don't really know anything about hockey anymore, but I'm going to say that the Rangers will not win the Stanley Cup this year. In addition, I’ll say the Islanders will also not win the Stanley Cup. I’ll go as far as to say that the Devils might win the Stanley Cup along with teams such as Detroit, the Ducks, and the Stars.”

Thanks Mike, as always, for your insight.

As everyone heads home for Fall Break next weekend, I’ll be looking forward to watching the Rangers’ season opener next Friday. Oh wait, my mom decided to get the YES Network over MSG. Thanks, Mom.