Federal Mediator Fails During Lockout Talks

By Andrew Miller

On Wednesday and Thursday, a federal mediator met with both the NHL and the NHLPA only to conclude that the sides still remain too far apart to continue with mediators.

(Getty Images/Allison Joyce)

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said to ESPN, “After spending several hours with both sides over two days, the presiding mediators concluded the parties remained far apart, and that no progress toward a resolution could be made through further mediation at this point in time. We are disappointed that the mediation process was not successful.”

Both sides need to come together on the core issues quickly to salvage what is left of the NHL season. Daly said it himself, “no further progress could be made.” The owners and players are too stubborn to cooperate with one another even when a third party is brought in to aid them in negotiating.

The last meeting without a mediator was over a week ago on November 21. It seems almost juvenile to not try and get something, anything accomplished. It is almost three months into the lockout, and no progress has been made in finding a new collective bargaining agreement. 

However, a lone bright spot remains. The owners have extended the option to the players to set up a meeting without negotiators present. A whole new format during the negotiations may end up finding a solution. With only those directly impacted by the situation in a room together, they may finally realize how ridiculous it is to cancel two seasons in under a decade. 

I am well aware that is not as simple as swapping concessions between the two sides, but standing at a stand still waiting for the other side to balk will never solve anything. The old saying a true compromise leaves neither side happy must come into play. Owners have to understand they cannot immediately recover seven percent of the hockey related revenue while voiding contracts that are already inked. 

On the other hand, the players must know that 15-year contracts cannot become the standard and that their chunk of the revenue pie would be seen as ludicrous in any other sport. 

It seems as if both sides are doing what fans are doing right now, simply praying a new collective bargaining agreement will pop out of thin air. Fans are getting more and more restless as negotiations become grimmer and grimmer. 

NHL Labor Talks Back Underway

After weeks of stalled conversation and the cancellation of more games, the league and the NHL Players’ Association are negotiating once again

By Tyler Piccotti

Hockey fans: I come to you with a message of hope amidst the turbulence of the NHL lockout. League officials and the players union are once again actively discussing the current labor dispute.

Do you know what that means? We may actually have a season after all!

I apologize for the overly optimistic point of view, but I can’t help but be encouraged by the fact that the two sides still seem interested in solving the predicament. As ESPN New York’s Katie Strang reported on Friday afternoon, both sides met for the fourth day in a row. Unlike during past meetings, they actually talked about the “meat and potatoes” issues behind the disagreement. These issues included revenue sharing, the “make-whole” provision to honor existing player contracts, and a variety of other contract issues.

New to the discussions was the topic of player pensions. A few of the league’s owners even appeared as a result. Among those that showed up were Ted Leonsis of the Washington Capitals and Jeremy Jacobs of the Boston Bruins.

A few high-profile members of the NHLPA also made the trip to New York. Brad Richards, Chris Campoli, George Parros, and other players came to listen in on the discussions. Earlier in the week, the union’s executive director, Donald Fehr, reportedly sent the players a letter that told them to curb any extreme sense of optimism. Still, ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun reported that the NHLPA had made two offers on Wednesday pertaining to both revenue sharing and the aforementioned “make-whole” provision.

In the end, Donald Fehr is probably right. It is not a good idea to get too excited about the possibility of an agreement within the coming days. The two sides are still pretty far apart on a variety of topics, and a labor dispute isn’t something that normally shifts from a complete stalemate to an agreement phase within the span of a week.

Still, it is encouraging to see the league and players’ union take the initiative to resume their talks. This is especially true after the NHL recently decided to cancel this year’s Winter Classic at the University of Michigan. It is obvious that a full season is a lost cause at this point. However, the NBA proved last year that a shortened season could still provide plenty of drama and bring in the television viewers. For starved hockey fans, any season would feel like a full season at this point.

Again, I caution you to not read too much into this week’s discussions. They are certainly encouraging, but they are just one step on the road to a resolution. In the coming weeks, we should have a better understanding of what the final verdict will be for this NHL season that, so far, has yet to begin.

As dreary as the lockout has been, there is still hope. That’s all that matters.