Interesting ... they seemed so close. I hope the NHL can explain why they did not continue to negotiate
Agreed. I don't think it was in Bettman's best interests to salvage a partial season.
This is union-crushing at it's ugly worst.
And for what? So a few miserable owners can be contained by a salary cap? If they were all like Lou Lamoriello, the owners wouldn't have put themselves in this position in the first place.
But, the good-ole-boy club just didn't want to have slap the wrists of Glen Sather and tell him he was ruining the show for everybody else.
So much more fun to just blame, and then bust, the union.
I hate 'basketball bettman'.
The NHL came up from $38 million to $42.5 million salary cap. The union, which said it would never accept a salary cap, offered one at the last minute, $52 million, and then dropped their offer to $49 million. That last offer was for the same dollars as their December offer to take a 24 percent across-the-board reduction in salary, not tied to a cap. So, essentially, the union never moved and the NHL did.
It's doubtful that the majority of teams would have been profitable under a $42.5 million cap. They are fortunate that offer was not accepted. They will be free in September to impose their own salary structure with no union input. Just open the doors to all.
There are reports that foreign players are planning to come in droves for those camps, out of disgust with the NHL players who came over and took their friends' jobs.
There is great animosity in the North American minor leagues over NHL players dropping down into their salary-capped leagues and taking players' jobs, some for as little as $500 a week.
You just watched a union commit suicide.