With the NFL currently in a lockout and the NBA about to enter one, could the NHL once again be next in line in terms of professional sports leagues locking out players over money disputes?
The last NHL lockout came during the 2004-05 campaign in which the entire season (including the playoffs) was cancelled. The 2005 CBA that was a result of that lockout was supposed to stabilize struggling franchises like Phoenix, Atlanta and Nashville.
According to Damien Cox of TheStar.com, the 2005 CBA has done quite the opposite of its original intentions of stabilizing struggling franchises (like previously mentioned) and basically doing away with high-priced player contracts.
Sure we don’t have those high price player contracts like we see in the MLB or NFL however we still see plenty of franchises having tremendous financial hardships.
So with Phoenix a punchline and propped up only by the inexplicable antics of local politicians, Columbus hemorrhaging upwards of $25 million a season, Atlanta bathing in red ink, the Islanders about to try and get Nassau County taxpayers to pay $350 million for a new rink on a flimsy I.O.U., Nashville looking for new equity partners and any number of other clubs looking to sell, hockey fans better get ready for what’s coming.
Cox also points out that the league didn’t get its idiot proof CBA the first time around so in 2012-13 they must try again.
Start with a request for another 24 per cent salary rollback. Think about chopping the cap back to, oh, $45 million. How about reducing the players’ share of hockey-related revenue to less than 50 per cent from 56 per cent, slashing the maximum salary from 20 per cent of the cap to 15 per cent, making a five-year term the maximum and taking a run at guaranteed contracts.
You add to the fact that revenues are up in the NHL, players are seemingly going to want more and not less in the for the new CBA.
Even though there is still time between now and the current CBA deadline, there is a probably a pretty good chance that the 2012-13 season doesn’t start on time.
Source: TheStar.com