Tag Archives: nhl players association

Canucks’ Dale Weise bows to tough guy stigma against visors

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GLENDALE, Ariz. — Dale Weise doesn’t wear a visor, but wishes he could.

The Vancouver Canucks winger and occasional pugilist is the victim of a stigma that exists in the National Hockey League that says, basically, “thou shall not wear a visor if you fight.”

“It’s tough for guys in a situation like myself,” Weise said before Thursday’s game against the Phoenix Coyotes. “If there wasn’t that stigma that if you fight you can’t wear a visor I’d wear one. I think it’s garbage. I think personally everyone should wear one.”

Weise hopes the NHL Players’ Association will support an initiative that came out of this week’s meeting of NHL general managers calling for the grandfathering of mandatory visors. What that means is players entering the league would have to wear a visor, while those already playing in the NHL would continue to have a choice.

Weise would like to see the league and its players go a step further.

“If it was...

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NHLPA agrees to realightnment, board still has to OK plan

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TORONTO — It looks like the NHL is getting a new look.

Agreement on a realignment plan was announced in a pair of short statements from the NHL Players' Association and the league.

The NHLPA said it has agreed to realignment next season, to be re-evaluated following the 2014-15 season.

The league confirmed the move, saying the next step is to take the plan to the league's board of governors.

Neither side revealed the plan but it is widely believed to have two conferences, each with two divisions.

Detroit shifts to the East and Winnipeg moves to the West.

The Eastern Conference would look like this:

Atlantic Division: Carolina, Columbus, New Jersey, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington.

Central Division: Boston, Buffalo, Detroit, Florida, Montreal, Ottawa, Tampa Bay, Toronto.

The Western Conference would shape up this way:

Midwest Division: Chicago, Colorado, Dallas, Minnesota, Nashville, St. Louis, Winnipeg.

Pacific Division: Anaheim, Calgary, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Jose, Vancouver.

That means 16 teams in the East and 14...

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Canucks Manny Malhotra, Henrik Sedin proud of players’ unity through lockout (with video)

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VANCOUVER — After living through his second lockout in eight years, Vancouver Canuck centre Manny Malhotra was holding his head high Monday as a member of the NHL Players Association.

Malhotra, 32, was there in 2004-05 when the entire season was cancelled amid grumbling and back-biting by various players. This time they stuck together with the exception of an occasional Roman Hamrlik outburst. Malhotra credited NHLPA executive director Don Fehr for keeping everyone on board.

“I can definitely say I am proud to be a part of this union with the solidarity we showed and the level of education that the guys had,” said Malhotra, a member of the players’ 31-man bargaining committee. “Obviously a lot of guys spoke their mind throughout the course of this and that’s to be expected. That’s welcome. We had to know where every player stood on this thing. Everybody had different reasons for wanting to get back.

“I think that’s what Don Fehr has done...

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Social media kept everyone in touch during NHL lockout

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From start to finish, social media was an ever-present force during the NHL’s lockout.

Reaction was almost immediate on Sunday as word spread among players, media and fans that the league’s 113-day labour crisis had come to an end with a tentative agreement between the league and the NHL Players’ Association.

“So excited to get back to Edmonton,” said left-winger Taylor Hall. “See you soon Oiler fans!!!!”

New York Islanders forward Matt Moulson appreciated the time that went into the final 16-hour negotiating session that ended early Sunday morning.

“Woke up to some great news,” tweeted Moulson. “Big thank you to all who put in countless hours to get this thing done NHLPA.”

Matt Grabner, Moulson’s teammate on Long Island, was also grateful for the hard work put into labour talks that included U.S. federal mediators at times.

“Thanks to everyone who worked so hard and got this done..scramble is on now..can’t wait to get to NY,” said Grabner, adding the hashtag #letsplayhockey.

“To the...

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NHL lockout ends with tentative deal between league, NHLPA

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NEW YORK, N.Y. - After six long months of negotiations, it took one extremely long night to get the NHL out of the boardroom and back on the ice.
A tentative deal to end the 113-day NHL lockout was reached early Sunday morning following a marathon 16-hour negotiating session.


"We have reached an agreement on the framework of a new collective bargaining agreement, the details of which need to be put to paper," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman told a news conference. "We've got to dot a lot of i's and cross a lot of t's. There's still a lot of work to be done but the basic framework of the deal has been agreed upon."


Before the new CBA officially comes into effect, it must be ratified by a majority of both the league's 30 owners and the union's membership of approximately 740 players. There is no word when those votes will take place.


"Hopefully...

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Migrant NHL players set to return after spending lockout in Europe

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The great migration of NHL players to Europe is about to go into reverse.

Some of the nearly 200 players who spent the lockout with European clubs had already started trickling back in recent days. That will become a flood after news that the league and NHL Players’ Association reached a tentative agreement early Sunday morning.

They will have the advantage of having played in games in the last three months while those who elected to stay home will be playing catch-up during a quick training camp before the truncated regular season opens later this month.

“I’ve been working out hard on the ice and in the gym and I’m mentally anxious to get back on the ice (for games),” said Vancouver Canucks forward Alex Burrows, who stayed home for the lockout. “We’ve been deep in the playoffs the last few years, so to get a rest and be able to work out and stay in the gym a little longer...

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Game on! NHL lockout ends with tentative deal between league, NHLPA

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NEW YORK — After six long months of negotiations, it took one extremely long night to get the NHL out of the boardroom and back on the ice.

A tentative deal to end the 113-day NHL lockout was reached early Sunday morning following a marathon 16-hour negotiating session.

“We have reached an agreement on the framework of a new collective bargaining agreement, the details of which need to be put to paper,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman told a news conference. “We’ve got to dot a lot of i’s and cross a lot of t’s. There’s still a lot of work to be done but the basic framework of the deal has been agreed upon.”

Before the new CBA officially comes into effect, it must be ratified by a majority of both the league’s 30 owners and the union’s membership of approximately 740 players. There is no word when those votes will take place.

“Hopefully we’re at a place where all those things...

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Canucks’ cap twist may force tough roster decisions

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VANCOUVER — The Vancouver Canucks aren’t talking, but you can bet the team is hoping that a $60-million salary cap for the 2013-14 season has not become the latest hill the National Hockey League is willing to die on in labour negotiations with its players.

A $60-million cap for the 2013-14 season — which is what the NHL has proposed in its current negotiations with the NHL Players’ Association — would present significant challenges to the Canucks and several other of the league’s big spenders.

Vancouver has 13 players signed for 2013-14 with a cap hit of roughly $55.4 million. That would leave the Canucks with the impossible task of signing 10 more players to fill out their roster for less than $5 million in total.

Not even assistant general manager Laurence Gilman — who has made like Houdini in past seasons to keep the Canucks under the cap — can pull off that kind of sleight of hand.

Gilman, who on...

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NHL reviewing NHLPA’s counter offer after meeting

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NEW YORK — Just steps from the massive celebration in Times Square, top NHL executives spent New Year’s Eve reviewing a collective bargaining proposal that could save a shortened season.

With the negotiations at a critical stage, commissioner Gary Bettman, deputy commissioner Bill Daly and other league staff worked into the night Monday and were hoping to return to the bargaining table with the NHL Players’ Association by noon on Tuesday.

"We have to review the response," said Bettman. "There was an opportunity for the players’ association to highlight the areas that they thought we should focus on based on their response. And that’s something we’ve now got to look at very closely."

The NHLPA’s offer came three days after the league made movement in a comprehensive 288-page document delivered by email on Thursday night. Both sides were fairly tight-lipped following roughly three hours of meetings on Monday afternoon.

Donald Fehr, the NHLPA’s executive director, said the union improved the offer...

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Canucks say NHL’s latest proposal addressing buyouts, contract lengths is a positive sign

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No sooner did a trio of Vancouver Canucks respond Friday to leaked details of the NHL’s latest collective bargaining agreement proposal than the union advised its members to zip their lips. A conference call to review the league’s 300-page document and a crafted response from NHL Players’ Association executive director Donald Fehr would come first. Then perhaps a counter-proposal. Any necessary venom would be spewed later or not at all.

After the sides talked on the phone Saturday in an information session, they agreed to continue the process Sunday and meet face-to-face in New York where there could be a bargaining session.

However, by not initially taking the league to task on only moving contract lengths from five to six years, adjusting contract variance from five to 10 per cent and insisting that one contract buyout next summer that won’t count agains the salary cap will allow teams to comply to a $60 million US ceiling, the union is biting...

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NHL makes movement on buyouts, contract length in new proposal to NHLPA

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TORONTO — The NHL is making a serious bid to save the season.

With another year in jeopardy because of a labour dispute, the league softened its demands in key areas of collective bargaining with a new proposal to the NHL Players' Association on Thursday night. The comprehensive offer included compliance buyouts and less restrictive rules on player contracts, according to sources.

The league's proposal calls for a six-year term limit on free-agent deals — up from five previously — and will allow teams to re-sign their own players for up to seven years. It also includes a provision that salary can vary by 10 per cent from year to year during the course of a deal (the NHL's most recent offer proposed a five per cent variance).

A source told The Canadian Press the deal is contingent on the NHLPA signing off by Jan. 11. Training camps would then open the next day and the season would start Jan. 19.

The...

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Iain MacIntyre: Edler’s back, but may never be 100 per cent

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There is a difference between feeling 100 per cent and playing 100 per cent. Alex Edler can live with discomfort – and probably will have to – as long as he can play at full throttle in the National Hockey League.

During the lockout, he has pains but no games. But Edler is well enough to be declared fit by the Vancouver Canucks after the defenceman spent three months re-rehabilitating a back injury caused by a bulging disc.

For now, this means two things: Edler no longer gets paid during the owners’ lockout, and he can show solidarity with his union brothers by wearing a NHL Players’ Association practice jersey instead of a Canuck sweater during ice sessions.

“You know what?” Edler said Monday when asked about coming off the dole. “I would much, much rather be healthy and not getting paid. That’s the most important. It’s absolutely terrible to not be able to be out there with the guys because...

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Big hurdles still remain on road to NHL deal

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With a degree in finance, Kevin Bieksa can wrap his head around collective bargaining agreement issues as easily as he wraps up opposition forwards.

The Vancouver Canucks defenceman can take the complicated and make the layman feel educated and entertained.

With the NHL and NHL Players’ Association agreeing to renew talks Wednesday at an undisclosed location with federal mediation in an effort to end the lockout, there may be less venom spewed with other voices of reason in the room in a non-binding setting.

More calm should be in order but three high hurdles still need to be cleared.

Aside from agreeing on CBA and player contract lengths, the one that could trip up a deal is the year-to-year variance on contracts. Players want a 25 per cent difference on multi-year deals that are seven years or longer, meaning the lowest point of the salary scale must be a minimum 25 per cent of the highest point.

It would include...

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Fourth straight day of NHL meetings underway as two sides look to end lockout

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NEW YORK -- Any goodwill built during an extended run of collective bargaining talks between the NHL and NHL Players' Association quickly evaporated Friday.

The sides emerged red-faced and frustrated after hitting a road block during their fourth consecutive day together at the bargaining table. The league and union looked to be moving slowly towards a deal after trading proposals earlier in the week, but ended up exchanging some heated words after discovering they were still about US$380 million apart on economics.

"We looked at some of the numbers on the various proposals and we thought we were much closer together on the structure of a deal than the suggestions were," said NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr. "They came back to us and said, 'No, we're very, very far apart on the structure of a deal."'

There were no further bargaining sessions scheduled, but Fehr remained hopeful they would pick up talks again Saturday.

The fundamental issue they are trying to bridge...

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