June 8, 2006
Summer reading: The new CBA
Looking for some hockey related reading material for this summer? The NHLPA has just the thing for you. The Players' Association has made the new Collective Bargaining Agreement available for your reading pleasure.

July 22, 2005
CBA Highlights
Here's a look at some of the highlights of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NHL and NHLPA. The CBA was unanimously ratified by the NHL Board of Governors Friday.

The long and winding road to settlement
Here's a look at some key dates in the NHL CBA negotiations, lockout, cancellation of the 2004-05 season and playoffs, and the eventual agreement between the two sides. 

July 21, 2005
Players ratify new CBA, Board of Governors to do same Friday
The NHL moved one step closer to opening for business Thursday when players voted to ratify the new Collective Bargaining Agreement with the league. NHLPA executive director Bob Goodenow said that about 87 or 88 percent of the players voted in favor of the deal.

July 15, 2005
Updated CBA highlights
More and more details about the NHL's new CBA continue to trickle out. Here's a look at the latest information about the economic system under which the league will operate beginning in 2005-06.

July 13, 2005
Pending ratification, lockout could officially end next week
The NHL and NHLPA Wednesday took a major step towards ending the longest labor dispute in North American sports history. After ten straight days of talks the two sides finally reached an agreement in principle on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. If all all goes well in the ratification process, the lockout, which is now in its 301st day, will officially end next week.

CBA highlights
Here are some of the reported highlights of the NHL's new CBA, which is expected to ratified next week by both the players and the owners.

July 9, 2005
The escrow primer
As details have leaked out about the deal between the NHL and NHLPA, the term escrow has come up in regards to the salary cap. How will it work? Here's a brief primer on the topic.

July 7, 2005
Negotiations update
Do the NHL and NHLPA have a deal in principle on a new CBA? It probably depends on your definition of a deal in principle. But from all appearances the two sides appear very close to presenting the deal to owners and players for ratification.

July 3, 2005
Negotiations update
Although information remains limited, some tidbits continue to trickle out concerning what may be included in the NHL's new Collective Bargaining Agreement. Here is some of the latest speculation.

June 26, 2005
Negotiations update
There's been a lot of talk recently about buyouts as one way teams can shed salary as they transition into a salary cap world. But there's a suggestion of a possible alternative to buyouts.

June 24, 2005
NHL, NHLPA statements
Here are the statements from the NHL and NHLPA as five days of meetings wrapped up in Toronto on Friday. Talks will resume Monday in New York.

June 19, 2005
Negotiations update
The NHL and NHLPA resume talks in Toronto on Monday. Here's a look at the latest reports and speculation on where the negotiations stand on key issues.

June 17, 2005
Talks wrap up for the week
The NHL and NHLPA wrapped up their latest round of talks on Friday and will resume discussions Monday. For the week the two sides met for about 28 hours stretched out over four days.

June 14, 2005
NHL News & Notes
Talks with ESPN may have ended, but the National Hockey League has reportedly been holding discussions with another U.S. cable network about carrying  NHL games next season.

June 10, 2005
League claims 'healthy dialogue' and 'progress' as talks wrap up for the week
The NHL's Bill Daly said four days of talks between the league and the NHLPA contained "healthy dialogue" and resulted in progress, and that the two sides will be back at it again early next week.

June 9, 2005
Negotiations update
Although there were some strong denials Thursday, it appears the NHL and NHLPA have agreed on a formula for a salary cap system and it is now down to hammering out the final numbers and the details on several other key issues.

Lites says cap report matches what he is hearing
Dallas Stars president Jim Lites says the Toronto Globe and Mail report about a salary cap formula based on team-by-team revenues is basically what he has been hearing, and that he hopes the two sides can have a finalized deal in 30 days.

June 8, 2005
NHLPA disputes report of agreement on salary cap formula
The NHLPA said no agreements have been reached in talks between NHL and NHLPA negotiators, who continue to meet in New York. The NHLPA was responding to a report in the Toronto Globe and Mail that the two sides had agreed to formula on a salary cap system. 

June 3, 2005
NHL says progress being made, but a lot of work left to do
Progress is being made, but there is a lot of work to be done. That was the league's take after the NHL and NHLPA wrapped up another long meeting in Toronto on Friday.

June 2, 2005
Talks to continue Friday
The NHL and NHLPA met for about ten hours Thursday and have scheduled another round of talks for Friday. The large group bargaining session that was expected on Thursday apparently didn't happen as the two sides again met in a small group setting to work on financial issues.

June 1, 2005
Sides wrap up after ten hours
League and team finances were the focus once again as the NHL and NHLPA met for about ten hours Wednesday in Toronto.

May 31, 2005
Sides set to resume negotiations
The NHL and NHLPA will meet in Toronto Wednesday and Thursday amid speculation that the two sides are inching closer to an agreement to end the lockout. Here's a look at some of the key issues and where various reports say the two sides stand.

ESPN breaks off talks with NHL
The NHL and NHLPA will resume talks Wednesday and Thursday in Toronto, but ESPN has pulled the plug on negotiations with the league over television rights fees.

May 27, 2005
ESPN to decline NHL option, could negotiate cheaper deal
It appears that ESPN is set to announce that it will decline its option for NHL coverage next season. Both TSN and Sportsnet in Canada are reporting that ESPN has decided to pass on the option, with TSN reporting an announcement would come next week. But the decision does not necessarily mean the end of the NHL on ESPN.

May 26, 2005
NHL cites more progress as Chicago meetings wrap up
The NHL said more progress was made as it ended two days of meetings with the NHLPA in Chicago on Thursday.

May 25, 2005
NHL, NHLPA meet for 6 1/2 hours
The NHL and NHLPA met for about six-and-a-half hours in Chicago Wednesday and will get together again on Thursday.  The two sides apparently held small group meetings on financial and accounting issues.

May 24, 2005
Back to the bargaining table
The NHL and NHLPA head back to the bargaining table Wednesday amid reports that an agreement could be just a few weeks away despite both sides saying they haven't reached an agreement on any of  the several key issues involved.

May 20, 2005
NHL, NHLPA say progress made on key issues
Thursday's 14-hour negotiation session between the NHL and NHLPA was followed up by an eight-hour session on Friday, and when the discussions concluded there was talk of progress of on key issues. Not agreement, but progress.

May 19, 2005
Meeting ends after 14 hours
Talks between the NHL and NHLPA Thursday lasted for 14 hours, but how much progress was made, if any, was not immediately known. Neither side was commenting immediately after the talks ended. The Canadian Press quoted a source as saying little progress was made, but that there was healthy discussion on several topics.

May 18, 2005
Sides meet for more than eight hours; Bettman, Goodenow testify in Washington on steroids
The NHL and NHLPA spent more than eight hours going over team finances and accounting practices Wednesday.

May 17, 2005
Back to the table
The NHL and NHLPA dropped the puck on another round of meetings Tuesday in New York, discussing league and team revenues for a little more than four hours. This latest round of talks, which includes two days of small group discussions,  is expected to conclude on Thursday with a full bargaining session.

May 12, 2005
NHL, NHLPA talks end for the week, two sides will meet three days next week
The NHL and NHLPA met for about five hours in New York Thursday, discussing team finances and going over the Levitt Report.  The two sides will meet again next Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

May 11, 2005
NHL, NHLPA talks focus on accounting, other issues
Wednesday's talks between the NHL and NHLPA focused on so-called "sub-issues," including accounting and the possible formation of a competition committee.

May 10, 2005
NHL, NHLPA talks to continue Wednesday and Thursday
The NHL and NHLPA met for three-and-a-half hours in New York on Tuesday and agreed to meet again on Wednesday and Thursday.

May 6, 2005
Two sides wrap up talks, hope to meet again next week
The NHL and NHLPA followed up Thursday's three-and-a-half hour session with a four-and-a-half hour session in Toronto on Friday. There were no reports of progress in the talks, but the two sides could meet again next week.

May 5, 2005
Two sides meet for about three hours
The National Hockey League and NHLPA met for about three-and-a-half hours in Toronto Thursday. It was the first formal negotiating session between the two sides since April 19.

April 28, 2005
NHLPA applies for union certification in Quebec and British Columbia
The NHL may have decided to hold off on using replacement players for now, but the NHLPA is making moves just in case the league eventually goes that route. On Thursday the NHLPA filed for certification as a union in both Quebec and British Columbia.

April 20, 2005
Bettman says 2005-06 season won't start on time
if there is no deal with NHLPA
NHL owners emerged from Wednesday's Board of Governors get together indicating they are focused on getting a deal with the NHLPA, not on using replacing players.

April 19, 2005
No 'substantive progress,' but two sides will accelerate pace of talks
The official word was "no substantive progress" was made in Tuesday's negotiating session between the NHL and NHLPA.  But the two sides did agree to meet more frequently over the next few weeks in hopes of moving forward.

April 18, 2005
Replacements & revenue sharing are divisive issues for owners
When representatives from a group of teams met in Dallas recently to talk about replacement players, Stars president Jim Lites claims the point wasn't to discuss the pros and cons of replacements, but to be prepared if replacements become reality.

April 17, 2005
NHL, NHLPA head back to the negotiating table this week
In a normal year this would be a week filled with pivotal first round Stanley Cup playoff games. This year, however, it's a week of pivotal meetings in the NHL labor dispute as the league and NHLPA meet for another round of negotiations on Tuesday and then, one day later, the NHL Board of Governors get together.

April 10, 2005
Approaching common ground?
After almost seven months of fruitless negotiations, there is a sense that the National Hockey League and the NHLPA may be finally approaching some common ground on what a new Collective Bargaining Agreement might look like. Whether that potential common ground may be a path to progress or just another dead end could start to take shape this week.

April 4, 2005
NHL, NHLPA meet, agree to meet again soon
The NHLPA rejected the league's latest proposals on Monday, but the two sides did discuss some "possible concepts for moving the process forward."  They then ended the seven-hour meeting in Toronto by agreeing to talk again soon.

Unsatisfied with NHLPA's response, league files 2nd charge with NLRB
The National Hockey League filed its second unfair labor practices charge against the NHLPA Monday. This time the charge it filed with the National Labor Relations Board had to do with reports that the PA was threatening to decertify agents who represent replacement or cross-over players.

March 31, 2005
NHL reportedly to hold off on 2nd labor charge for now
The National Hockey League is reportedly holding off on filing a second unfair labor practices charge against the NHLPA, at least for now.

March 29, 2005
NHL, NHLPA to meet Monday
The NHL and NHLPA will apparently head back to the bargaining table next week. The Canadian Press reports the two sides are set to meet Monday at an undisclosed location.

March 25, 2005
NHL files unfair labor complaint against NHLPA
The NHL labor dispute is moving into new territory and it isn't a pretty landscape. The league has filed an unfair labor practice charge against the NHLPA with the U.S. National Labor Relations Board.

March 24, 2005
League cancels draft events
The NHL lockout had already cost Atlanta the opportunity to host this year's All-Star game, and on Thursday it was made official that Ottawa's opportunity to host a full-blown 2005 NHL Entry Draft will suffer the same fate.

March 21, 2005
NHLPA to meet this week
The NHLPA reacted less than enthusiastically to the latest offers put forward by the NHL last week, but the PA is expected to discuss them with during a three-day meeting this week with the players' executive committee.

March 17, 2005
League makes its offers
The NHL made two proposals to the NHLPA in New York Thursday, but Players' Association chief Bob Goodenow indicated there wasn't much new in the offers.  The numbers were different though.

March 11, 2005
Two sides meet, will meet again
The NHL and NHLPA met for about 90 minutes in Toronto Friday and agreed to meet again some time next week. No new proposals were made in the meeting, which was characterized as a general discussion by NHLPA executive director Bob Goodenow.

March 10, 2005
NHL Lockout: Back to square one?
After the disastrous talks in New York on February 19, the general assumption was that it is back to square one in the negotiations as the NHL and NHLPA head into Friday's talks at an undisclosed location. In reality it appears neither side really knows and probably won't find out until they meet face-to-face Friday to see where everything stands.

March 7, 2005
NHL Lockout: What's Next? More talks
Despite all the talk of  the proposed NHL buyout, the new WHA and a possible European Super League, the hot topic of the NHL lockout is once again going to be about talks between the league and the NHLPA.  The two sides are set to meet again later this week at an undisclosed location

March 3, 2005
Buyout offer creates a buzz
Dallas Stars owner Tom Hicks called it "silly and irrelevant." Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs said it's not realistic. The Toronto Maple Leafs said they aren't interested. Carolina owner Peter Karmanos, Jr.  said he had a "passing interest and morbid curiosity"  in it, but that was about it. The offer by two firms to buy all 30 NHL teams for between $3.3 billion and $3.5 billion apparently won't get anywhere, but it did create quite a buzz in the sports world Thursday. 

Wall Street firm makes pitch to buy NHL
A Wall Street firm and a sports advisory board have made a pitch to  buy all 30 teams in the National Hockey League for $3.5 million according to a report in Thursday's Toronto Star.

March 2, 2005
Agents, NHLPA meet
The topic supposedly wasn't discussed during the four-hour meeting between the NHLPA and player agents Wednesday, but the issue of replacement players was a hot topic with the media after the session.

March 1, 2005
United we stand
The NHL Board of Governors met in New York Tuesday. Players met with the NHLPA in Toronto as well. The message from both was that there is unity in the ranks.

February 27, 2005
Talking among themselves
It will be another week of talks in the NHL lockout. But instead of talking to each other, the two sides will be talking among themselves. On Tuesday the NHL Board of Governors will meet with Gary Bettman New York, while in Toronto players will meet with Bob Goodenow. Then on Wednesday player agents will get an update on the situation from Goodenow and the PA.

February 22, 2005
Looking ahead: NHL 2005-06 Payrolls
Looking ahead to the 2005-06 season, the Detroit Red Wings have the most money committed to payroll with 16 players under contract for just over $50 million. At the bottom of the list are the Boston Bruins, who have just $3.8 million committed to four players, according to figures put out by the NHLPA during the collective bargaining process.

February 19, 2005
Talks go nowhere; Daly says season is lost and it's time to focus on getting deal for next season
The National Hockey League 2004-05 season is still dead. Despite media reports that a deal could be close or may have even been reached in principle, talks between the NHL and NHLPA in New York Saturday ended with the familiar report of no progress.

February 18, 2005
Rumors turn into reality: Two sides to meet Saturday in New York; NHL, NHLPA both deny reports of agreement or deal being close
Rumors have turned into reality and the rollercoaster ride of NHL labor negotiations is back on track. The NHL and NHLPA are set  to meet in New York Saturday amid reports from The Hockey News that the two sides have agreed in principle on a $45 million salary cap. The NHLPA, however, told CBC Sports Online that reports about a deal being imminent are "absolutely false."  And NHL executive vice-president Bill Daly told Sportsnet the league and PA had not reached an agreement in principle.

Quotable
With the NHL and NHLPA meeting in New York Saturday and reports circulating about the two sides possibly reaching a deal on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, here's what some people around the league have been saying.

Arnott believes season is only 'just sort of dead'
Dallas Stars forward Jason Arnott doesn't think the NHL season is really dead. He prefers using the description "just sort of dead." Arnott is one person who is holding out hope that there is some truth to those rumors of a movement to reverse this week's cancellation of the season.

February 17, 2005
The day after: The season may be dead, but the rumor mill lives
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman may have canceled the 2004-05 season, but that doesn't mean that everything associated with the league has come to a standstill. The rumor mill is still operating and it shifted into overdrive Thursday, even spitting out the suggestion that perhaps the fat lady didn't sing a season-ending tune on Wednesday.

February 16, 2005
Bettman announces cancellation of the 2004-05 season
The National Hockey League steered itself into uncharted waters Wednesday, becoming the first North American professional sports league to cancel an entire season due to a labor dispute. Commissioner Gary Bettman made the somber announcement Wednesday afternoon during a news conference in New York.

The road to cancellation
Here's a look at some key dates in the NHL CBA negotiations, lockout and eventual cancellation of the 2004-05 season and playoffs.

Cancellation reaction
Here is some of the reaction from around the league and the media concerning NHL commissioner Gary Bettman's cancellation of the 2004-05 NHL season on Wednesday.

February 15, 2005
Dear Gary: You will receive nothing further from us
NHLPA executive director Bob Goodenow has sent a response to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman's rejection of the players' latest counter-proposal. Goodenow closed the letter by telling Bettman that "You will receive nothing further from us."

Dear Bob: It won't work
Here's NHL commissioner Gary Bettman's response in which he rejects NHLPA executive director Bob Goodenow's counter-proposal that called for a $49 million salary cap.

Dear Gary: The NHLPA's counter-proposal
Here's NHLPA executive director Bob Goodenow's letter to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman outlining the player's counter-proposal that calls for a $49 million dollar salary cap. It is the response to the NHL's non-negotiable final offer that called for a $42.5 million dollar salary cap.

Dear Bob: The NHL's final proposal
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has sent a letter to Bob Goodenow of the NHLPA explaining the league's final offer, which includes a team salary cap of $42.5 million that is not linked to league revenues. Bettman said it is not a starting point for negotiations. This is the final offer from the league and Goodenow and the NHLPA have until 11 a.m. EST Wednesday to accept the offer.  Here's the text of Bettman's letter.

Hicks on The Ticket
Dallas Stars owner Tom Hicks was on KTCK-1310 The Ticket this morning to talk with Dunham and Miller about the NHL lockout and the future of the league. Here are some of the highlights.

Proposal details starting to surface
More details are starting to surface about what both the NHL and NHLPA offered in last night's bargaining session in Niagara Falls, New York amid speculation that the league could present a counter-offer at some point today.

The $12 million gap?
Despite some reported major moves by both sides Monday night, the NHL and NHLPA were not able to reach an agreement to settle the lockout. According to the NHLPA the two sides did, however, finally reach some common ground in their proposals and it all boiled down to a $12 million gap. But Dallas Stars owner Tom Hicks thinks those reports of common ground may have been overstated.

February 14, 2005
Bettman news conference set for Wednesday; no progress in latest talks
The much anticipated Gary Bettman news conference where he is expected to cancel the NHL season is set for Wednesday at 1 p.m. EST (Noon CST). The news conference was originally planned for Tuesday, but was pushed back a day after unexpected talks began between the lead negotiators for the league and NHLPA. Once again, those talks provided no progress.

February 13, 2005
Federal mediation provides no help at deadline
With the deadline approaching to start working on a agreement or lose the season, the NHL and NHLPA met with federal mediators in Washington Sunday. It was the same old story -- no progress.

February 12, 2005
Behind the scenes buzz as cancellation looms
This is the weekend when many of hockey's brightest stars were supposed to be in Atlanta for the NHL All-Star Game. Now it is has turned into the dark deadline weekend. The weekend by which the NHL and the NHLPA must be drafting a new Collective Bargaining Agreement in order to keep the season from becoming the season that never was. Although all was quiet on the negotiations front, there were rumblings of a lot of behind the scenes buzz.

February 10, 2005
Cancellation of season looms after talks go nowhere
On Thursday the National Hockey League moved one day closer to losing an entire season due to a labor dispute. After talks broke down in Toronto, the league said no more talks were planned or expected in time for the two sides to meet this weekend's deadline to be drafting a new agreement  to save the 2004-05 season.

February 9, 2005
NHLPA rejects offer; Bettman sets deadline
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has finally set a deadline for the season to be saved. It doesn't require a deal to be signed. It requires the league and the NHLPA to be in the process of drafting an agreement by this weekend. Bettman's announcement came after the NHLPA rejected the league's latest offer to end the lockout, which reached its 147th day on Wednesday.

February 8, 2005
Hull: Just cancel the season
Phoenix Coyotes forward Brett Hull says the NHL should just cancel the season, work out a deal and hit the ice next season. As far as a cancellation of this season, speculation is that Hull may soon get his wish.

February 6, 2005
Yet another crucial week in the lockout
It's the same old story in the National Hockey League labor dispute. As the lockout drags on, another week rolls around and it is said to be a crucial one. With the league saying the lines of communication are still open, the door hasn't been closed on more talks. Whether those talks could open the door to a breakthrough in the stalemate is an entirely different story.

February 4, 2005
Goodenow says no progress; league says no comment on status of the season
Talks between the NHL and NHLPA ended after four hours on Friday and the news was not good. NHLPA chief Bob Goodenow said no progress was made over the past two days of talks, which totaled 13 hours, and no new meetings were currently planned. The NHL's Bill Daly called the talks "constructive," and added the league would have no announcement on the status of the season.

February 3, 2005
Talks will continue Friday
Talks between the National Hockey League and the NHLPA in New York stretched from Thursday afternoon into late Thursday evening and will continue on Friday.

February 2, 2005
NHLPA rejects league's latest proposal; Bettman, Goodenow to meet Thursday
The National Hockey League made its much anticipated proposal during a four-hour meeting in Newark, New Jersey Wednesday. The NHLPA basically said no thanks, but let's meet again on Thursday. That's what they'll do. And this time NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and NHLPA executive director Bob Goodenow will join the talks. 

February 1, 2005
NHL, NHLPA to meet Wednesday
The NHL and NHLPA will meet Wednesday in New York as speculation mounts that the the league is preparing to make a final proposal in hopes of ending the lockout and salvaging the 2004-05 season.

January 30, 2005
Optimism wanes
Last week Detroit Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman was among the optimists who thought there was still time to save the NHL season. This week he is singing a different, much more pessimistic tune.

January 28, 2005
News & Notes
More details have started to come about some of those "concepts" the NHL offered in Thursday night's talks with the NHLPA in New York. TSN in Canada reported Friday that the league continues to insist on a hard team salary cap and other forms of caps, and all that didn't sit well with the players.

January 27, 2005
Philosophical differences continue
After about four hours of talks, the latest meeting between the NHL and NHLPA ended Thursday night with word that the "philosophical differences" between the two sides continue and no further meetings have been scheduled at least for time being.

January 26, 2005
Talks will continue
Representatives from the NHL and NHLPA spent the day talking to each other, but had little to say afterwards. Their only comment was that talks will continue this week.

January 25, 2005
The schedule question
Detroit Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman has spent some time thinking about an abbreviated NHL season, when it might start and what it might entail.  That's because he believes there is still time to reach a deal and play this season. He believes both sides have too much to lose if the entire season is lost.

January 24, 2005
They'll meet again
Get ready for round three of the small group discussions between the NHL and the NHLPA. The league has contacted the Players' Association to continue the talks that started last week in Chicago and Toronto, and the PA has accepted.

January 23, 2005
One last pitch by the league?
The word from the players late last week was that the season appears lost. But some expect the  NHL to make one last proposal this week in an effort to  jump start negotiations and save the season. The players, for their part, aren't expecting much.

January 21, 2005
Hope for a season sinks
After meeting for two days with representatives from the league, NHLPA president Trevor Linden sees little hope of reaching an agreement and playing hockey this season. The Hockey News reports that Linden left an audio message on the PA's secure web site last night that said he sees no basis for further talks with the league.

January 20, 2005
Still divided
After meeting on consecutive days and almost ten hours worth of what were described as good talks, the NHL and NHLPA are still divided over the issue of a salary cap. Talks wrapped up after four-and-a-half hours in Toronto Thursday with NHL executive vice-president Bill Daly saying the two sides still have "strong philosophical differences." No new talks were immediately scheduled.

January 19, 2005
Two sides meet, agree to meet again
After almost five hours of talks at Chicago's O'Hare Airport Wednesday, representatives from the NHL and NHLPA have agreed to meet again. NHL executive vice president Bill Daly and NHLPA senior director Ted Saskin revealed few details right after the meeting, but there will be another meeting Thursday in Toronto.

January 17, 2005
Talking again
With time running out on possibly saving the NHL season, representatives from the league and the Players' Association will meet Wednesday at an undisclosed location. But NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and NHLPA Executive Director Bob Goodenow won't be included in the session.  The invitation came from the PA, but the players say they have no plans to offer up a proposal.

January 16, 2005
The Goodenow message
So just what was NHLPA Executive Director Bob Goodenow's audio message to players on the PA's secure web site that got a lot of media play this past week? "With all the rumors floating around, Bob just wanted to clarify things. He wanted to make sure that guys are sticking together. We're not moving, the NHL is not moving and basically, that's that," Montreal defenseman Sheldon Souray wrote this past week in a Postcard from Sweden on the official web site of Farjestad, the team for which he is playing in the Swedish Elite League.

January 9, 2005
The Conway proposal
Journalist Russ Conway of the Lawrence (Mass.) Eagle-Tribune is the latest person to offer up a CBA proposal. Conway, whose writing on the game of hockey has been honored by the Hockey Hall of Fame, consulted with a panel of 36 experts from all across hockey to come up with the proposal, which he believes "would bring a measure of cost certainty but preserve the free market."

January 7, 2005
NBC goes to the dogs in wake of lockout
NBC was supposed to kick off its NHL coverage on Saturday, but the network has had to adjust due to the NHL lockout. In place of hockey, NBC will offer up a dog show on the first weekend.

January 6, 2005
League cancels meeting
If the league's move to call a January 14 Board of Governors meeting  was designed to put some pressure on the NHLPA, it apparently has failed. The league has canceled the meeting, saying there is no point because of a lack of progress in talks with the Players' Association over a new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

December 22, 2004
January 14 deadline set?
Mark the day of Friday, January 14, 2005 down on your calendar. That appears to the day the NHL will cancel the 2004-05 season if the league and the NHLPA do not reach an agreement on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

December 19, 2004
The big spenders, cost certainty and revenue sharing
The National Hockey League continues to be vague about its plans for revenue sharing if it gets its way in CBA negotiations with the players. But the league's vision of a "revenue sharing pool that will be funded primarily by a portion of revenues generated in the Stanley Cup playoffs" may be one of the key reasons the big spending, high revenue teams have bought into Commissioner Gary Bettman's cost certainty mantra.

December 14, 2004
Stalemate: Both sides reject latest proposals
The prospects of an NHL season took another serious blow Tuesday in Toronto as both the NHL and the NHLPA rejected the latest proposals offered by the other side. No future talks are planned right now.

The NHL's cap proposal
The NHL may not like to use the term salary cap, but the proposal it made to NHLPA Tuesday would have ensured a maximum team payroll of $36.4 million and a minimum team payroll of $32.4 million in the first year of an agreement. The average team payroll would be $34.4 million and the average player salary would be $1.38 million.

December 13, 2004
NHL to reject players' proposal; offer counter-proposal
Indicating it provides a short-term fix and not a long-term solution, the NHL will reject the NHLPA's latest offer to solve the stalemate over a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. TSN.ca has obtained a memo sent from the league to the 30 teams that says Commissioner Gary Bettman plans to offer a counter-proposal Tuesday that "will be an appropriate response to the Union's offer and will ensure the League's future stability and long-term health."

December 12, 2004
Breaking down the NHLPA plan
Here's a detailed look the latest NHLPA proposal, which includes a 24 percent salary rollback, a luxury tax, changes to arbitration, qualifying offers and the entry-level system and a plan for revenue sharing among the teams.

December 9, 2004
Players offer huge salary rollback; league to respond next week
The NHL came and listened to the latest proposal from the NHLPA Thursday in Toronto. When all was said and done after four hours, the league said it would have a formal response next week. The NHLPA's much anticipated offer to NHL contained a hefty 24 percent salary rollback.

December 8, 2004
Crunch time
In what's seen as a last ditch attempt to reach an agreement and save a season that could be wiped out by a lockout, the NHL and NHLPA get together in Toronto Thursday. The union is expected to make an offer it claims can provide the basis for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

December 5, 2004
Will NHLPA offer be enough?
About the only guarantee concerning Thursday's meeting between the NHL and the NHLPA in Toronto is that the players are going to make another offer. After that, it's anybody's guess what will happen.

December 2, 2004
NHL, NHLPA to meet Dec. 9
What had been rumored has now become fact. The NHLPA confirmed Thursday that it will make a new proposal in an attempt to break the stalemate over a new Collective Bargaining Agreement with the National Hockey League. The two sides will meet Thursday, December 9 in Toronto.

November 28, 2004
NHLPA offer coming?
If you buy into the rumor mill, it says the NHLPA could be close to making another proposal to the NHL. The word from the Philadelphia Daily News is that the union leadership may outline the offer to its members at a meeting in early December and then present it to the league. What will the offer contain? NHLPA senior director Ted Saskin may have provided some insight during a recent radio interview in Dallas.

November 24, 2004
Saskin on BaD Radio
NHLPA Senior Director Ted Saskin made an appearance with the BaD Radio guys on The Ticket Wednesday afternoon to talk about the NHL lockout. Here are the highlights of his discussion with Bob Sturm and Dan McDowell.

November 17, 2004
The Hockey News solution
The Hockey News has entered the fray and offered its solution to solve the NHL's CBA quagmire. THN's plan is unique because it the first of the independent proposals that calls for a fixed link between league revenues and player costs. The plan also includes a luxury tax, revenue sharing and an idea for giving payroll relief to winning teams.

November 14, 2004
The Forbes Report
The latest Forbes report on the financial state of the National Hockey League has raised questions about the some of the league's claims. But, in reality, all it has done is revive the debate over the definition of revenues.

Historical Forbes numbers
Here's a look at some of the Forbes magazine reports on the NHL in a different way. These are numbers we pulled together from the magazine's issues over the past several years and then compiled.

November 7, 2004
Overcoming the 1994-95 lockout
No one knows how the NHL will overcome the current lockout, but the league did survive the lockout of 1994-95. Of course, that was ten years ago and things were much different. Back then, the NHL was seen as a league on the rise.

November 3, 2004
Daly on BaD Radio
NHL Chief Legal Officer Bill Daly made an appearance with the BaD Radio guys on The Ticket Wednesday afternoon to talk about the NHL lockout. Here are some of the highlights.

November 2, 2004
Bill Daly profile
Gary Bettman may be the Commissioner of the NHL, but is Bill Daly who has become the face and voice of the league during the ongoing labor dispute with the NHLPA. Daly, the NHL’s Chief Legal Officer will be in Dallas Wednesday for a town hall meeting with Stars fans.

Goodenow says 'no cracks' in union
NHLPA Executive Director Bob Goodenow said there are "no cracks" in the players' union following a four-hour meeting between the union leadership and player representatives in Toronto Tuesday.

October 31, 2004
Dissent in the ranks
Surveying news reports the last week hasn't brought a lot of good news for the NHLPA. There's a growing sense of frustration among players about the lack of negotiations. A few players have said they could live with some kind of salary cap. Some members of the union have questioned the organization's leadership. All this comes as the NHLPA gets ready for a meeting on Tuesday that will bring representatives from all 30 teams to Toronto for an update on the labor situation.

Money & competitive balance
When Tampa Bay and Calgary made it to the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said it was a nice change of pace. But he cautioned that it was not a sign that the influence of money on competitive balance was on the decline.

October 24, 2004
Top 10 vs Bottom 10
During his recent chat with fans on the league's official web site, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman once again brought up the influence of payroll on a team's success. Talking about the appearance of two lower payroll teams -- Tampa Bay and Calgary -- in the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals, Bettman had this to say: "There are always aberrational situations, but if you look at competitive balance over the term of the last CBA, a team with a top 10 payroll was three times more likely to make the playoffs than a team with a bottom 10 payroll." So, was he right?

October 19, 2004
The Hradek Plan
ESPN's EJ Hradek is the latest person to toss out a plan for a new a Collective Bargaining Agreement. His proposal entails a luxury tax, a detailed revenue sharing plan and a host of other changes to the just expired CBA. Here's a look at the plan.

League steps up game cancellations
The National Hockey League has reportedly stepped up its schedule of canceling games during the lockout, telling teams to cancel teams 45 days in advance instead of the previous rule of 30 days.

October 17, 2004
A revenue sharing model
During an online chat this past week, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said "meaningful revenue sharing among the teams will be a component of a new economic partnership." There haven't been many detailed proposals for revenue sharing among NHL teams, but one journalist did take a stab at it. We've taken his formula and tried to apply it to the 30 NHL teams.

October 10, 2004
Economics of the Russian Super League a mixed bag
With the National Hockey League temporarily closed for business, some people say the strongest and richest hockey league in the world is now the Russian Super League. That's why goalie Garth Snow, a U.S. native, opted for Russia during the lockout. But while some players get paid well in the Russian Super League, the league is hardly profitable.

October 4, 2004
The TSN Plan
The NHL and NHLPA may not be talking about a resolution to the CBA stalemate, but others continue to come up ideas. The Sports Network in Canada is the latest to offer a compromise plan, which the network calls The TSN Solution. It includes both a $6 million salary cap on individual player salaries and a dollar for dollar luxury tax on team payrolls that exceed $40 million.

October 3, 2004
Book Review
Author Marc Edge was gambling when he decided release a book in early October about the NHL's labor dispute. He was gambling that all his hard work would still be timely. The gamble paid off. The dispute is nowhere near resolution and Edge's book is a timely guide to hockey's holy war.

The critics' view of a salary cap
When former Vancouver Canucks GM Brian Burke offered his luxury tax plan for a solution to the NHL's CBA stalemate, he said he was still in favor of a salary cap. But critics of the salary cap say it's not quite the miracle worker that Burke and others claim. Critics also say it may not produce some of the results that NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman argues will result from his term for a cap -- cost certainty.

September 26, 2004
Bettman and revenue sharing
When NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman talks about the CBA, the term revenue comes up often. He talks about how much of the revenue pie the players should get. He talks about how the growth in player salaries has dramatically outpaced the growth in revenues over the past decade. In fact, during his recent appearance on CBC to take viewer questions about the CBA and lockout, he mentioned revenues eight times. But he seldom mentions how revenue might be shared among the 30 teams in the league. That's because it may be one of the most divisive issue among owners.

September 19, 2004
Media quotes
Here are what some media members have been saying about the NHL's lockout and its possible impact on the league and fans.

September 16, 2004
Breaking down Burke's plan
Here are some more details on former Vancouver Canucks general manager Brian Burke's plan to solve the economic woes of the National Hockey League. Burke proposes a luxury tax system with changes to arbitration and the restricted free agency system.

September 15, 2004
No surprise: NHL to lockout players
As expected, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced Wednesday that the league's Board of Governors voted unanimously to "not play again until there is a new economic system" in place. With the current Collective Bargaining Agreement expiring at midnight Eastern Time, a lockout of players will begin.

September 14, 2004
Burke's solution
With the NHL's CBA set to expire on Wednesday and the league prepared to announced a lockout, former Vancouver general manager Brian Burke has outlined his own 15-point plan to solve the league's financial problems.

September 13, 2004
The Devil's in the details
New Jersey Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello has long been considered an oasis of fiscal sanity in the National Hockey League. He's prudent when it comes to payroll, drives a hard bargain with Group II restricted free agents, doesn't spend wildly on unrestricted free agents and is considered a model GM. But if you look at the financial numbers of the New Jersey Devils during the current CBA they may be Exhibit A in the NHL's case of why the current economic system doesn't work.

September 12, 2004
Countdown to the lockout
The NHL's current Collective Bargaining Agreement expires at midnight on Wednesday, at which time what could be a lengthy lockout is expected to begin. Right now there are no scheduled talks between the league and NHLPA. The only meeting on tap is one involving the NHL Board of Governors.

September 9, 2004
League rejects union's latest proposal
With the CBA set to expire in less than a week, the NHLPA brought a new proposal to the negotiating table Thursday in Toronto. It was rejected by the NHL, which called it a "step backwards in the process."

September 5, 2004
The NHLPA's luxury tax plan revisited
There was no reported progress in talks between the NHL and NHLPA last week, but some details did come out about the luxury tax system proposed by the union back in October.

September 2, 2004
League, union wrap up talks
The NHL and NHLPA concluded three days of talks in Montreal Thursday. During the 19 hours of talks the two sides finished going over the business practices of the league's 30 teams.

September 1, 2004
League, union extend talks for another day
The NHL and NHLPA concluded what was supposed be two days of talks in Montreal Wednesday, but have decided to extend the talks into Thursday. According to the Canadian Press, the talks were extended a day to allow the NHLPA to wrap up its inquiry into the finances of the league's 30 teams.

August 29, 2004
The market Part II
Earlier this year NHL chief legal officer and executive vice-president Bill Daly and NHLPA senior director Ted Saskin were on a panel discussing "Avoiding a Collision Course- Models for Labor Relations" at the World Congress of Sports, when the two had a heated exchange. The subject was player salaries.

August 26, 2004
War of words
Two days of talks between the NHL and NHLPA wrapped up in Ottawa Thursday, and they apparently went nowhere. Afterwards there was a war of words. The league fired the first salvo, accusing the union of resorting to stall tactics.

August 22, 2004
The market Part I
As the NHL and NHLPA debate the issues surrounding a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, one topic that comes up often is the market. It's a key issue because the new CBA will define the market in which player salaries are determined. And, depending on the agreement reached, it could also play a role in defining the economic relationship between the 30 teams.

August 17, 2004
Union rejects NHL's six concepts
The NHL and NHLPA met for five hours in Newark, New Jersey Tuesday, but both sides reported no progress towards a new CBA. The big news was that the union formally rejected the six concepts presented by the league one month ago.

August 15, 2004
A fan's plan for compromise
Buffalo Sabres fan James Weise has come up with his own plan for a compromise on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. It calls for a luxury tax, along with changes in free agency and the entry level system.

August 8, 2004
Signs of progress?
Despite all the public posturing by both the NHL and the NHLPA, there are signs that the two sides could be making progress in their quest to hammer out a new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

August 4, 2004
Negotiations still stuck in neutral; league reveals six concepts
Representatives from the NHL and the NHLPA met Wednesday and once again, at least in the public comments afterwards, there was little sign of movement towards a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. Plus, the league reveals the six concepts it presented to the union two weeks ago.

August 1, 2004
A different set of numbers
Last week we took a look at the debate over how the NHL defines revenues, especially when it came to the numbers used for the Levitt Report. This week we look at a different set of financial numbers for the same season analyzed by Levitt.

July 25, 2004
The battle over defining revenues
The NHL and NHLPA have a lot of disagreements when it comes to the economics of the league, and one of the biggest disputes centers around what teams report as revenues. The league stands by the numbers, but the union refers to them as "garbage in, garbage out."

July 21, 2004
Little progress in latest round of talks
The latest round of talks between the NHL and the players' union apparently did little to break the stalemate in the negotiations over a new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

July 18, 2004
Goodenow's victories in '95
Although the consensus at the time was that the CBA negotiated in 1994-95 was favorable to the National Hockey League, some people believe Bob Goodenow and the NHLPA scored a couple of key victories in the deal. Victories that helped pave the way for the explosion in player salaries.

July 11, 2004
Winning the Group II battle
A lot of people argue that NHL teams had all the tools they needed to keep player salaries, especially those of Group II players, under control in the current CBA, but failed to use them. In many ways that is true. But others will point out there is another side to the story. That tale involves how a better organized, better educated and more technologically savvy group of union officials and agents steam rolled over the National Hockey League in implementing the CBA.

July 4, 2004
Ticket prices and player salaries
It's an argument you hear often from NHL ownership. Escalating player salaries force teams to jack up the prices fans have to pay to attend NHL hockey games. Owners insist if they could stem the rapid growth in salaries they could make attending games more affordable for the average fan.

June 27, 2004
An economist's plan for compromise
As the September 15 deadline draws near, the pressure increases and the heat intensifies, sports economist Patrick Rishe believes cooler heads will prevail in the negotiations over a new Collective Bargaining Agreement for the National Hockey League.

June 20, 2004
Bettman's plan
The NHLPA says when the league rejected its luxury tax and revenue sharing plan back on October 1, the NHL insisted on a hard salary cap of $31 million. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman denies the league insisted on a hard cap, but he doesn't deny the the figure of $31 million.

June 13, 2004
The players' plan
When players met in Toronto late last week many of them got the details of the plan the union offered to the league back in early October. It was a plan that called for a five percent cut in player salaries, a luxury tax and revenue sharing.

May 23, 2004
The new TV deal
It didn't take long after the ink dried on the NHL's new television deal with NBC Sports and ESPN for the media to unleash a wave of tales about the demise of the league in the United States.

May 9, 2004
Survey results: Schedule reduction
Here are the results of our survey asking readers to give their opinions on the league possibly reducing the regular season schedule to 72 games per team.

April 25, 2004
Something to agree on?
There are plenty of differences between the NHL and NHLPA, but there may be an area where the two sides agree -- a shorter schedule for the league the next time there is a full season.

April 18, 2004
Another round of negotiations set
The NHL and NHLPA have tentatively set another round of talks on the Collective Bargaining Agreement, which expires September 15th. It will be the first round of talks since the two sides met in Toronto back in October.

March 21, 2004
News & Notes
Here is some of the recent news surrounding the NHL's CBA situation, including some recent comments by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and a recently published poll of fans by The Hockey News.

February 22, 2004
Internet resources
Here's a look at some good resources on the Internet about the NHL CBA negotiations and some other relevant information relating to league finances, salaries and other items of interest.

February 15, 2004
The Levitt Report
The much anticipated report on the financial state of the NHL was released this past week. The study, which was headed by former U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission chairman Arthur Levitt, basically confirmed the league's claims of heavy financial losses. The players, not surprisingly, disputed the report.

February 8, 2004
News & Notes
Did they or didn't they? That was the debate in Minnesota during the NHL All-Star weekend. The issue is just what did league officials propose to players during a round of Collective Bargaining Agreement talks back in October.

February 1, 2004
News & Notes
The NHL is hoping to resume CBA negotiations with the NHLPA in the next couple of weeks, but this past week there was a lot of talk in the media.

January 25, 2004
No cost certainty in TV deal
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is pushing for "cost certainty" in the next Collective Bargaining Agreement with the NHLPA. But there isn't a lot certainty about the league's next TV deal these days.

January 4, 2004
Negotiations update
There have been no recent negotiations between the players and management concerning the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, but there was a lot of talk in the media the past few weeks. Here's a look at what is being said.

December 28, 2003
The MLB model
The theory goes that the NHL would like to implement some kind of salary cap similar to that of either the NFL or NBA. But currently the NHL has a lot in common with Major League Baseball, which has no salary cap and has a problem with a wide disparity in the financial value of teams.

December 21, 2003
The NBA model
When the NHL was looking for new leadership in the early 1990's, it turned to the National Basketball Association. The NBA had gone through a major boom in the 1980's, was enjoying immense popularity on a national and international scale and, most important, had implemented the envy of team owners -- a salary cap.

December 14, 2003
The NFL model
If you ask Mario Lemieux of the Pittsburgh Penguins, he would like to see the NHL's new CBA take a cue from the National Football League and promote parity among the teams.

December 7, 2003
Cost certainty
A new word has crept into the lexicon of the National Hockey League -- cost certainty. It's what Commissioner Gary Bettman says he is looking for in the next Collective Bargaining Agreement with the NHLPA. What does it mean? What it boils down to is the league wants player compensation to take up a smaller portion of the revenue pie.

November 30, 2003
Gary Bettman profile
Back when the NHL hired Gary Bettman away from the NBA, Orlando Magic GM Pat Williams wondered how Bettman would fare as the head of the hockey league. "I gave Gary a hockey puck once, and he spent the rest of the day trying to open it," Williams is quoted as saying.

November 23, 2003
Bob Goodenow profile
NHLPA Executive Director Bob Goodenow was once asked about what happened when he replaced Alan Eagleson in the early 1990's as the head of the players' union. Goodenow responded: "The association was riddled with inefficiencies and improprieties. I cleaned it up."

November 16, 2003
The Eagleson scandal
NHL players have never had it better. Since 1990-91 they've seen the average player salary go from $276,000 to $1.79 million. They are treated a lot better than some of their predecessors were during their playing days in the National Hockey League. And they owe a big debt of gratitude to a fellow named Carl Brewer and another one named Russ Conway.

November 9, 2003
Expanding the fan base
A columnist for the respected Christian Science Monitor once summed up hockey's popularity in the United States this way: "Odd thing about hockey. Take the four major sports in the United States - football, baseball, basketball, hockey - and there can be legitimate dispute about the order three of them rank in public affection. However, the one given is that hockey always is fourth."

November 2, 2003
Fans and Economics
Fans may not have a seat at the negotiating table as the NHL and players' union try to hammer out a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, but they play a big role in all this. This is, after all, a battle over economics, and fans are the economic engine that drives the league.

October 19, 2003
Fans take action
Outside of the usual hockey subjects, another concept has crept into the hockey fan's lexicon this season. You can sum it up in three letters -- C-B-A. The looming battle over a new Collective Bargaining Agreement has etched its way into the consciousness of NHL fans, who realize the possibility of a lockout in 2004-05 is real. Two fans have decided to take action.

October 12, 2003
Negotiations update
We're going to take a break from looking at some of the issues surrounding the CBA and do an update on the recent negotiations in Toronto between the owners and players. There were some interesting tidbits in this weekend's Toronto Globe and Mail about meeting, which was held a week-and-a-half ago.

October 5, 2003
The Canadian Issue
At about the halfway point of last season there was some excitement in the Canadian hockey world when the Vancouver Canucks and Ottawa Senators, ranked first and second in wins, battled it out in Vancouver. Three of the other Canadian teams were at .500 or better at the time and the Calgary Flames were on a solid little run since Darryl Sutter took over as head coach. Canucks GM Brian Burke said the success of the Canadian teams was nice, but he said there was still trouble on the horizon.

September 28, 2003
Rising salaries II
Escalating player salaries will be a key issue in negotiations over a new Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NHL and NHLPA. Here's a look at some of the reasons player salaries have skyrocketed over the past few years.

September 21, 2003
Rising salaries
With the expiration of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement less than a year away, the NHL has started to portray what it calls the grim financial state of the league. A financial state that the league says is, in part, due to one big issue -- escalating player salaries that are wiping out solid growth in revenues.

September 14, 2003
The revenue issue
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman will be pushing for so-called cost certainties in the next Collective Bargaining Agreement, but NHLPA Executive Director Bob Goodenow believes the league can go a long way towards solving its economic woes by tackling another issue -- the distribution of revenue among the teams.

September 7, 2003
The great divide
Expect to hear a lot about "cost certainties" when it comes to negotiations over the NHL's new Collective Bargaining Agreement. But cost certainties aren't designed to just slow growth in skyrocketing player salaries. There is another goal --- bridging the great divide in the NHL.

August 31, 2003
The case against contraction
It may be popular with some in the media and among many fans, but there are reasons some people think contraction is not the answer for what ails the National Hockey League.

August 24, 2003
The case for contraction
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman says it is not an option for his financially troubled league. The NHLPA wouldn't like it either. But some say it would be a step in right direction to help cure what ails the National Hockey League. It is contraction.

August 17, 2003
TV and the price of expansion
To some the NHL missed a great opportunity in the 1980's to expand the game's popularity in the United States. And some believe when the league tried to increase its popularity in the 1990's, its efforts were misguided and laid the foundation for the league's current financial woes. Financial woes that will be a key issue in the negotiations over a new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

August 10, 2003
The TV issue
The year 2004 will not only mean the expiration of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement for the NHL, it will also bring the expiration of the league's national television contract with ABC and ESPN. And while it seems the CBA and TV are two different issues, both will play a role in the economic future of the National Hockey League.

August 3, 2003
The rising red ink
As NHL players and owners try to hammer out a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, there will be a lot of talk about the financial state of the teams. Several NHL teams say they are losing big money.

July 27, 2003
Doom and gloom looms
Leave it to Brett Hull to sum up all the doom and gloom projections about the NHL's looming labor war.