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*Official* CBA Negotiations and Lockout Thread

-Vintage Canuck-

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canuckelhead70 Abbotsford Star

canuckelhead70

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On a night when he was supposedly to be playing against the New York Islanders in pre-season action, veteran tough guy Krys Barch (@krysbarch) took to Twitter on Saturday night to voice his thoughts on the current NHL lockout.

"I feel the Wild West would be more simplified than the world we live in now, when an employer who makes billions of dollars and a league with record revenues can tell me that I can't do the things that my heart tells me to do! All what my heart tells me to do far surpasses what my body has endured," said Barch, who signed a two-year, $1.5 million contract with the New Jersey Devils in July.

In 304 NHL games, Barch has scored 12 goals and added 19 assists for 31 points. He has also picked up 669 minutes in penalties and suffered numerous injuries over that stretch.

"I have played approx 5 1/2 years in the NHL and have worked for every second of it," said Barch. "I haven't been a 1st round pick, bonus baby or a son of a hall of famer. I have made it through sweating, bleeding, cut Achilles, broken hands, concussions, broken orbital bones, 8 teeth knocked out, etc, etc, etc."

With all the physical sacrifices Barch has made over the years, he asked if the NHL owners have an appreciation for what players go through.

"I wonder how this work stoppage affects the owners? I wonder if the owners of Boston, New York, Washington, etc, etc, have endured any of the injuries that I or any other player in the NHL have endured. Still they probably sit there smoking the same brand of cigar, sipping the same cognac, and going on vacation to one of five houses they own while we sit here knowing they want to take 20% of our paychecks."

While the salaries of NHL players is considerably higher than that of the average hockey fan, Barch said many players face many years of work after their careers are over.

"One half to 3/4 of my peers will have to work for the next 50 years of their lives," tweeted Barch. "Congratulations to the lucky select few that I have played with who have made salaries that they can choose to do whatever they want when they are done. But I have played [with] most who do not!"

Following the lockout in 2004-05, the NHL and the Players' Association agreed they had formed a partnership to grow the game. But Barch now sees it as the owners taking from the players instead of investing in revenue-sharing to help the financially-strapped teams.

"If the NHL wants teams in the south or struggling markets, than the players along with the financially well to do teams need to start working together or they need to start to move teams to the North where they will make money," suggested Barch. "The system allows the owners to continually take money from the players, contract after contract where eventually over 40 some years, the owners will have 80% of revenue."

Ultimately, Barch would like to see a new Collective Bargaining Agreement that solves the financial issues long-term and lessens the possibility of any future labour unrest.

"The only way to stop the work stoppages long into the future is fix the root cause of the problems," said Barch. "The lockout is a procedure to take from the players to pay for the NHL mistakes. Let's not allow the NHL to make any more mistakes. Let the league and the players come together to fix the mistakes that have been made and make sure none are made in the future. Let's get a deal where the owners, players, and fans benefit.

"Like me or hate me, I speak what comes from my heart!"

Has anyone ever informed these players that they might need an education so they can get a job in the real world after their careers are over in hockey? Everyday in the real world people have too, wish too or are forced too make career changes. As for his crying about his body physical sacrifices, please, you play hockey and have 4 months off. Try logging or oil rigging or the military if you really want to know what body sacrifice is. Times must be tough when you can't live on 750 000 a year, how in the world do the rest of us do it.

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coastal1 Canucks Regular

coastal1

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re what Barch said: " I feel the Wild West would be more simplified than the world we live in now, when an employer who makes billions of dollars and a league with record revenues can tell me that I can't do the things that my heart tells me to do". The bottom line is the players can play tomorrow if they want, all they have to do is accept now something close to what the owners are offering. It's up to them, take it now or take i later like in 2005?? What is the smarter move? Everybody knows where this will end, the only question is when. And that is up to the players to decide.

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Boudrias Canucks All-Star

Boudrias

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I understand some of what I've said could be misconstrued as a moral argument, but please review my first response which dealt primarily with financials to make my point. Sometime after I fell for Boudrais' discourse and wrote about greed.

The bottom line if we scrape away all the various media inputs, the negotiating tactics, and the opinions that follow, we have a very simple dichotomy. One side is asking for status quo. The other is looking to rollback salaries while the business is growing, negate signed contracts and limit contractual freedoms fought for back in 2004. If this doesn't paint a very simple picture I'm not sure what does.

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Ossi Vaananen Canucks Star

Ossi Vaananen

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Well at least the Wolves will fill the hockey void. Their twitter feed is updating almost every minute of training camp with pictures. I doubt they'll stream preseason but we're probably only 2 weeks out of having some form of professional hockey accessible. AHL has deals with sportsnet and CBC, we'll see if those contracts get extended and broadened. Shaw has WHL rights.

Notice I'm looking at other options. This one will go on a while.

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Lui's Knob Canucks Third-Line

Lui's Knob

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Edmonton journal states they are back "discussing" the lockout/CBA - perhaps the US doesn't like seeing lost revenue/jobs and may be more inclined to force the hand of the NHL/PA this lockout/strike???

NEWARK, N.J. - The NHL and NHL Players' Association are scheduled to return to the bargaining table on Tuesday morning.

The sides have agreed to pick up a discussion on the definition of hockey-related revenue that started during three days of meetings at the end of last week.

The division of league revenue isn't expected to be discussed, according to deputy commissioner Bill Daly.

The NHL is believed to be just days away from cancelling its first batch of regular-season games, which are scheduled to start Oct. 11.

Meantime, New Jersey's senators are urging both sides in the NHL lockout to consider the economic impact on their state if the dispute is not resolved.

Senators Robert Menendez and Frank Lautenberg sent a letter Monday to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and NHL Players' Association executive director Donald Fehr urging them to reach a settlement.

The Democrats write that Congress has jurisdiction over interstate commerce, which includes professional sports, and will be keeping a "close eye" on negotiations.

The letter warns that the absence of New Jersey Devils' games in Newark could mean millions of dollars in lost economic activity and jobs in especially tough economic times. The Devils advanced to the Stanley Cup final last season, creating a financial boost to the city just five months ago.

The lockout comes on the heels of the NBA's Nets moving from Newark to Brooklyn, N.Y.

Read it on Global News: Global Edmonton | NHL's labour talks set to resume Tuesday in New York

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miles.p Abbotsford Prospect

miles.p

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I think for the amount of days the NHL is in a lockout, the fans should also do a lockout of their own.

If nobody goes to the games and nobody watches it, there won't be any money made, and that means both the players and the owners lose out.

The fans can do something, and that's a league wide lockout of thier own.

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Lui's Knob Canucks Third-Line

Lui's Knob

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Toronto Radio shared news from Bill Watters that he thinks starting November, the league will one-up the PA and bring in replacement players to begin the season.....ick. This gets worse and worse...both parties will lose a lot of money and fans over their own greed, maybe even collapse the NHL altogether....maybe that's what they deserve for boring defensive hockey, over-expansion, greedy players and greedy owners...

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