Adam B. D.2012: Mayan Calendar Ends, Along with the NHL CBA
July 21st 2010 22:36
No, I'm not here to talk about all the theories of what the end of the Mayan Calendar means to the world. My opinion about 2012 is that it will just be another year and all the doomsday prophets will have to decide on a new date.
Just because I don't believe in the 2012 Mayan doomsday prophecy, that does not mean that I am not concerned about an impending disaster. In 2012, the NHL's collective bargaining agreement expires and there are rumblings about the possibility of another lockout.
Donald Fehr, the former director of the MLBPA has been working as an unpaid advisor to the NHLPA and is rumored to be its next director. If you're a baseball fan, you will remember that Fehr was in charge when baseball players went on strike half way through the 1994 season, which caused the cancellation of the World Series. Now he is primed to take the reigns for the NHL players at a time when the present harmony is coming to an end. I feel a storm coming on.
Players and agents are rumored to be seeking an end to the hard salary cap, in favor of a soft cap and luxury tax. This would mean that teams can spend as high as they want, but if they go over the cap, they will be required to pay a luxury tax as punishment. This is currently how Baseball is structured.
From my perspective, being that my team is always spending in an effort to bring the Cup home, I love the idea of getting rid of the hard cap, but Gary Bettman and the owners will likely have a different opinion on this. They sacrificed an entire season back in 2004, in order to put the current system in place. So what makes the players and Donald Fehr think they will do away with it now? Hopefully the only thing that might bring Bettman to the table is the fear of losing another full season.
Losing another season would be detrimental to a sport that has slowly been climbing out of the doldrums. As a diehard hockey fan, I don't think I could take another winter/spring with nothing but Basketball to watch. I will be rooting hard for the players to get their soft cap, but when all is said and done, just do whatever is necessary to make sure we see a full season of hockey in 2012, because the world will not be ending and we are going to need a full season to keep us entertained!
Just because I don't believe in the 2012 Mayan doomsday prophecy, that does not mean that I am not concerned about an impending disaster. In 2012, the NHL's collective bargaining agreement expires and there are rumblings about the possibility of another lockout.
Donald Fehr, the former director of the MLBPA has been working as an unpaid advisor to the NHLPA and is rumored to be its next director. If you're a baseball fan, you will remember that Fehr was in charge when baseball players went on strike half way through the 1994 season, which caused the cancellation of the World Series. Now he is primed to take the reigns for the NHL players at a time when the present harmony is coming to an end. I feel a storm coming on.
Players and agents are rumored to be seeking an end to the hard salary cap, in favor of a soft cap and luxury tax. This would mean that teams can spend as high as they want, but if they go over the cap, they will be required to pay a luxury tax as punishment. This is currently how Baseball is structured.
From my perspective, being that my team is always spending in an effort to bring the Cup home, I love the idea of getting rid of the hard cap, but Gary Bettman and the owners will likely have a different opinion on this. They sacrificed an entire season back in 2004, in order to put the current system in place. So what makes the players and Donald Fehr think they will do away with it now? Hopefully the only thing that might bring Bettman to the table is the fear of losing another full season.
Losing another season would be detrimental to a sport that has slowly been climbing out of the doldrums. As a diehard hockey fan, I don't think I could take another winter/spring with nothing but Basketball to watch. I will be rooting hard for the players to get their soft cap, but when all is said and done, just do whatever is necessary to make sure we see a full season of hockey in 2012, because the world will not be ending and we are going to need a full season to keep us entertained!
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