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Ribeiro: Union won’t make the same mistake again

Mike Ribeiro

Dallas Stars center Mike Ribeiro celebrates his second goal of the game against the Nashville Predators in the first period of an NHL hockey game on Thursday, Jan. 5, 2012, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

AP

The NHLPA and NHL are talking again, but the threat of a lockout remains.

No one wants a lockout, but Washington’s Mike Ribeiro also doesn’t want to see the union cave to the owners’ demands.

“It’s hard to understand why they want another 20 percent back and keep the same contracts,” Ribeiro said, according to CSNWashington. “It’s hard to understand why, but I think this time we won’t make the same mistake we did a few years ago by giving them 24 percent. …Why would you give your boss back money he gave you?”

It’s the player’s belief that the NHL’s latest proposal will effectively result in a 19.3% salary rollback. However, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly disagrees.

“What I will tell you is that our proposal last Tuesday would have reduced the players share by 11 percent in Year One, … 8.5 percent in Year 2 and … 5.5 percent in Year 3,” Daly said. “In Years 4-6, it would have been at or above as we continue to grow revenues to prior levels. So I don’t know where they’re getting 20 percent.”

Ribeiro also doesn’t believe that the league’s proposal will help close the gap between the NHL’s financial juggernauts and struggling clubs. In Ribeiro’s eyes, “They want us to fix the mistakes they made.”