@shotzongoal – that’s not a contradiction. The players avoided meaningful negotiations until the league gave up much of its bargaining position, and now they have begun serious negotiations with an offer that reflects the kinds of terms on which the league wanted to bargain from the start. The problem for the league is that they wanted to bargain in this way with their laughable opening offer, a position from which they could meet in the middle and still make out like gangbusters. Now that the PA have waited and waited and waited the league has given much of that up and the final result (if it occurs while there is time to save this season) will be much closer to what the players wanted than it would have otherwise.

As for cancelled games being the fault of one side or the other, I’d say each side has a fair bit of responsibility for this mess. The league set the tone for this negotiation in the summer, and has been complaining to anyone who will listen that the PA won’t negotiate seriously (in other words, won’t make an offer the owners like) ever since. Perhaps if ownership had put their best foot forward in the summer, we wouldn’t have seen all of the rhetoric and gamesmanship we’ve seen from both sides ever since.

“There are no guarantees or fixed targets, other than a requirement that, beginning with the second year of the Agreement, players’ share, expressed in dollars, may not fall below its value for the prior season. This proposal allows us to determine players’ share regardless of the effects of the lockout and its aftermath.”

Don’t think the owners will agree to this and not sure how serious the NHLPA considers it to be. This is towards the end of their proposal!

Also, lets not forget the seven losts months of negotiating when Fehr was “getting up to speed” last spring. This was an attempt to use the start up of the season as leverage, ultimately forcing the lockout.

I think the owners still have the hammer. They’ll cancell another two weeks or the entire month of December if this thing isn’t worked out in the next couple of days. Lets hope there is a breakthrough soon.

To those of you who are fixated with this “Blomfeld=Id4Joey” crap … you can just take a quick look back, not even three months ago, where you’ll find me on the receiving end of some pretty disparaging remarks from Joey. So “no” we are not the same person, even though the notion is rather flattering from my point of view. Blomfeld is just my handle and I’m just a basic person who happens to love the LA Kings, Elvis and “good times” … and I have an eternal soft spot for all of God’s creatures and anyone who is downtrodden. With Id4joey, it should be obvious that I’m not even in his league when it comes to his knowledge and understanding of hockey and how it works behind the scenes. The difference between his posts and mine, is as stark as the difference between night and day … and you people should see that. What we do likely have, is a shared sense of humor ? And on that score, I’d venture to say that there’s probably a few of us here who do that, eh ? So to those who keep going on about this “Blomfeld=Id4joey” crap, please give it a rest as it’s now becoming boring. Not to mention the fact that it makes my Bettman “conspiracy” theories appear almost worthy of a Pulitzer Prize !

Now that the players have signalled they are ready to begin negotiations, the owners position is substantially weaker than it was this summer. It sucks that it’s come down to cancelled games but when the owners took such an offensive position that was pretty much guaranteed.

Now lets see what percentage they’re willing to accept. If it more than 50-51 percent in the first year, nothing will have been accomplished.

It’s going to take another one or two lost paycheques before an agreement is made. Hopefully it won’t be too late to salvage a season. Hopefully the players look back on 2004-2005. Those who fail to understand history, are doomed to repeat it. (paraphrasing)