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Malhotra ends direct involvement in CBA talks

Donald Fehr; NHLPA

Vancouver Canucks hockey player Manny Malhotra speaks to reporters at the Delta Grand Hotel in Kelowna, British Columbia, on Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2012. The union and players met for an informational meeting regarding labor talks with league. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Gary Nylander, Kelowna Daily Courier) ONLINE OUT

AP

Manny Malhotra told the Vancouver Sun on Monday that he’ll no longer attend CBA meetings, preferring to monitor the process from afar.

His main reason is that his wife is expecting to have a baby in the near future, but his comments certainly indicated that he’s also highly frustrated with the process.

“I’m done,” Malhotra said.

“I think you run the whole gamut of emotions throughout these talks ... You get frustrated, you get angry, you get bitter, there are obviously highs when you feel like we’re really close to a deal and the lows of having those negotiations break off. You run through everything.”

The well-respected Vancouver Canucks forward estimates that he’s made 10 cross-country trips trying to help get a deal done, going as far as to say that he’s traveled for CBA negotiations more than he would have if he was participating in a normal hockey season.

Malhotra’s take on the way the NHL reacted to the players’ last offer really underscores his frustration.

“As far as we have come with that last proposal and to have them reject it outright and call everything off, I think that pissed a lot of guys off again similar to the first deal they offered,” Malhotra said. “It made us that much more unified and strong.”

They’ll need to prove that without Malhotra in the room going forward, though.

(H/T to Rotoworld)

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