NHL, NHLPA to have a committee for pretty much everything

In what could be seen as an effort to improve the working relationship between players and owners (which isn’t so hot right now), the latest CBA proposal — obtained on Friday by ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun — includes a section dedicated to creating and improving NHL/NHLPA joint committees.

Here’s a rundown of what’s being proposed.

New

Owner-Player Relations Committee: Pretty self-explanatory. The league intends it to have “broad-based participation” from both owners and players, to “foster and establish better understanding and stronger working relationships.”

Revenue Sharing Oversight Committee: Group will be in charge of overseeing the operation of sharing revenue, which is rather important given, y’know, the lockout.

Joint Health and Safety Committee: Again, pretty self-explanatory.

NHL/NHLPA Equipment Working Group: Interesting idea, and entirely separate from joint health and safety — this group will be designed to “study, promulgate and enforce minimum standards for protective equipment utilized by NHL Players.”

It’ll be curious to see how this group works with the NHL’s Hockey Operations department, including goalie equipment guru Kay Whitmore, who prior to the 2010-11 season made significant changes to goaltender equipment regulations:

Existing

Player/Club Competition Committee: This committee was established under the last CBA and is responsible for “making recommendations about rules and related issues to the NHL Board of Governors and the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) Executive Board.”

Players and owners are represented by equal voting members, with the NHL proposing “greater consultation and interaction with the NHL General Managers’ Committee.”

Current GMs on the committee include Dallas’ Joe Nieuwendyk, Nashville’s David Poile, Carolina’s Jim Rutherford and Tampa Bay’s Steve Yzerman.

NHL/NHLPA Joint Owner-Player Broadcasting/Marketing Committee: Another group born out of the last CBA. The NHL is asking for a reconstitution of this committee to “consult and establish policy on League broadcasting and marketing matters, as well as other League business functions and initiatives.”

NHL/NHLPA International Committee: Again, another group established under the last CBA. It was initially created to deal with things like the NHL Permiere games, IIHF World Championship participation, etc.

Under the new NHL proposal, the committee’s scope will extend to “identifying, creating, exploiting and managing new international business opportunities,” and having “an advisory role in planning and executing NHL events conducted outside of North America.

Perhaps most importantly, the league proposes the NHL and NHLPA to “participate as 50-50 partners” on the International Committee.

Notes

– No, there isn’t any mention of a Party Planning Committee. Players and owners will be responsible for their own ice cream cakes.

– Yes, this post did set a record for most uses of the word “committee.”