Alfredsson, Leeder disagree over lockout progress
Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson sees no resolution to the NHL lockout in sight and mused about having possibly played his last NHL game. Senators president Cyril Leeder is encouraged that negotiations between owners and players are continuing and believes some progress has already been made. Talk about a study in contrasts.
Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson sees no resolution to the NHL lockout in sight and mused about having possibly played his last NHL game.
Senators president Cyril Leeder is encouraged that negotiations between owners and players are continuing and believes some progress has already been made.
Talk about a study in contrasts. About the only thing Alfredsson and Leeder agreed on Wednesday was the value of staying involved in community causes while the games are on hold.
After speaking at the Leaders for Mental Health breakfast, Alfredsson adopted a decidedly pessimistic tone regarding negotiations towards a new collective bargaining agreement.
“There’s no deal that’s going to be done in the short term here, so we’re looking at being locked out for a period of time, I think,” he said.
Alfredsson, who turns 40 in December, understands the implications of a lengthy lockout.
“I went through the lockout the last time (in 2004-05) and I’m a different stage of my career and I feel the same now as I did then,” he said. “Even if this would turn out to be a whole season and I wouldn’t play again, that’s fine with me. I’m just a small piece of the puzzle. But I’d love to play again.”
Leeder, meanwhile, sees optimism in the fact that representatives for the owners and players met through last weekend and that they could pick up negotiations again in the next few days.
“I feel good that we continue to talk and have meetings,” said Leeder, who, along with former players Jason York and Shean Donovan, delivered 20 turkeys to the Ottawa Mission on Daly St. “It has been said a number of times, that back (during the lockout in 2004 and 2005), there were long gaps between getting together.”
While the owners and players remain far apart on the main issue — how to divide up the league’s $3.3 billion in annual revenues — Leeder says the sides have also been discussing all the other elements involved in a new CBA.
“I think all the ground has been covered and they will be able to get to the points of a deal fairly quickly, once that willingness (to make a deal) is there,” he said. “There is a lot of detail that goes into a collective bargaining agreement. It’s thousands of pages, not tens of pages, so you need to cover that ground. Even if you reached agreement on the key economic points, you’ve still got a lot of detail to cover.”
On Tuesday, NHL vice-president Bill Daly said the cancellation of the entire exhibition schedule had resulted in the loss of $100 million in revenues. Leeder says his chief concern is for the people who have been directly effected by the lockout, including the staff in the Senators offices. Some have been laid off for the duration of the lockout. Others have seen their work weeks reduced from five days to four, with a pay cut to match.
“The real sad part is the people that are affected,” he said. “The staff and the people that are involved, that rely on hockey for their livelihood. That really is the biggest casualty and there is a lot of economic impact that gets lost there and, of course, there is revenue that is being lost from both the teams and players side.”
Leeder says there are no plans for further cuts to Senators staff. At least for now.
“That something that, the longer it goes, we’ll have to reconsider that in the future.”
kwarren@ottawacitizen.com
Twitter.com/Citizenkwarren
The real sad part is that ownership is directly responsible, as are the players, for the “biggest casualty.” Mr. Leeder shouldn’t redirect, and those folks wouldn’t be “casualties” if it wasn’t for the unbelievable greed and unwillingness to negotiate in good faith (e.g. actually work towards a deal). It’s pathetic, really. If they actually cared, there would be hockey.
Sure the players are greedy. Ditto for the owners. But the owners are not scabs. It disgusts me that these very wealthy players have no qualms about displacing and forcing out of work European players. The NHLPA and the players talk a good game about union solidarity, sticking together, etc. and then scab their services. A scab is a scab and the PA and players have shown their true, self-serving faces. Disgusting.
Unfortunately it appears that Mr. Leeder is being cautiously optimistic. In a wide-ranging interview with Donald Fehr, the Hockey News indicated that he’s looking at getting rid of the salary cap altogether as it inhibits players from being paid what the market will bear. Fehr also state the players are ready to sit ou a while.
It’s going to be a long lockout folks, hoping it ends by January but unsurprised if it easts the whole seaon and part of next as well.
All signs of decomposition of Capitalism ! it all falls apart in each and every aspect of CAD life. Who cares… just only these mis-”managers”. boo-ha-ha-ha
Owners announce that 100 million is lost by THEIR lockout, isn’t that pathetic, the present CBA is their plan, but they are making more money than expected, so they want a bigger cut, but in order to help the less profitable teams the players should bail them out. How warped are these billionaires anyway?
How many hundreds of millions of dollars did the have not owners give non-super star players in the couple of weeks leading up to the LOCKOUT ?
The whole issue is a sad one that would NEVER have occurred with someone other than Gary Bettman at the helm. If the NHL alone is losing $100M by cancelling the pre-season programme, what do the people whose livelyhood depends on the the games? Many work for minimum wages and can’t afford another long lock-out.
Cyrill Leeder’s comment makes me laugh… If the owners were serious about getting their teams back on the ice, they would settle NOW! What does the current spread in the opposite sides’ positions mean in real terms? And the ramifications for the game!
I’m beginning to wonder if I will get my money’s worth should they get back on the ice after Christmas… Stars are under contract to play somewhere else and likely would not return to play this season… So, should I cancel my tickets (an option) and turn my allegiance to another sport? Figure skating was a good choice last time.
I’m with Alfie on this issue: There is no solution in sight unless Bettman is removed from his overpaid job…
To Cyril: Maybe I should get rid of my jar with soil from the Palladium excavation…