Hockey Lockout imminent.

[KingDL1]

Lockout all but imminent as talks break off

Now, no new talks are scheduled, which almost assures that training camps won't open on time this month.

"It is clear the owners remain stuck at trying to get a salary cap," said Vancouver center Trevor Linden, the president of the players' executive committee. "At some point the owners need to understand the players will never accept a salary cap or any system arbitrarily linking payroll to league revenues.

"Our proposal was the best chance we saw to save the hockey season."

It is likely that the season will officially be put in peril next week when the NHL Board of Governors meet in New York.

This lockout could prove worse than the one that lasted 103 days and cut the 1994-95 season nearly in half. Owners have been preparing for that possibility the last several years and have built a $300 million war chest.

This latest fruitless negotiating session included more representatives from both sides for the first time since October.

In addition to NHLPA executive director Bob Goodenow, Saskin and Linden, the rest of the union's executive committee -- including players Bob Boughner, Vincent Damphousse, Trent Klatt and Arturs Irbe were present.

Daniel Alfredsson and Bill Guerin, also committee members, weren't at the meeting. Guerin is still playing in the World Cup of Hockey, a tournament that is a joint venture between the NHL and the players' association.

It concludes Tuesday night in Toronto, and that appears to be the last hockey involving NHL players that fans will see for some time.

Daly was joined by commissioner Gary Bettman, and executive committee members including Calgary Flames part owner Harley Hotchkiss, Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs, Nashville Predators owner Craig Leopold, Carolina Hurricanes owner Peter Karmanos, Minnesota Wild chairman Bob Naegele, and New Jersey Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello.

Saskin said Bettman concluded the meeting by saying "we weren't even talking the same language."

In previous sessions this summer, the NHL proposed six concepts it is convinced would solve the league's woes. The NHLPA rejected them all because it says each contained a salary cap.

The union says of the $224 million NHL teams claimed to have lost last year, $170 million was concentrated on just six teams.

The NHLPA says those losses were not CBA related and doesn't feel players should have to fix problems that mostly result from market issues and bad arena situations.

Now, no new talks are scheduled, which almost assures that training camps won't open on time this month.

"It is clear the owners remain stuck at trying to get a salary cap," said Vancouver center Trevor Linden, the president of the players' executive committee. "At some point the owners need to understand the players will never accept a salary cap or any system arbitrarily linking payroll to league revenues.

"Our proposal was the best chance we saw to save the hockey season."

It is likely that the season will officially be put in peril next week when the NHL Board of Governors meet in New York.

This lockout could prove worse than the one that lasted 103 days and cut the 1994-95 season nearly in half. Owners have been preparing for that possibility the last several years and have built a $300 million war chest.

This latest fruitless negotiating session included more representatives from both sides for the first time since October.

In addition to NHLPA executive director Bob Goodenow, Saskin and Linden, the rest of the union's executive committee -- including players Bob Boughner, Vincent Damphousse, Trent Klatt and Arturs Irbe were present.

Daniel Alfredsson and Bill Guerin, also committee members, weren't at the meeting. Guerin is still playing in the World Cup of Hockey, a tournament that is a joint venture between the NHL and the players' association.

It concludes Tuesday night in Toronto, and that appears to be the last hockey involving NHL players that fans will see for some time.

Daly was joined by commissioner Gary Bettman, and executive committee members including Calgary Flames part owner Harley Hotchkiss, Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs, Nashville Predators owner Craig Leopold, Carolina Hurricanes owner Peter Karmanos, Minnesota Wild chairman Bob Naegele, and New Jersey Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello.

Saskin said Bettman concluded the meeting by saying "we weren't even talking the same language."

In previous sessions this summer, the NHL proposed six concepts it is convinced would solve the league's woes. The NHLPA rejected them all because it says each contained a salary cap.

The union says of the $224 million NHL teams claimed to have lost last year, $170 million was concentrated on just six teams.

The NHLPA says those losses were not CBA related and doesn't feel players should have to fix problems that mostly result from market issues and bad arena situations.

AP NEWS

The Associated Press News Service

Copyright 2004, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved

[Gakusei]

The players need to either accept one of the proposals or go back to their countries and play there, while the NHL farms up some American and Canadian players for the league. Any sport that's losing, period, is in trouble.

The management isn't doing a bang up job by any means (Carolina, Arizona, Nashville...are we actually talking hockey teams?!), but they're in the right on this, imo.

[Coach]

With the baseball labor issues, I blamed the owners, but I agree, the players have to admit that their salaries are completely out of whack and there is no way the league could continue with that salary scale. A salary cap of some sort is absolutely necessary.