2004-05 NHL Season Cancelled - Who's To Blame?

I'll preface my remarks with this, I don't claim to be an expert on the negotiations or even the most hardcore fan...but I am a fan and did follow this lockout with some degree of interest...so who's to blame?

Well, there is no question that some blame can be put onto both parties for the cancellation of the season, but I think the majority of blame could be put onto the player's union. Only yesterday did they propose their own 'salary cap' idea after refusing a salary cap for the entire lockout. If they would have put forth their cap plan even a week ago the season could have been saved. The owners, from the beginning, said that there would be collective bargaining agreement (cba) without a salary cap - which again, the player's union rejected all forms of a salary cap until less than 24 hours until the cancellation.

Whether you believe the numbers the owners/Bettman put forth, the truth is the NHL was losing money and had several franchises that weren't financially solvent. The player's seemed to not care. They used the upper franchise's spending as a basis for their minimums, and these upper franchises consisted of just a handful of teams. Using any of their proposals the NHL would have resorted to what the MLB is today... teams like the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers and big spending teams will clearly horde the talent and be legitamate cup contenders before a season would even begin. Whereas the more frugal and smaller market teams struggle to survive with little hope of even contending.

Many a hockey analyst has implied that the owners intended to break the union...but the union merely had to sign the $42.5 million final proposal and there would still be a season this year and a union next year. Now the NHLPA is receiving no money this season and unless they come to some agreement prior to next season's start, that amount will remain at nothing. According to Bettman's remarks today that all efforts are towards starting the 2005-06 season on schedule, which would lead one to think that replacement players would be used if a CBA is still not reached with the NHLPA.

To further hurt the NHLPA, Bettman also said that the final $42.5 million cap plan offered late yesterday is no longer on the table...meaning that negotiations begin at square one. With the NHLPA already showing that they would agree to some form of cap plan has just weakened its own footing.

With both sides knowing that damage has been done to the league in regards to potential fan support, one would think the owners would lower their cap proposal - Bettman said the $42.5 million cap would mean losses sustained by the league for the next 2 years, and I would think that the owners would want to lessen that blow.

To add to the union's woes, their are reports swirling that several players are dissatisfied with Goodenow and the process that was taken. As well as rumours of several players that are willing to break ranks and cross the line if a season were to begin without an union approved cba.

The end result, though, is that the season has been cancelled. The NHL was losing money and fans prior to this and who knows how long it will take to recover. But it is clear that both sides had little interest in the fans of their sport and are taking them for granted.