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NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced Friday that the league would not exercise its option to reopen the collective agreement, which is due to expire after the 2020-21 season.
The NHL had until September 1 to decide to reopen the ABC, which could end its current term in September 2020. The NHL Players Association has until the 15 September to exercise its own option to reopen negotiations. Some are concerned that if one or the other party withdraws, this could lead to the third stoppage of work in the league since 2004.
"Based on the current state of the game and its activities, the NHL believes that it is essential to continue to build on the momentum created with our players and, as a result, it will not be able to not his option to reopen the ABC, "said Bettman. said in a statement. "We are rather ready to leave the current ABC in effect for the duration of his term, that is three more seasons by the end of the 2021-2022 season."
NHL owners were satisfied with the current collective agreement, which was ratified in January 2013. Revenues have been steadily increasing for the league and the salary cap. The revised rules on contracts and the "certainty of costs" of the cap system generated a strong decade of growth for the league.
NHL players have benefited from this analysis. The escrow system, in which a percentage of a player's salary is withheld each season to cover any shortfalls of owners – with a refunded portion at the end of the season – is very criticized by the players.
"We pay so much on our checks every two weeks, it's like an astronomy," said Taylor Hall, the left wing of the New Jersey Devils, at ESPN last season.
Another point of contention for the players: the international game and in particular the Olympic participation. The Beijing Winter Games are scheduled for 2022. The NHL has sadly ignored the 2018 Olympics in South Korea, refusing to allow its players to represent their country after failing to reach an agreement with the International Olympic Committee.
Are these questions, and others, enough to force actors to reopen the ABC now?
"Of course, players are not trying to fight," said AJLNH Executive Director Donald Fehr at ESPN in January. "The point of view of the players is such that it has always been – from the point of view of the players, a work stoppage is your last resort.You only do it when it is a better option than the players. chords on the table.This has not been the management practice in a number of sports 35 or 40. But I hope it will be different.We will see. "
The NHL experienced a stoppage of work in each period of collective bargaining under Bettman.
"In any ABC, parties can always identify issues that upset them and that they want to see change." This is certainly true from the point of view of the league, Bettman said in a statement Friday. "However, our analysis clearly shows that the benefits of continuing to operate under the terms of the current ABC – while working with the Players Association to address our respective concerns – far outweigh it. the disruptive consequences of his cessation after the coming season.
The executive committee of the union will meet Wednesday in Chicago. The league and the union met during the summer and these discussions must continue. Before the CBA expires, there are timepieces: the Olympics and the expiry of the US NHL television contract, both in 2022.
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