NHL, NHLPA Should Let the Fans Vote on Their Respective Proposals

Do not even try to propitiate NHL fans by telling them that the thin ice supporting the league’s labor status is simply beyond their control. This is one of those instances where the fact that the problem is out of the consumer’s hands is precisely the most distressing aspect.

That notion was only amplified Thursday when the two parties who do hold any sway on the scheduled or delayed start to the 2012-13 season did not seem to utilize that influence to the fullest. The latest round of talks reportedly lasted a mere hour-and-a-half, with hardly any encouraging progress and no further discussion to occur until this coming Tuesday.

But, hey, it is what it is, right? No conceivable way anybody else can possibly help this along, right?

Au contraire. If the NHL and NHLPA were a tad more open-minded and wanted to thoroughly certify their fan appreciation, they could find a practical way to let the innocent bystanders ensure the season starts as planned.

Most, if not all hockey fans who have ever purchased a ticket to a game know what comes with offering one’s patronage and contact information: It is a continuous influx of electronic or hard-copy newsletters, special offers, etc.

Through the mailing addresses of all who bought a seat for anything between one and 41 games last season, all 30 teams should send those paying customers a form with a fundamental breakdown of the NHL and NHLPA’s proposals.

The fans’ task should be to simply make an informed choice, check-mark in favor of one side and mail the form back to the team or league office by a certain date. Once the votes are tallied up and a majority opinion is determined, that will be the new CBA, and the competitive feuding shall return to the 200-by-85-foot space between the boards where it belongs.

Granted, this will not mean giving a voice to every single hockey fan or to every individual whose vocational livelihood depends on the continuation of NHL action. But it is better than the status quo, wherein anybody who is not a player or executive is as good as tuned out and there is the danger of a prolonged stalemate.

Granted, someone is bound to be less than satisfied in the end, regardless of which proposal wins. But there is one universal question worth posing to the NHL’s front office, its players, fans, marketers and any other hockey-dependent worker: Do you want to get on with the season or what?

Hard to imagine anybody, from commissioner Gary Bettman downward, declaring a work stoppage desirable. However, given the shortage of progress made by Bettman, NHLPA leader Donald Fehr and everyone they pilot, there is no reason not to change tactics.

The NHL and NHLPA can continue to trade proposals with one another and hope that enough ice is miraculously broken to achieve the universal objective of opening the next season in October. Or they can concede to the more realistic outlook and instead put the puck on the collective sticks of their fans, the lifeblood of their business.