NHL Lockout: Genius Proposal Why Gary Bettman Is NHL Commissioner

As I'm sure you all know, the NHLPA is currently mulling over a surprise proposal from the NHL which would see both sides split hockey related revenues 50/50. 

In the past few weeks, as the NHL lockout became reality, many were questioning who was ahead in the PR battle. 

Personally, I would have said neither. They both lost the PR battle. The job of both sides was to get a deal in place by Sep. 15 so that we could have a full season, and they failed. I thought both sides had lost fan support and had no hope of getting it back. 

But I was wrong. 

This latest proposal by Gary Bettman and the NHL was not only an attempt to get a deal done but an attempt to win the fans. 

So let's take a look at how this deal effects the players. 

On Oct. 15, the players missed their first paycheck, making the NHL lockout a reality. The new proposal not only offers the players the opportunity to get that first paycheck back but the opportunity to play a full 82-game season as well. 

While speaking with the press following the proposal, Bettman made the assertion that an 82-game season is on the table for the next 9-10 days. Now, it's important to note that this proposal does include a first-year rollback of about 10 percent. 

Obviously the players don't like the idea of a rollback...who would? But this proposal was offered on Oct. 16 with the players' first paycheck included. Under the impression that the first check was already lost, this proposal actually leaves the players better off than they were one day earlier, in theory. 

So the players now have until Oct. 25 to reach an agreement, in which case the decision will likely be to accept a first-year rollback, or lose even more money from the lockout with a rollback still on the table for the future. 

Now, let's take a look at how this is viewed in the fans' eyes. 

During the painful PR battle we witnessed in the past month, there was one quote from Donald Fehr that really stood out to me: 

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“The decision to cancel the first two weeks of the NHL season is the unilateral choice of the NHL owners. If the owners truly cared about the game and the fans, they would lift the lockout and allow the season to begin on time while negotiations continue. A lockout should be the last resort in bargaining, not the strategy of first resort.  For nearly 20 years, the owners have elected to lock-out the players in an effort to secure massive concessions.  Nevertheless, the players remain committed to playing hockey while the parties work to reach a deal that is fair for both sides. We hope we will soon have a willing negotiating partner.”

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While this comment was really just another shot through the media, it's true. The NHL does not have to lock out the players for a new CBA to be reached; it's a preferred tactic. This comment really summed it up for me about how little the owners care about the fans and how easily they were willing to deprive us of a full season.

But that's no longer the case. 

With this reasonably (and I say reasonably with caution) fair proposal the NHL has now assumed the stance that they do care about an 82-game season. If a CBA isn't signed by Oct. 25 and a shortened or cancelled season results, it's on the players. And the fans know that. 

Regardless of what unfolds in the next week, Bettman and the owners will have won the lockout, the fans or both. 

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