It may be premature to discuss avoiding future lockouts because the current lockout is still raging, but one thing the NHL has shown is that it has not learned from its labor problems in the past.
A sport like Major League Baseball was once known for the divisive relationship between management and its players' association. The situation reached its nadir in 1994 when the season came to a halt in August and there was no World Series Champion crowned.
However, since then, baseball has had labor peace.
The NHL is in its third lockout since 1994 (source: USAToday.com). Avoiding lockouts and other work stoppages is a must for the NHL in the future.
The league must put an end to the adversarial relationship it has with the NHLPA. Under Gary Bettman, the league has attempted to make the players and their high salaries as the reason the NHL has had financial issues.
Nobody is denying that the financial structure of the NHL was ideal when the players were locked out in the 2004-05 season. At that point, there was no salary cap, and player salaries were eating up a remarkably high percentage of NHL revenues.
The lockout in 20 ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Steve Silverman
NHL Lockout: What Can the League Do to Avoid Future Lockouts?
November 20th, 2012 by Steve Silverman Leave a reply »
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