The NHL, and commissioner Gary Bettman in particular, have received a lot of the criticism from fans and the media throughout the current lockout, but the NHLPA is just as responsible for the 2012-13 season being in danger as the owners are.
The players have fought just as hard for what they want out of this new CBA as the owners have thus far, and thanks to their leader Donald Fehr, the union is well prepared for a lengthy labor battle with its employers.
Fehr's ability to strengthen unions has been on full display during his tenure with the NHL players, and because of his leadership, the NHLPA is the strongest it's been since in quite some time.
To his credit, Fehr has his players fighting hard to make an agreement with the league that doesn't force them to take a huge reduction in salaries and make concessions on important contracting rights.
The players' motivation to fight for a fair deal has been intensified by the outcome of the last lockout when the owners won all the major issues at the expense of the 2004-05 season. They are trying to get back at the owners by taking a stand during this work stoppage, and that's not ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Nicholas Goss
Why the Players Shouldn’t Be Seen as Saints During the NHL Lockout
October 22nd, 2012 by Nicholas Goss Leave a reply »
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