The National Hockey League and its players' association yesterday agreed on a new collective bargaining agreement that, if ratified by both sides, would end the nearly 10-month lockout that resulted in the cancellation of the entire 2004-05 season and raised serious doubts about the league's stature in the United States.
Although no details were announced, the new six-year deal is expected to be a major victory for the owners and Commissioner Gary Bettman because it includes the salary cap they desired -- and the players' association vowed never to allow.
"At the end of the day, everybody lost," Wayne Gretzky, the NHL's career scoring leader and the managing partner of the Phoenix Coyotes, told Canadian television. "We almost crippled our industry. It was very disappointing what happened."
The NHL's Board of Governors is expected to meet in New York next week for a ratification vote; the players are expected to gather in Toronto, also next week. If the sides ratify the agreement, the season will start on time in October.
But whether anyone will care remains a central issue. The NHL lost its $60 million national cable television contract during the lockout after ESPN found that it could get better ratings with almost any other programming. More significantly, the shuttering of the league resulted in very little public protest from U.S. sports fans.
The deal was announced by the NHL and the players' association via e-mail yesterday afternoon. The league also is planning rules changes designed to improve the popularity of the game and boost TV ratings. Two league officials said last night that the rules changes were still being finalized.
"I hope they are still going to have fans," said John DiGiulian, a longtime Washington Capitals season ticket holder. "A lot of people I know seem to have lost interest. I don't know if they're going to have a fan base or not."
Added Paul Swangard, managing director of the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon: "Until the product is back on the shelf, you can't say what the market is going to be. The NHL hopes its core fans are the first to come back -- and that they bring a friend."
The deal came after 10 consecutive days of intense negotiations between the league and players in New York, including an all-night session that began Tuesday afternoon and wrapped up yesterday morning.
Among the points a prominent agent, team officials and a player said they expect will be in the several hundred page document when it is announced include:
· A very restrictive salary cap that calls for total player compensation to account for no more than 54 percent of leaguewide revenue. Next year's salary cap will have a ceiling in the high $30 million range and a floor in the low $20 million range per team, according to one owner.
· All existing player contracts will be subject to a 24 percent rollback. For example, Capitals goaltender Olaf Kolzig's $6.5 million contract for next season is now worth $4.94 million.
