I can't for a minute believe that they will blow up the league given how far its come now. However, all this aside, the NHL's "final offer" tactic infuriates me. Whether its true or not, now that the PA has come across the table and accepted the notion of a cap (I know it was high, but thats how negotiation works, a back and forth), it is truely insulting to come back to them with a "take it or leave it" offer like this. Sit down with them, see if the "pie" can be expanded. Work together to come to a number that works for both sides. Tying the PA's hands like this is ridiculous, and if it blows up in their face they have no one but themselves to blame.
And then theres the PA. For Goodenow to be telling his players that under no circumstances will he accept a cap, and to wait until this juncture only to accept a cap, is a slap in the face to those he represents. If I was a loyal PA'er, who steadily towed the union line through all of this. Through the steady insults from fans and from the media, I'd be beside myself. Its clear to me that Goodenow was always going to wait for a deadline, then accept the cap. OF COURSE, they should have accepted the cap, if thats where the league wants to head. Do it early and negotiate terms that are favorable to the players. What you DONT do is pull the wool over the players' eyes who trust you. These guys were loyal to a fault, and now they're at a place that they could have been in October, before they lost any money. Before they lost a year from their short NHL careers. Its clear to me that the players were kept in the dark as much as the fans were.
The tactics on both sides are sickening to me. I'm hardly naive. I posted long ago on these boards that a deal wouldn't be done until there was a firm deadline. However, it seems to me that both sides have effed this up.
This isn't an emotional diatribe about how this is harming the fans. This is a statement of the absolute lack of logic and, well hell, class I see on both sides. I will always be a fan of NHL hockey, and the players who play it. I'm not going to get all self-righteous and make idle threats towards the players, claiming they'll never see my dollars ever again. I'm just happy that I personally have no money invested in a league run like this, and I'm happy I personally am not a member of an association that is lead in this manner. The leaders look like amateurs, and the unfortunate part is that it makes the NHL look second-class.