NHLPA questions league’s tactics
TORONTO — Distrust continues to creep into the NHL’s stalled labour negotiations.
The NHL Players’ Association was questioning the league’s motives after news surfaced Tuesday that team owners and general managers were given a 48-hour window last week to speak with players about the NHL’s latest contract offer.
“Most owners are not allowed to attend bargaining meetings,” said Steve Fehr, the NHLPA’s special counsel. “No owners are allowed to speak to the media about the bargaining. It is interesting that they are secretly unleashed to talk to the players about the meetings the players can attend, but the owners cannot.”
The window was granted at the same time the NHL took the unusual step of publishing its entire proposal on its website last Wednesday. Team employees were told they could answer questions about the offer from players until 11:59 p.m. last Friday.
In a lengthy internal league memo obtained by the Canadian Press, the NHL stated clearly the discussions must be limited to the contents of the proposal on the table. It also provided examples of questions that shouldn’t be asked of players and noted straying from the rules could “cause serious legal problems.”
“You may not ask (a player) what he or others have in mind,” the memo read.
“Likewise, you may not suggest hypothetical proposals that the league might make in the future or that the league might entertain from the union.”
It was unclear how many players were contacted during the 48-hour window, but one general manager acknowledged privately that he chose not to speak with his players because he felt uncomfortable doing so.
With no deal, more top players have left for Europe. Chicago’s Patrick Kane signed with EHC Biel in Switzerland on Tuesday, just days after Washington’s Nicklas Backstrom signed with Dynamo Moscow in the KHL.