tonytalkssports My Take on Sports, particularly the Yankees, Maple Leafs and Browns

Just End The Misery Now Bettman

It is more evident to me as each day passes that Emperor Gary Bettman wants to break the NHLPA. A week ago, it appeared that the two sides were close to making a deal. Optimism was running wild as fans believed that the season would start on Christmas Day. Then Thursday hit and the roof caved in. As we have come to find out, the league made an offer to increase the revenue pool, make the term of the CBA ten years and limit the term of contracts to 5 years. The players came back with 8 years for the CBA and 6 years for contract length. Emperor Bettman lost it. You see it was a whole package and if the players didn't accept everything the league offered then there was no deal.

So let me see if I understand this: the parties are good with the revenue share and two years separate them on the term of the CBA and term of individual contracts is separated by a year. If Bettman and the militant hard-line owners really wanted the season to start, this thing could get settled by next week. The reality is that they hate Donald Fehr and they are incensed that the players are standing united.

What really infuriates me is that it was the teams that offered 10 and 12 year contracts to players this past summer. Now they want to blow up these contracts as this is "the hill that we will die on." Fehr was right when he said last Thursday that the parties were close. The Emperor couldn't handle that and lost it. So now he is going to show Fehr and the players who is boss by going to court and filing an unfair labor practice against the players.

Bettman's conduct throughout this has been awful. He has tried to discredit Fehr and it is clear that the little bully can't stand it that Fehr has the stones to stand up to him. Bettman has made this personal and as a result it will be difficult for him to give up anything. As a result, the Emperor needs to have the guts to come before the world and shut down the 2012-2013 season, 8 years after he shut down the 2004-2005 season. It is clear that the Emperor wants to destroy the NHLPA and Fehr. He could careless about the game. If he did we would have a deal. Have some guts Gary and put us all out of our misery.