Regulars to sit out as six owners and six players meet for NHL negotiations
Posted December 4, 2012 8:33 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
It’s been more than two months of the NHL lockout, and Tuesday afternoon the two sides will hold an unusual meeting to try and salvage what’s left of the season.
This meeting is a complete change from the usual, with six owners and six players planning to sit down and discuss the primary issues.
It appears the NHL’s biggest star will be taking part, with rumors having Sidney Crosby being one of the six players in the debate.
The usual big players in negotiations like Donald Fehr and Gary Bettman will be sitting this meeting out.
While the Players’ Union has not revealed exactly who will be representing them, half of the owners represented are from Canadian teams.
One of those owners is Larry Tanenbaum of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Buzz Hargrove, a former Canadian Auto-Workers Union boss and former ombudsman for the NHL Players Association, says this meeting is a “terrible idea.”
“Where do we get the idea that by taking the top leadership out of the bargaining somehow that could lead to a deal,” Hargrove said.
“I see it as a complete charade and I don’t blame the owners any more than I do the players.”
He added that the players will be at a disadvantage as they try to debate with powerful owners who have been bargaining for a lifetime.
The NHL Board of Governors is set to meet Wednesday when they’ll discuss when the latest possible date should be to reach an agreement that would save a shortened season.
