NHL Offers New Proposal of 50-50 Split to Players

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly resume negotiations with the players' association. (AP Photo)

The NHL lockout may soon come to an end. Tuesday, the NHL made a significant move in the previously stagnant negotiations with the players' association. The league has offered the players a 50-50 split in revenues, no rollbacks of existing contracts, and a condensed 82-game schedule that would begin November 2.

"It was done with the spirit of getting a deal done," said NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. "We have about nine or ten day to get this all put to bed, signed, sealed and delivered in order for this offered to be effective and for us to move forward."

The players association had a conference call Tuesday night to discuss the proposal with the players' negotiating committee and the union's executive board. They will need time to read through and carefully analyze the offer to be prepared to negotiate again with the NHL possibly as soon as Wednesday or Thursday.

"We need to review and understand it," said NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr said. "So the process we're going to engage in now is to make sure we read it completely and fully, that we understand it ... then obviously what we will do is discuss it internally with our own negotiating committee and executive board and then get back together with the NHL."

One of the main concerns the players have is how the restructuring of the CBA will affect their current contracts. Reportedly there is a clause in the NFL's proposal that allows the payments to be deferred until after future growth. Most of the primary desires for both sides appear to be met.

Unless there is so absurd obscure fine print, I believe that the players ought to take this deal. It may not be perfect, but it certainly better than what they had to begin with. They get a fair deal, their contracts are respected and remain the same, and most importantly of all, the NHL season would begin in just a few weeks.

We all want hockey to be played. The owners, league officials, players, and fans all want to move from this, so that we get the season under way. No one wants another locked out season like previous years. The puck is now in front of the players' association's stick. Now all we need is for both sides to score the deciding goal on a common net.