NHL Door Almost Closed

The NHL and its players’ association continued on a collision course toward a lockout, as the league summoned its Board of Governors to New York on Wednesday to authorize Commissioner Gary Bettman to overhaul the league’s economic system -- even if the cost is a shortened or canceled season.

The labor agreement between the league and players will expire at 9 p.m. Pacific time on Wednesday, probably without last-minute negotiations. No talks have been held since Thursday, when an NHLPA proposal that included revenue sharing and a reduction in entry-level salary levels was rejected by the NHL as too weak to reverse a trend that caused 20 of 30 clubs to lose money last season.

“Until the union has something to talk about or propose, there is nothing further to discuss at this point in time,” Bill Daly, the NHL’s chief counsel, said Wednesday via e-mail.

Owners last locked out players in October 1994; the ensuing agreement cut each team’s schedule to 48 games. Although owners seemed to prevail, salaries have doubled to an average of $1.8 million last season because of rookie bonuses, arbitration and free-agent spending sprees by a handful of clubs.

The NHL has said 76% of its revenues go to player costs, triggering losses of $273 million in 2002-03 and $224 million last season. It’s seeking “cost certainty,” which the union interprets as a salary cap and deems unacceptable.

“Gary Bettman couldn’t have been clearer,” said Ted Saskin, senior director of the NHLPA. “As they’ve been planning, they’re going to announce their lockout Wednesday.”

After Bettman updates the governors, he’s scheduled to attend a news conference at 11:30 a.m. Pacific time and say a lockout will take effect and prevent training camps from opening on Thursday. That’s sure to dampen the buzz generated by tonight’s finale of the World Cup of Hockey between Canada and Finland and cause economic ripples for employees of the NHL, clubs and arenas in Canada and the U.S.

Hockey icon Wayne Gretzky, executive director of Canada’s World Cup team and part owner of the Phoenix Coyotes, said he didn’t plan to intervene in labor talks if asked.

“It’s in their hands,” he said of Bettman and Bob Goodenow, executive director of the NHLPA. “Hopefully they can come up with a compromise everyone’s happy with, because it would be great to see us keep playing hockey.”

A long dispute could affect NHL players’ participation in the 2006 Turin Olympics.

Rene Fasel, president of the International Ice Hockey Federation and member of the coordinating committees for Turin and the 2010 Vancouver Games, said Bettman told him a cancellation of the 2004-05 season would make owners averse to halting the 2005-06 season for the Olympics. He also said Bettman cited January 2005 as the cutoff point for this season to start or be wiped out.

He added that the NHL need not decide on Turin before December 2005 or January 2006, but said the International Olympic Committee hopes for a positive response.

“There are some hockey fans in the IOC. They’d love to have the players there,” he said. “Where can you better promote your sport than at the Olympics? It’s a huge stage.”