As it tabled its first offer in the latest round of NHL labour talks, the NHL Players' Association presented itself as a partner looking to help fix the league's problems - but not one willing to bear all the burden.
Flanked by superstars Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin, NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr said Tuesday the union's offer includes a smaller percentage of revenues for players and an expanded revenue-sharing program to help struggling teams.
"We do believe that the proposal the players made today, once implemented, can produce a stable industry ... that can give us a chance to move beyond the recurring labour strife that has plagued the NHL the last two decades," said Fehr.
By the union's calculations, the deal could see players give up as much as $465 million US in revenue if the league continues to grow at an average rate for the next three seasons.
The proposal includes delinking the salary cap from hockey-related revenue and setting a fixed rate - increasing by two per cent for the first year, four per cent for the second and six per cent for the third. Afterward, the players would hold an option to have the fourth year revert back to the current system, where they are entitled to receive 57 per cent of all revenues.
The belief from the NHLPA is that owners would be able to pocket more profits over the first three years of the deal, some of which could be dispersed to struggling franchises.
"I like it a lot," Crosby said of the proposal. "I think, as Don said, it's addressing the issues that the league has. [We're] making sure as players that we do our part to help those [struggling] teams out, but also holding the teams accountable.
"At the end of the day, it's going to take both [sides] to do that."
The current CBA expires Sept. 15 and the NHL has said there will be a lockout if a new agreement isn't in place by then.
After receiving the union's offer, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said he hoped that the league would be able to examine it closely enough so that it could be discussed when talks resume today.
"It's clear to me that they didn't put it together in an hour or two, and as a result we're going to need to take a little bit of time to evaluate it," Bettman said.
