The NHL and the NHLPA are at loggerheads. That means no New York Rangers hockey on January 1
Things are looking bad for an “on time” start to the New York Rangers’ 2020-21 season. The start date was supposed to be January 1, but with the NHL Owners and the Players Union not talking, it doesn’t look that is at all possible. As a matter of fact, despite the protestations of Gary Bettman, there is the distinct possibility that the season will be cancelled.
The issue is well known. The NHLPA and the NHL agreed on an extension of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that will run through 2025-26. The players agreed to increase their escrow and defer their pay. Last month, the owners went back to the union and asked for a further increase in both and that has enraged the players.
According to the union, they negotiated the extension in good faith with the full knowledge of the issues facing the leaque in the pandemic. The owners claim that COVID-19 has changed things and they need financial relief. There have been reports that some owners have been in favor cancellation from the beginning.
TSN is reporting that the union is contemplating filing an unfair labor practice complaint with the NLRB if the season is cancelled. It’s a mess.
The pandemic impact
While all of this is going on, we are witnessing a disaster when it comes to sport. The NFL season has been wrought by numerous positive test results and games have been postponed and players quarantined. Organizations, coaches and players have been fined for violating coronavirus protocols established by the league.
The NBA is moving forward with their season, set to begin on December 22 with training camps opening next week.
Meanwhile, in regions where hockey has been played there are issues. In Finland, the Liiga just suspended play for two weeks , The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) started play on time in October and this week announced that they are suspending the season for the rest of December with a scheduled resumption of play in mid to late January.
The KHL has been playing games in front of sparse crowds and there have been numerous cancellations, same goes for the Swedish Hockey League. The junior leagues in Sweden have had their seasons suspended as well. The NHL should be glad that fans won’t be permitted to be in the arenas, considering the way that schedules have been jumbled in other leagues.
Some would consider it folly to even try to start playing, even with a drastically altered divisional structure and schedule. One thing is clear, the larger the roster, the greater the risk. That’s why football has had so many issues, compared to other sports. With rosters set at 53, that over twice the number of players on a hockey team, theoretically doubling the risk of exposure.
Some optimism
Despite all of this negativity, there are reasons to believe that some hockey folks think that there will be a season. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) reported that the NHL has surveyed teams to gauge interest in playing games outdoors. This was a suggestion raised by Blue Line Station’s Jason Katinas several weeks ago and could be a way to get fans to see games. The Rangers reportedly had no interest, most likely because of a tax break that requires them to play all of their home games at Madison Square Garden.
Hockey Canada released a statement today saying that the Rangers have told them that they will definitely not release Alexis Lafrenière to play for Canada at the WJC. The Blueshirts prefer that he remain in the area, preparing for the new season so they must believe that they will be playing soon.
To be honest, despite the risk of injury, it would a good thing for Lafrenière to go to the WJC if NHL training camps won’t start before the tournament is over. The last game he played was on March 8, meaning it’s been eight months and counting. Playing in the WJC with the best young players in the world would be a great way to prepare for training camp (it would for Kaapo Kakko too).
At any rate, it’s been ruled out so the the Rangers must think he will be attending training camp in a few weeks.
A realistic start date
It’s already December 4 and teams will need at least two weeks for training camp and a handful of pre-season games. That means training camps will have to begin by December 17. That gives the league practically no time to get the blessing on whatever financial arrangement is made, resolve any return to play protocols and get the players back to their home markets.
That final issue is one of the biggest hurdles. The Ranger players are scattered across North America and the Europe and they would have to get back to New York, go through whatever quarantines are required and stay clear of any exposure to positive test results.
At a sports panel on Wednesday, Gary Bettman called the January 1 start date “a work in progress.”
At this point, a mid to late January start seems much more practical.
So what’s happening?
What’s happening? A lot of nothing. In an interview on Wednesday, Commissioner Gary Bettman made it clear that the owners are not renegotiating a deal they made with the players just five months ago, something that the NHLPA has claimed. The NHL’s position that the COVID-19 second wave this fall has changed things is disingenuous at best considering that its potential was well known when they cut the deal in July.
The players are contending that if the NHL cancels the season, they would consider it a lockout and would still want to get paid. An already ugly situation could get even uglier.
The hope has to be that the owners and the union will go back to the table and figure this out. It’s getting late and the fans need hockey again.