Before I start harping on NHL commissioner Gary Bettman with the lockout underway, let me first preface it by saying this: Owners always have looked out for themselves and their pocketbooks first and foremost. They always will.
That being said, you only hope they are somewhat fair.
Under Bettman, there is no semblance of democracy in the NHL, and that goes all the way back to the 1994-1995 lockout.
The first sign that Bettman was extremely greedy was the first proposal he put on the table for the players this offseason. The NHL asked the players to take a 24 percent cut to their salaries, via The Philadelphia Inquirer.
After the league realized the players weren't going to let it get away with highway robbery, it reduced that number to about 9.7 percent (still quite the pay cut).
The players understandably have yet to agree with anything Bettman has placed before them. And, under NHLPA Executive Director Donald Fehr, they are truly beginning to realize just how one-sided Bettman has become (or always was).
Fehr said on Monday, via USA Today:
What has puzzled me about this negotiation from the beginni ...
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Article written by Ryan Rudnansky
NHL Lockout 2012: There Is No Democracy Under Gary Bettman
September 17th, 2012 by Ryan Rudnansky Leave a reply »
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