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This note is being sent to the 26,293 Members of the NHL Fans' Association.
The NHL has accepted an invitation from the NHL Players' Association to
resume bargaining talks on Wednesday. Hopefully, sanity will prevail and
both sides will begin to negotiate a new CBA. We have not seen any
negotiations in this process, only proposal writing and public bashings.
The labour talks will take place without NHL Commissioner Bettman and NHLPA
Executive Director Goodenow present.
Last month we conducted a minipoll and asked you if you thought the NHL and
team owners are listening to the fans' concerns during the lockout. Not
surprisingly, 84% of you feel that your concerns are being ignored.
We asked, are you planning some sort of financial retribution on the NHL and
its teams when play resumes. Thirty eight percent (38%) answered "yes" and
41% answered "no".
Other opinions gleaned from the poll include 72% of our Members feel the
NHLFA should be publicly propose compromised CBA solutions. A majority of
you (59%) still believe there should be a hard salary cap in the NHL (89%
thought there should be a hard salary cap or strict luxury tax when asked a
few months ago). Regarding Todd Bertuzzi's suspension by the NHL, 35% of
you feel the Canuck should be allowed to play immediately upon the return to
action. More of you, 56%, feel Bertuzzi should be suspended for additional
games. We have sent the results of our Bertuzzi opinion poll to
Commissioner Bettman for consideration when determining the penalty for
Bertuzzi.
Finally, we asked you "should the NHL Fans' Association request that the NHL
& NHLPA provide an annual financial contribution to the NHLFA that would
support the Associations' ongoing activities?" Half of you (50%) answered,
"yes, it's time the NHL and NHLPA did something for the fans (only if there
is assurance that any contribution comes with no strings attached). Fewer
of you (34%) answered "no, it could compromise the NHLFA". We would like
you to help us get a more accurate picture of your opinion on what
constitutes "strings attached". Please take a moment and complete the
minipoll located at http://www.nhlfa.com/minipollJan_05/
We are looking for a volunteer chartered accountant to help with the NHLFA
financials. We already have a bookkeeper, so no posting is required. If
you are a Canadian CA and would like to lend a hand, please contact Jim
Boone at boone@nhlfa.com
Please continue to spread the word about the NHLFA. You can recruit
friends, family and colleagues by using this form
http://www.nhlfa.com/send.asp
Jim Boone
&
Jim Spendlove
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