‘NEGATIVE’ OUTLOOK
NHL owners still cool on Olympics
PALM BEACH, FLA. How do you say you’re not going to the Olympics without using those actual words?
On the surface, it would appear NHL officials did that on Thursday, the opening day of the annual December board of governors meetings in Palm Beach.
“I think our constituents have become increasingly negative about the Olympic experience,” deputy commissioner Bill Daly said.
It might appear that the door is closing on NHLers participating in the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. But while there are reasons for pessimism, commissioner Gary Bettman and a number of governors wanted to make clear that negotiations remain open. To that end, no official vote was held Thursday.
Bettman said he wanted to clarify that the league had never presented a stipulation to the NHLPA that players could go to South Korea only if the union agreed to lengthen the current collective bargaining agreement until 2025.
“Now, what really went on in our players’ association discussions, I know it was reported that we in effect demanded the return for going to Pyeongchang that there be a three-year extension of the CBA. That’s not what happened,” Bettman said.
The bottom line: While Olympic discussions are still being held, time is running out.
Meanwhile, no final salary cap ceiling has been set for the 201718 season. The governors were told at most there would be a bump of US$2 million, which would put that year’s cap between US$73 million and US$75 million.
As for the a ruling by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that rejected the Golden Knights nickname adopted by the Las Vegas expansion franchise because it was too similar to the College of Saint Rose Golden Knights, the league does not consider it an issue.
“The franchise will go forward with that name and that logo,” Daly said. “We have every expectation we’ll ultimately get that registration.”