4 replies to this topic

[DropThePuck]

Goodenow's NHLPA is virtually certain to endorse an economic system of linkage and a salary cap that Goodenow personally abhors and vowed never to accept.

Amid questions of how involved, or not involved, he was in the process that led to the settlement of a new CBA, the question that must be asked now is, what now for Bob?

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[Barmy Army]

Amid questions of how involved, or not involved, he was in the process that led to the settlement of a new CBA, the question that must be asked now is, what now for Bob?

Errr here's a crazy kooky suggestion. How about the door? Hopefully we'll all be waving bye-bye to Bob soon.

[DropThePuck]

Given the long history of battles between the two leaders, they won't patch things up overnight.

"I'm not going to say they have to go to marriage counselling, but I think we have to (work together)," said Columbus Blue Jackets player rep Todd Marchant. "There's no question. This game is above me, it's above Bob, it's above Gary. This game is about much more than that. And two guys, they can only make recommendations. In essence the 30 owners and the 700 players are the ones that make the decisions on this. It's going to be up to us. It's going to be up to the 700 and the 30 to say look it, this is what we've got to do."

Because from now on, they're on the same team.

"Before, it was always us against them," said Marchant.

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[DropThePuck]

When Gary Bettman announced the relaunch of the NHL, there was a significant portion of his speech that didn't receive any media attention. Bettman thanked a number of people for helping to reach a new bargaining agreement.
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What was significant was that Bettman did not mention his chief adversary, Bob Goodenow. You can read whatever you want into it, but I assume A) Bettman didn't feel Goodenow contributed much to the resolution of the lockout, and B> all those rumours about Bettman and Goodenow not getting along are true.

We know this wasn't Goodenow's deal and that the negotiations didn't get rolling until Linden and a group of players started taking a more active role. The players can't blame Goodenow for the ways things turned out, but at the same time it's difficult to see how Goodenow can continue as the executive director of the NHLPA without being perceived as a lame duck.

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[Just Duckie]

He did warn the players to expect the lockout could go on for two or more years, but they apparently didn't believe him. For some reason the players thought the owners would cave in like they did ten years ago. Who would give them that kind of idea? Hmmmm....

The NHLPA and Goodenow may have also lost some player support when the NHLPA gave in on the salary cap and linkage after it been said for months (even many months before the lockout) that the players would never accept either.