Sports: "The War is Over...Now Drop the Puck!"...

After 301 disastrous days a semblance of labor peace has returned to the National Hockey League. Yesterday, the league and the players union agreed to a new six year collective bargaining agreement. The nearly 600 page document will radically change the way business is conducted in the NHL. The centerpiece of the new CBA is a draconian salary cap of $39 million per team. Under the terms of the agreement no player can make in excess of $7 million per year. In the final analysis the players rolled the dice and lost it all. The owners got nearly everything they wanted in a new CBA and the players got nothing. In the end it was a rout.

The next step is for both sides to ratify the new agreement. This process, which should be a mere formality, is expected to be completed by next week. After which, the process of rebuilding the sport can begin. The next six weeks before training camp should see an unprecedented flurry of activity as teams try and gear up for the new season. Not only will a makeshift draft be conducted but a record number of free agents should keep the NHL front offices burning the midnight oil for months to come.

The NHL suffered tremendous damage as a result of the long lockout. Not only have they alienated a great many of their fans but they are currently without a national television contract; which, as everyone sports fan knows, is a major source of league revenue. It will be interesting to see the the steps the league takes in re-launching the sport. If any good can come out of the debacle it might be in the form of the long overdue rules changes that will hopefully restore some of the excitement to what has become a rather dull product.

Now that the war is over it is time for the generals on both sides of this conflict to step aside and fade away. Both Bob Goodenow, the head of the players union, and Gary Bettman, the league commissioner, should step down immediately or be forced out. Goodenow for misreading the the resolve of the owners and leading the players to fight an unwinnable battle and Bettman for his greed, lack of leadership and for canceling the season. If hockey is to move forward it needs fresh leadership at the top.

This battle between millionaires and billionaires has cost hockey dearly. The question is can the NHL recover? Only time will tell.