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More On The Heatley Grievance
by Paul on 11/04/09 at 04:10 PM ET
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from Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail,
Publicly, the NHL’s position – on the rare occasions when commissioner Gary Bettman will discuss the NHLPA’s trials and tribulations – is that the league believes a strong union is good for business.
Deep down, it is hard to imagine they truly believe that. Otherwise, would they have not have discouraged Sens owner Eugene Melnyk from filing a complaint that seems like a sure-fire loser, given that Heatley – whatever you may think about him asking for a trade after negotiating a no-movement clause - did not technically breach his contract....
In some ways, the NHL has inadvertently done the players a favour by heading down this path. Just in case the players association required further evidence of the need for strong leadership heading into the next CBA talks, this pre-emptive shot across the union’s bow can only reinforce that belief.
And the NHLPA does have one card to play – the option of extending the CBA to 2012, or for an extra year beyond the original six-year term, to prepare for the battle that lies ahead.
That extension, you’d think, is as good as done…
Filed in: NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators, NHLPA | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Dany+Heatley,
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Mr. Duhatschek doesn’t give the NHL enough credit.
Perhaps the extension is exactly what the NHL wants.
Posted by Brian from Ottawa on 11/05/09 at 07:54 AM ET