The Puck Stops Here

"The NHL just wants a partnership with the players", that is an often repeated piece of propoganda used by the NHL owners and their supporters. It sounds good and fair. Who could be against being "partners"? "Partnership" is one of those Orwellian terms that sounds great, but doesn't mean to the NHL the same thing it is meant to appear to mean to the mass populace.

I would argue that the NHLPA and NHL already have had a partnership. The details of that partnership are outlined in the old Central Bargaining Agreement. The agreement spells out how their partnership works.

In the new CBA, the NHL wants to dictate the details of how they will be partners in the future. It would in fact create new terms for their "partnership", but it is hardly a good and fair equal partnership that many people will assume from the phrase.

Further, there is reason to believe that the NHL's intent is to break the NHLPA so that they can dictate all future bargaining schemes. This is not a partnership at all. It is an attempted powerplay, where one side is trying to exert dominance over the other.

Despite there claims, the NHL has no desire to form a partnership with the players. This idea is a motivating factor for some (clearly not all) members of the NHLPA. To them this idea of what they see as "fairness" is more important than cutting a deal where they can maximize the money they will get.