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Just heard the following from an ex-player:
"Deal was extremely close. Unfortunately the players are being led by the idiot Fehr who blew things up and it now seems will follow the example of the NFL and will threaten or impose decertification in order to squeeze out as much as possible. Owners do not want union to decertify as they do not legally have a stronghold on the lockout, and stand a very good chance that the legal system will rule in favor of the players. Unfortunately, Fehr has done his homework and felt out what the NHL was going to offer, with decertification always in his back pocket . . . he is completely willing to lose the season whereas the owners truly do not (want to)."
If you follow this blog, you know my position has moved more to the owners as the lockout has dragged on. Some 19 years after a Fehr-led labor dispute essentially ruined baseball (for me and many others), I have become increasingly more and more convinced that Fehr is a rat; he does not operate in good faith. He will scorch the earth and ruin the game itself in the name of destroying the opposition. And in the case of the NHL Players' Association, numerous sources have said: the players should have taken the deal they were offered yesterday. And apparently, numerous players wanted to.
Now, likely the only hope for any kind of NHL season this year is the forcible removal of Fehr from the process. Will it happen? Doubtful.
Could it happen? Not knowing the terms of Fehr's employment, I will just say this. No one has complete job security.
It's really not about who's right and who's wrong on the negotiating points anymore. The larger issue is: the owners have tried—in good faith— to craft a compromise deal and save the season. As have a majority of the players.
As I predicted on my message board thread earlier this week, the eventual re-involvement of Fehr would likely prove to be the thing that derailed the progress.
He's an ego without a shred of real concern for those he represents or the game of hockey. If the players are smart, someone steps up and quickly engineers a replacement.
Without doing so, not only might they end up losing the negotiation, they have likely already lost in the hearts and minds of the fans.
Rockford plays tomorrow night. The "game" goes on while the NHLPA follows Donald Fehr off the cliff.
Hopefully, tomorrow brings some miraculous better news. Not holding my breath,
All for now,
JJ
Chicago Blackhawks Blogger • 
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