Senators Articles: Locked-out B-Sens saw a light at the end of talks
February 17, 2005

Posted by: Bob Howard
Credit: Scott Lauber of Press Connects.com

Locked-out B-Sens saw a light at the end of talks

Players surprised by lack of a deal

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Press & Sun-Bulletin

BINGHAMTON -- Brian Pothier spent most of his Tuesday night gazing at the Internet as the NHL and its players' union inched toward an agreement that would bring to an end five months of labor strife. Like almost everyone else, he thought he'd wake up to good news.

So count Pothier among those who were disappointed Wednesday when NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced the cancellation of the season in a solemn press conference in New York.

"After hearing the news late (Tuesday) night, I thought some major barriers were overcome," said Pothier, one of five locked-out Binghamton Senators who will play in the minors for the rest of the season. "I was pretty optimistic. I was sort of expecting to wake up and see some magic numbers.

"The best word I can use is that I'm surprised. This was by far the closest we've been, and to see it blow up like that, it was definitely surprising. I thought we'd get something done."

Instead, the NHL became the first North American professional sports league to cancel an entire season because of a labor dispute, and Pothier, Jason Spezza, Josh Langfeld, Antoine Vermette and Anton Volchenkov learned they won't be playing for the Ottawa Senators any time soon.

After conceding two weeks ago that a settlement was unlikely, many of the Senators were buoyed by a last-ditch effort from owners and players to reach a new collective bargaining agreement. For the first time since the lockout began, the players' union accepted a salary cap, while the owners agreed the cap wouldn't be linked to gross annual revenue.

Late Tuesday night, Bettman had given the players until 11 a.m. Wednesday to accept the NHL's final offer of a $42.5 million cap. The players countered with a $49 million offer that was rejected by the owners. No further proposals were made before Bettman's deadline.

"I was on the (NHLPA) Web site before I went to sleep (Tuesday), and I saw the counter-proposal at $49 million and thought something could get done," Langfeld said. "I guess we were just still too far apart."

Added Spezza, "I tried to stay pretty optimistic through the whole thing, but I wasn't sure what to expect. The big thing is it's disappointing, for the players, for the owners, for the fans."

Most disappointing, to Pothier and Langfeld, was the notion that the negotiations are headed back to square one.

Bettman said any future agreement will have to include a link to revenues and NHL Players' Association executive director Bob Goodenow indicated the players may back off their support for a salary cap.

"To see Bettman say all bets are off was pretty disappointing," Pothier said. "I can't tell you where it goes from here."

It has been presumed by many, including coach Dave Cameron, that the Senators would be more consistent after the NHL season was officially canceled. Throughout the season, several of the locked-out players have admitted to being distracted by news of the labor war.

The Senators returned from the three-day AHL All-Star break Wednesday and had an afternoon practice at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena. They host the Bridgeport Sound Tigers tonight before traveling to the Syracuse Crunch and Manchester Monarchs on Friday and Saturday nights.

For one more day, however, the topic of conversation centered around the lockout. Pothier admitted to being surprised early in the week when, after steadfastly opposing the salary cap, the union agreed to it. But the locked-out Senators continued to express their support for the union.

"I think this makes the union even stronger now," Langfeld said. "The boys are pretty united now. I don't think it was ever weak, but we're standing behind our cause. It probably comes down to the owners not being able to manage themselves. They need to police themselves as far as how much they're going to spend.

"It's really too bad for the fans. That's going to be the hardest thing for us to get back. It's been a long process, and I think a cap could've gotten it settled. Now, we're back to the beginning. It's like we're starting over again."