Life isn’t always fun and games.
Earlier this week we posted a funny conversation with Jarret Stoll, where we joked about some of his recent wardrobe choices. On the ice though, these should be the best of times for the 30-year old forward. After winning his first Stanley Cup in June and immediately re-signing with the Kings for three more years, he expected to be defending their hard fought title by this point. Unfortunately, we’re nearly 60 days into another NHL lockout instead.
While the CBA negotiations have gone through many ebbs and flows since late summer, it looked like things were taking a positive turn over the past few days. Then, the news yesterday was not so good.
A few hours prior to last night’s charity game, Stoll joined over 100 players on a conference call with NHLPA chief Donald Fehr for an update on this week’s negotiations.
So, how did he feel after the call?
“Pretty depressed actually,” Stoll told MayorsManor late last night.
“Disappointed, based on how the mood was described to me by the guys who were at the meeting and in that room (during negotiations in New York this week). It wasn’t what we expected from two good days of bargaining and negotiating. Then, to have a day like this, guys were pretty disappointed. It’s kinda the same old story now. We’re not back to square one at all, but we’re searching and looking for a new solution, a new way – something to get some traction any way possible. It’s just not working out though, it’s just not happening. It seems like (the negotiations are) a game and that’s what’s disappointing.”
Throughout this entire process, Stoll says he’s continued to stay plugged into the talks for one simple reason.
“We all want to play, every one wants to play,” he explained. “That’s a no-brainer. But, guys want to be involved. The last lockout wasn’t even close to this, in terms of players knowing what’s going on – being involved, being on the calls, going to New York, going to Toronto. Guys know what’s going on this time. That’s what’s very disappointing, we all realize now what’s happening.”
Stoll’s current frustration hasn’t manifested itself solely based on his thoughts alone.
“A guy like Brad Richards (New York Rangers), he was there today. He said on the call, straight-out, it was a great experience for him to go there and see that. But, it was also a very disappointing one from his point of view.”
The Kings third-line center also spoke with teammate Kevin Westgarth, who is on the NHLPA negotiating committee, the night before and the news wasn’t much better.
“I wanted to see what his mood was,” Stoll shared. “You could tell in his voice he was pretty down – tired, long days and long days of not getting much accomplished.”
Even with all the bad news building to a head, Stoll is trying to maintain an objective view of the process.
“They’re going to say we’re not negotiating and we’re not being good negotiating partners and we’re going to say the opposite. Again, it’s a game. And it’s pretty sad though that it’s turned out to be a game like that.”
Has there been anything positive he can point to?
“We’re close in some areas. We’re almost there in some areas. But then there’s a lot of other areas where there’s no negotiating, there’s no chance to move on anything. That’s not what negotiating is, I don’t think. It’s give and take. We understand we have to give and we’re going to give a lot. There’s no question. But, in my mind, it doesn’t seem like we need to get taken advantage of either. In a way, that’s just not right.”
A few weeks ago, Westgarth came on the MayorsManor show and answered questions from fans about the lockout and the overall negotiating process. For your convenience, we’ve linked that article and a few others down below.
RELATED ARTICLES:
Free replay of the MayorsManor show – Kevin Westgarth joins us to discuss the lockout in layman’s terms
Jarret Stoll explains the art of tucking
NHLPA charity game info and rosters
Exclusive photo gallery from NHLPA skate at TSC
MayorsManor exclusive interview with NHLPA head Donald Fehr
MayorsManor on-ice interview with Jarret Stoll – thoughts moments after winning the Stanley Cup
About John Hoven
My interest in this squabble, even though my season tickets are already paid in full, has completely disappeared. It pains me to say it as a hard-core hockey fan for 40 years, but I’m not nearly as interested in NHL hockey anymore. I’m not excited to go back to the arena and start watching the games at all. Maybe that will change when the season starts, but right now i don’t really care if they get a deal or not. They’ve killed (or at the least, seriously altered) my passion for the planets’ greatest game. I really wish i could just get a refund on my entire season ticket package and walk away from the ugly, embarrassing mess they’ve created cause they don’t know how to split my $7000 I’ve had to pay in advance so they could use that money and honour the contracts they promised the player they WOULD honour when they put pen to paper… Funny thing about it is; I had to pay it cause I SIGNED A CONTRACT PROMISING I WOULD. And when the time came, I wasn’t allowed to decide that my earnings weren’t exactly as I had hoped when I entered the agreement. In fact, I desperately needed to pay 7-15% less cause, financially speaking, this year wasn’t exactly a banner year in my household. They wouldn’t allow that, so i sucked it up and did what i said i would do.
So, according to that contract, I was promised 41 regular season games for the 2012/13 NHL season. I had to make my payments ON TIME and it took some doing to plan how to best get that accomplished. You see, I was under the assumption that the players’ were eager to play. And by that assumption that they’d also be eager to get down to negotiating as soon as possible so as to assure that they COULD start playing ON TIME. Not waiting until mid-summer to begin negotiating an extremely complex deal that the League was prepared to do MUCH earlier. So I sat down and planned with all the people i needed to in order to accomplish this. I didn’t want to be sitting there in October at home instead of at the game saying; “I should have begun doing the things I needed to do MUCH sooner”.
I’ve done my part. You ALL have not. Not only are you depriving your meal-tickets – the fans – of what you all promised you would provide, you are doing damage that extends beyond just watching the game. You are killing the passion within the fan. We don’t like you very much anymore…but we already know that matters very little to you. What matters is which side can stuff the largest amount OUR money into their pockets.
Classy.
Wow – that is really well said.
Due to geographic distances, I don’t have the luxury of attending many NHL games -let alone LA Kings games- so I don’t have nearly the financial skin in the game. While my investment is predominately emotional, I totally ‘get’ your position.
I tend to put this ‘dispute’ on the owners having ‘won’ the last dispute yet launching a horrific first offer that galvanized both sides and inhibited progress for months. I do agree, however, that the NHLPA could have and should have engaged in the process sooner.
The posturing has been transparent and sophomoric, but thankfully, seems to be waning.
This dispute has cost me cash that I will never get back. It has cost me productive hours because –like a train wreck– I keep watching the media with hope that it will end. Out of self preservation, I am consciously trying to distance myself, yet my comment here is evidence that it’s an addiction I can’t beat.
It seems both sides are finally bringing their “A” games to the table, let’s hope they figure it out soon.
Agreed. I honestly hope that a deal is not made and the entire season be a wash. Both sides need to feel the burn of losing an entire season’s revenue. Besides, I have now focused my fandom on the Lakers. But at the same time it’s so conflicting…if the season started tomorrow I would be right there on the edge of my seat cheering on our Stanley Cup champs…but at the same time, it would really hurt my pride. Both sides have the fans completely in the palm of their hands.
For what it’s worth – I am will not be attending any NHL games or buying any NHL merch for the first year that the league returns. Hopefully other fans will show their disgust in equal demonstrations…
I love what you said! Wouldn’t it be great if us season ticket holders had the luxury of saying “Since you’re paying the players x% less, despite the contract you signed, we’re going to pay x% less for our season tickets”?
Every time the CBA talks sour, I’ve noticed fewer and fewer people writing about it. The media is sick of it, the fans are sick of it, and the people holding on to “smaller” jobs with these clubs are not only sick of it, but are suffering from smaller (or in some cases, non existent) pay checks.
Well said. A few weeks ago I called my Season Ticket Rep and said bascially the same thing. I am not getting my money back until the season is ofically canceled. My wife is totally bummed and I have lost all respect…for both sides.
let’s go reign! echl has my money now!