Let's Make a Deal
The NHL's most recent lockout—the league's third since the 1994--95 season—came to a merciful end early on Sunday morning when commissioner Gary Bettman and players' association head Don Fehr announced they had settled on the framework of a new collective bargaining agreement. Here's how hockey's drawn-out labor struggle, which wiped out nearly half the season, compared with the recent Congressional negotiations on matters of even greater importance.
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FISCAL CLIFF
NHL LOCKOUT
Money Difference
Fiscal Cliff: $650 billion
President's first proposal was for $1.55 trillion in new tax revenue; GOP countered with proposal for $850 billion in new revenue.
NHL Lockout: $462 million
Owners wanted to cut the players' share of the NHL's $3.3 billion in revenue from 57% to 43%.
Roots of Conflict
Fiscal Cliff: In December 2010, Congress extended the Bush tax cuts through Dec. 31, 2012.
NHL Lockout: In July 2005, the NHL and NHLPA agreed on a salary cap of $39 million, as players accepted a 24% salary rollback.
Presidential Statements
This is not class warfare. It's math.
Do right by your fans.
Length of Negotiations
33 Days
191 Days
Regrettable Comments
Fiscal Cliff: John Boehner, speaker of the House, to Senate majority leader Harry Reid: "Go f--- yourself."
NHL Lockout: Panthers winger Kris Versteeg: "... you got to cut out the cancers, and ... [deputy commissioner] Bill Daly and Bettman, they've been looting this game for far too long."
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MEDIOIMAGES/PHOTODISC/GETTY IMAGES (MONEY)
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DAVID E. KLUTHO (BETTMAN)
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SAUL LOEB/AFP/GETTY IMAGES (OBAMA)
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ALEX WONG/GETTY IMAGES (BUSH)
CHART
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