Spector on NHL: Same old song and dance

DALLAS — Oh, we remember this sound. The echo of sabers rattling in the distance, and inevitable use of the word “disingenuous,” a term the hockey world can thank former union czar Bob Goodenow for installing in our lingo. Somehow his side was always totally legit, and the other side was a bunch of dirty liars.

This, folks, sounds very much like a lockout coming down the tracks.

The National Hockey League knew its Players’ Association wanted to have a guiding hand in realignment — or at least be seen to have had one, for posterity’s sake. But NHL commissioner Gary Bettman dismissively announced realignment as a done deal, despite the fact the NHLPA had not signed off on — or barely taken part in shaping — the process.

Now the players’ union, under the guise of fairness, is really just strapping on the war gear. Of course, the NHLPA has the best interest of (harrumph) the game at heart.

The NHLPA says it’s acting in fairness to its players, while sentencing the Winnipeg Jets to another year of heinous travel, and denying the Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars and Detroit Red Wings the scheduling solution that would make the lives of those players a lot easier than it is under the current system.

Yes, hockey fans. You’re reading this correctly: Both sides are full of crap.

Welcome to another league vs. union battle, where the true loser is, as always, you the hockey fan.

With the Collective Bargaining Agreement up after this season, new union head Donald Fehr emerged from a year of living in the shadows to land a mighty P.R. blow in virtually his first discernable move as the NHLPA’s executive director.

The league says it asked the NHLPA for its realignment plan a long time ago, and never got a response. The union statement indicates it typically only started asking questions this January, requesting a draft of the schedule, something that is never available until sometime in late spring.

“We also suggested reaching an agreement on scheduling conditions to somewhat alleviate Player travel concerns (e.g., the scheduling of more back-to-back games, more difficult and lengthier road trips, number of border crossings, etc.), but the League did not want to enter into such a dialogue,” the NHLPA said in a statement.

“We have now spent the better part of four weeks attempting to satisfy the NHLPA’s purported concerns with the Plan with no success,” countered deputy commissioner Bill Daly in a statement.

We’re sure the league bent over backwards — the way you do when your ex wants a favour.

“We believe the Union acted unreasonably in violation of the League’s rights,” Daly said. “We intend to evaluate all of our available legal options and to pursue adequate remedies, as appropriate.”

Here in Dallas, the Stars are a once-mighty franchise that’s scraping the bottom of the NHL’s revenue barrel these days. Once a financial titan, the Stars currently rank 29th in league attendance, with a fan base that has long been asked to watch Pacific Division road games where the puck is dropped at 9:30 pm.

The Stars need help. A healthy Dallas means more revenue, and better start times mean Stars players won’t be playing so many games when their body clocks are telling them they should winding it down for the day.

How is realignment not good for players here or in Winnipeg? Or in Detroit and Columbus?

Then there are the perceived inequities of the seven and eight team conferences. What a load that is.

For years, the West has been the stronger conference. Sure, it’s cyclical. But in this past decade it has been no contest.

Last season, 13 Western Conference teams had a .500 or better record versus the East. That means Dallas (95 points) and Calgary (94 points) were almost certainly stronger hockey teams than Montreal (96), Buffalo (96), and the Rangers (93).

But the three Eastern teams made the playoffs, while the Stars and Flames did not. That’s life in sports. Sometimes you’re on the right side of the breaks, sometimes not.

If there is a perfect system, then why have we not received the release from the NHLPA outlining it? We’d love to see a realignment that has no flaws, Donald, but unions tend to spend more time spotting problems in the process than solving them.

This realignment allows for the eventual addition of two teams — and 50-some NHLPA jobs — via expansion into Quebec City and Southern Ontario. The owners would make money, the players would have more jobs, and you would have two 16-teamsides to the NHL.

But the NHLPA seldom thinks long-term, and the league never lets its union in on the future plans. Nor does it ask its opinion when it comes to the direction of the game.

Enjoy the rest of the season, folks. Sadly, it’s already not looking good for next fall.