After the CBA talks collapsed on Thursday, Jason Chimera sounded like a someone trying to keep a level head about the process.
Chimera still thinks the two sides are close and was surprised by the NHL’s harsh reaction to the players decision not to fully concede to the owners over the remaining issues. He also believes that the league rejecting the union’s offer via voicemail was “childish” and the NHL’s decision to pull everything off the table and stop talking was “absurd.”
You can watch his full comments below:
From the owner’s perspective, they made concessions over the week under the condition that the players conceded three key areas to the league. Those points included contract lengths, which deputy commissioner Bill Daly claimed was “the hill we’ll die on” in reference to how firm the NHL is in its stance.
The NHL was waiting for the union to either accept or reject the owner’s demands on those key points and Bettman pulled the league’s recent concessions off the table when the union instead responded with a counter-offer.
Related:
Not good enough: NHL rejects latest NHLPA offer
Bettman: “We’re at a loss to explain what happened” (updated with video)