Jeremy Roenick doesn’t blame the owners for going through with this lockout, but he does think it’s time for them to end it.
“The owners did need to do this to make a more level playing field with the revenue, but I think there’s a deal there that they should be biting on and that frustrates me,” said Roenick, according to the Courier-Post.
“I think the players have really done a pretty phenomenal job in giving a lot back to the owners. The owners do need to do this.”
The NHLPA’s latest offer would have given the league and players a 50-50 split of hockey-related revenues, plus an additional $393 million to the players over four years in recognition of the contracts already signed.
The NHL rejected that offer and there have been no major negotiations since. It appears that in addition to the financial issues, the two sides are divided when it comes to contract rights.
Roenick was hoping that including federal mediators in the process would help, but the union and league’s meetings with mediators ended without any progress being made.