April 9, 2011, HockeyPrimeTime.com piece on NY Rangers defenseman Bryan McCabe discussing NFL and NBA lockouts

Catch-22 for former player rep McCabe

Atlantic

Written by Denis Gorman

Saturday, April 09, 2011 14:51

The New York Rangers defenseman and Jets fan wants the NFL season to start on time, even though it could mean less exposure for the NHL. The lockout brings back bad memories. It is the one sentence, the three words, uttered by an athlete that generate copious amounts of self-righteous anger and confusion from the sporting public. “It’s a business.” Fans wonder how that can be true: "Don’t they care about the team as much as we do? Don’t they want our city to win a championship in a sport?" AROUND THE ATLANTIC But the cliché is reality for athletes, coaches and executives. A pleasant diversion for the majority, sports are the minority’s business. Players employed by successful franchises can breathe easier than their colleagues in losing organizations. But no one ever feels permanently entrenched – not when coaches are hired to be fired and younger athletes are always on the horizon. As such, athletes, coaches and executives treat their livelihood with the seriousness that most of us treat our careers. The major differences are that our jobs are not broadcast on local and national television, and our industries do not generate billions of dollars in revenue. It is in this atmosphere that National Football League and the NFL Players’ Association are negotiating a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. The discussions have not been positive. Both sides have taken to social media to express their viewpoints to the populace. The NFL has locked out its players. In response, the NFLPA has decertified so that individual players – Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees, in particular – could file antitrust charges against the NFL. A recent SportsIllustrated.com article reported that Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones threatened the NFLPA before storming out of a conference room. With each passing day, it seems likely that part or all of the 2012 NFL season will not take place. And it appears that the National Basketball Association and its Players' Association may head down the same path. It's part of the business. And it's a particularly painful memory for New York Rangers defenseman Bryan McCabe. “It’s tough for everyone. It’s a horrible situation. I don’t wish that upon anyone. Nobody wants to be in a work stoppage (and) not be able to do what you love,” McCabe told HPT.com after Monday night’s 5-3 comeback win over the Bruins. “It never ends well for anyone, including the fans. So hopefully they get it resolved as (quickly) as possible and they start it up again.” McCabe was the Maple Leafs’ players representative during the 2004-05 NHL and NHL Players’ Association lockout. Along with being one of the point men during the negotiations, his role was to offer words to the notorious Toronto media, for whom the Leafs are an up-to-the-second story. “I was the focus for the Toronto media. Everything that went wrong was my fault. It wasn’t a great position to be in, I’ll tell ya. But it is what it is,“ McCabe chuckled before growing philosophical about the negotiation process. “People get blamed but it’s both sides. It’s a give-and-take relationship. You have to find some happy medium and work it out.” He noted that the current NHL-NHLPA relationship is “better; we’re on the same page for the most part.” If McCabe's words can be used as a guidepost, he is sincere that neither the NFL or NBA shut down for any period of time in 2011 and 2012. However there is an unintended benefit for the NHL. Simply, the league would mostly have an unchallenged fall and winter without professional football or professional basketball. The NHL would have an opportunity to expand its fan base to those who might not normally watch hockey. “Obviously, we’d be the focal point,” McCabe said. “But no one would wish (a lockout) on anyone, like I said. I’m a huge NFL fan; I bleed green for the Jets." “I want to see another season. I want to see them go to the Super Bowl.” Notes The New Jersey Devils will not participate in the playoffs for the first time since the 1995-96 season. … The Rangers extended their playoff hopes Saturday by beating the Devils 5-2, still needing Carolina to lose to Tampa Bay in the afternoon. … The New York Islanders complained on their website about the New York City chapter of the Pro Hockey Writers’ Association’s decision to abstain from voting for players’ awards in protest of the organization rescinding Chris Botta’s season credential. … The Devils and Columbus Blue Jackets chapters of the PHWA also declined to vote on the postseason awards in protest. … Philadelphia, which has led the Eastern Conference for much of the season, fell to second behind Washington. ….The Hockey News named Pittsburgh Penguins coach Dan Bylsma as its Jack Adams candidate. On Twitter: @HockeyPrimeTime and @DenisGorman Photo by Getty Images

Last Updated on Saturday, April 09, 2011 15:30

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