NHLPA Exec Dir Don Fehr discussed the tone of CBA negotiations so far, the Olympic Games and the "lack of a domestic violence policy" in a Q&A with Kaplan & Wyshynski of ESPN.com. Below are excerpts of the Q&A, some of which have been edited for brevity and clarity.
Q: The mantra from Gary Bettman has been that the league is not looking for a fight in CBA negotiations. Are the players looking for a fight?
Fehr: No. Of course the players are not looking for a fight. The players' view is what it always has been. ... From the players' standpoint a work stoppage is the last resort you come to. You only do it when that's a better option than the agreements that are on the table.
Q: Escrow is one of the big issues. [NHL Deputy Commissioner] Bill Daly has mentioned before that there could be some adjustment to the cap that could be done to ease escrow for the players. Is that something the PA is looking at?
Fehr: Obviously escrow is a real problem. We believe that what the teams offer players is a closer measure of their worth. And what the teams offer players [is] less escrow. And that ought to be accounted for. There are obviously a number of things you can do to address it, and I'm sure we'll be talking about it.
Q: It seemed like missing the '18 Olympics really set things back for the players. Because there was a level of anger on that issue that is palpable. Do you agree?
Fehr: Whether other people would agree with it or not, or if observers would agree, participation in the Olympics is a meaningful thing for a whole lot of players. The Canadians, particularly so, and for Europeans. Most players look at it and say "OK, the Olympics are coming up, this is either my only chance or maybe my last chance. Because in four years who knows if I'm going to be good enough, if I'm going to be healthy enough, if there's going to be three other young kids who are going to take my place."
Q: The NHL is the only of the four North American major professional sports leagues without a domestic violence policy. Do you believe there needs to be one?
Fehr: You could say here we have a domestic violence policy, and we're going to label these things domestic violence and these other things not, and we're going to have hard and fast rules. Or you can say -- and this is what the NHL has done -- if we have inappropriate conduct, wrongful conduct, whether it's domestic violence or it's not, we can evaluate each case on its own merits and then make a judgment as to what needs to be done and third parties can make the judgment as to whether we acted appropriately. That's normally the way discipline works (ESPN.com, 1/29).
