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February 17, 2005NHL season icedDallas Drake: This falls entirely on ownersByRecord-Eagle sports editor  By Wednesday afternoon, that hope had dissipated. National Hockey League commissioner Gary Bettman announced Wednesday that there would be no abbreviated season after last-minute negotiations failed to produce a new labor agreement. Drake, a veteran forward for the St. Louis Blues, watched the proceedings on TV as Bettman formally canceled the season. "I'm totally disappointed," he said. Drake, who resides in Traverse City with his family, was hopeful owners and players could come to terms after each side budged this week on earlier stands - the league dropped its demand to link revenues to player costs while the players union said it would accept a salary cap. The owners proposed a cap of $42.5 million per team; the players countered at $49 million. A compromise could not be reached. "A lot of us thought there was going to be a deal that both sides could make, especially (Tuesday night) when we made the $49 million proposal and sent it back to them," Drake said. "But he (Bettman) drew a line in the sand and said, '$42.5 million, that's it, that's all.' "I'm not saying we would have come down any lower than that. I don't know. But we were trying to negotiate and they just said, 'that's it, that's all.' I think the responsibility for this (cancellation of season) falls entirely on the owners. We gave them everything they needed to have a system that works for them, but they just seemed like they wanted everything right now." Former NHL forward Mike Stapleton, who lives in Antrim County, watched Bettman's press conference in "disbelief," realizing the season was officially over. "Deep down inside, I didn't think they would call off the season," he said. "I guess the owners had their minds set from day one. When you come that close (to an agreement) it seems ridiculous you can't get it completed. "It was almost as if the owners didn't want to play. The players were giving up a lot. It's frustrating for me to see it (season) go down." Paul Woods, a former Detroit Red Wing who now calls the team's games on radio with Ken Kal, called it a "sad, frustrating day for hockey." "I never thought it would get to this point," said Woods, who is spending part of his winter trying to increase ice usage at the Kaliseum in Kalkaska. "It's frustrating that in the end the two sides were fairly close and couldn't get there. I think the leadership on both sides failed." Drake said once the players relented and agreed to a salary cap he expected a deal to be reached. "We agreed that was the direction we were going to have to go to help the NHL and NHLPA (players association) come together," he said. "They (owners) still didn't think that was enough. I don't know what else they really expected us to do. I heard a player say earlier, 'We gave everything but my first child.' That's pretty accurate. "It's very disappointing," Drake added. "I love hockey. I'm a huge fan. I love to play it. I love to watch it. It's something I've done my whole life and it's something I want to continue to do. A year of my livelihood has been taken away by lawyers who really don't know what they're doing with the state of the game." It's the first time a major pro sports league in North America has lost an entire season to a labor dispute. Woods, though, remains an "eternal" optimist. He believes it's possible something still could get done in the next day or two. "I've got a funny feeling that in the next couple of days they're going to come back with one more final offer," he said. "To be that close, I think there are going to be some phone calls after (Wednesday) and maybe people will realize if we give in a little more, that maybe it can get done. If I was a player, if I was an owner, if it (deal) was that close, I'd give it a shot." Drake doesn't expect that to happen. "I'd be very surprised," he said. "From a player's standpoint, we came farther than any of us could have possibly imagined. They (owners) bent a tiny bit. They came off the linkage. But that was pretty much all they came off of in the entire 10 months (of negotiations). I don't see much hope for a resolution." In December, the players had offered an immediate 24 percent rollback on existing contracts. The union said that would have set a dramatically lower base in the negotiations of new contracts. The rollback would have brought the average payroll down to $33.95 million. "Rolling back salaries 24 percent was huge," Stapleton said. But the league fought for a cap and cost containment. Woods said he understands why, given the growing disparity in team payrolls. The Wings, for instance, had the highest payroll at the end of last season at $82.9 million. Pittsburgh had the lowest at $21.65 million. "I really do believe the league has to become healthy," Woods said. "From what I've seen, it's not fair that a team can draft a player, develop that player and then know they'll lose him (because they don't have the financial resources to re-sign him). That's the way the league is set up. That's unreasonable. It had to change." Several players continued to play hockey this winter in Europe while the sides negotiated. Drake remained in Traverse City, although he said if a deal is not worked out for next season he'll consider his options. "This year I didn't consider it because I didn't think we would get to this point," he said. "That's something I'll definitely have to think about. I'm not sure if I want to go to Europe. I'll weigh my options this summer and talk with my family and agent and we'll go from there. Right now, it's the last thing on my mind." See related stories: Owners reject final proposal; Bettman cancels season Red Wings, Hockeytown fans lament loss of 2004-05 campaign Fans are 'upset, hurt' by news
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