NHLPA Chicanery with Agents leading to lockout?

[SirFozzie]

Interesting article today on tsn.ca:

The Minnesota Star-Tribune has uncovered a computer system called NHLPA SCORE, a program designed for player agents to streamline data, exploit its legal rights and outduel the league and its team in salary negotiations.

The Tribune, with help from an anonymous player agent, was given a detailed tour of the program.

The main feature of the SCORE systemis an E-File. According to the Star-Tribune, any agent can click on the E-File go to a home page for each of the players he represents. The home page features nine options, which include Player Profile, Marketplace Cluster and Searches.

Player Profile is a form that each agent must fill out for each of his clients during the season. The paper says the agent must explain his client's free agent status, the player's potential arguments in upcoming contract negotiations, his team's potential arguments; an analysis of his previous contract; his stats; an analysis of his place in the marketplace; and a recommendation of how much the player should make.

The NHLPA would then use this information to group players in a pool known as the Marketplace Cluster. Any qualifying offers made to players by general managers are posted here, as well as any additional club offers. That way, each agent would know where the market stands as he negotiates for his client.

The Searches aspect of the program lets an agent compare his client's statistics to those of comparable players and their salaries.

When a deal is completed for a player between the agent and the team, it becomes available on the SCORE system for any other agent to read.

The paper also added that the program allows the NHLPA to watch its agents. The program allots two full hours of viewing time for an agent, and the agent must ask for more time from the Players' Association when it runs out.

NHL chief legal officer Bill Daly told the paper that the league has used the same sort technology for a decade, but general managers are under no obligation to share information.

"It's an information-sharing network on restricted free agents," Daly told the Star Tribune. "We give tools and ultimately the clubs all act independently." Daly added that the NHL does not "group players on the contract tracking database....posting similar players, we don't do that."

The union is "faster than us," said Minnesota Will assistant GM Tom Lynn. "They're better at it. Teams are competing. They're less likely to share offers."

Daly also told the paper that the NHLPA groups free agents with arbitration rights into "three buckets: guys they want in salary arbitration, guys who are better to negotiate and guys in a third bucket in terms of withholding (services)," meaning the NHLPA chooses who goes to arbitration, who doesn't and who holds out.

Any hint of teams sharing such information could spark accusations of collusion, but not in the legal sense.

"A league management can exchange information about players," Minneapolis attorney Clark Griffith told the Star-Tribune. "It doesn't rise to the level of a crime until two or more teams agree" to act together to not sign someone or to price set.

Nevertheless, it did not stop the Players' Association from filing a grievance six years ago saying that the NHL could not share data and offers.

"We had one hearing before an arbitrator," Daly explained to the paper. "They couldn't articulate how it violated the CBA. They essentially withdrew the grievance. It went away."

Attempts by the Star-Tribune to interview NHLPA Exceutive Director Bob Goodenow were turned down. Public relations chief Jonathan Weatherdon accused the newspaper of "hacking" into the union's system.

[Draft Dodger]

what does this mean: "The paper also added that the program allows the NHLPA to watch its agents. The program allots two full hours of viewing time for an agent, and the agent must ask for more time from the Players' Association when it runs out."

[Mr. Wednesday]

It looks to me as though the article is trying to imply that agents who don't follow the party line risk getting their access to the program cut off.

[Mr. Wednesday]

Dola, is the "chicanery" and "leading to lockout" your contribution, Fozzie, or was that the headline on the article?

(I'm wondering because the body of the article does not engage in any such speculation.)

[Deattribution]

Originally Posted by Mr. Wednesday

Dola, is the "chicanery" and "leading to lockout" your contribution, Fozzie, or was that the headline on the article?

(I'm wondering because the body of the article does not engage in any such speculation.)

http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?id=104038


Not part of the article.

[SirFozzie]

Not part of it, but the fact that this program allowed the NHLPA to eat the owners lunch in negotiations couldn't have helped

[Karim]

Former Flames GM, Craig Button, described a similar system in use by the GMs (touched on by Daly). The only real difference is that the bid by various teams is kept secret (for obvious reasons). The comparables and statistics are all there. It's just that the timing of arbitration as well as who opts for it versus holding out is heavily skewed in the NHLPA's favour that it causes massive inflationary pressure on restricted free agents, even though the NHL has the most restrictive free agency in terms of player movement. There's nothing legally wrong with it but clearly the owners have had enough.

[rkmsuf]

I don't get what is bad about sharing information.

[Mr. Wednesday]

It's more than a little hypocritical in that the players association comes out rather strongly against collusion and market controls yet engaged in a practice of trying to control the market themselves.

[Desnudo]

So does this mean that soccer is now fourth in US sports? Once the inevitable crash of the NBA it'll move up to third.

[rkmsuf]

Originally Posted by Desnudo

So does this mean that soccer is now fourth in US sports? Once the inevitable crash of the NBA it'll move up to third.

Actually gameless hockey is still ahead.

[Desnudo]

Originally Posted by rkmsuf

Actually gameless hockey is still ahead.

I always preferred bubble top hockey to the real thing.

[rkmsuf]

Originally Posted by Desnudo

I always preferred bubble top hockey to the real thing.

I was never any good at that usa/russia game.

[Desnudo]

Originally Posted by rkmsuf

I was never any good at that usa/russia game.

You probably didn't use the boo button enough.

[DeToxRox]

Originally Posted by Desnudo

You probably didn't use the boo button enough.

that totally pysched me out.