The NHL chose a huge media gathering at one of its glitzier events, the all-star weekend, to officially announce plans to open with four regular-season games in Stockholm and Prague next season.
Only one problem: the NHL Players' Association says it still hasn't approved the games. Especially not the Victoria Cup exhibition game Oct. 1 between SC Bern and the New York Rangers in Switzerland.
"The CBA says these events can't happen unless the Players' Association approves it," NHLPA executive director Paul Kelly told a small group of reporters Saturday, about an hour after the NHL had ended its news conference. "And the reality is, while we approved conceptually with playing international games, we have not approved Stockholm, Prague or Bern. And there's still a lot of details to work out.
"And the problem with rushing to announce these things, it places an unfair pressure on the Players' Association and the players to now go along because it's already been publicly announced. Because otherwise you look like a schmuck by derailing this enterprise."
The NHL announced Saturday that the Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins would play Oct. 4 and Oct. 5 in Stockholm while the Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning would play the same two weekend days in Prague.
"Players broadly favour playing international events and bringing the game to a new audience — particularly in Europe," Kelly said. "From that standpoint, players are in favour. But until we see the details of these particular events, and what they're planning, and when they're planning to bringing the teams over there, what kind of monetary considerations are involved, promotional and sponsorship arrangements, what role they have for the families of the players — we can't approve.
"Is there a possibility that we may say this isn't good enough and it undermines those events? Yes, there's a possibility," added Kelly. "We're not going to just be a rubber stamp. Once we're presented with details for these events we'll study them carefully, we'll talk to the players. If the players approve, then there'll be no problem. But it won't be a mere formality."
NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said it wasn't the league's intent to undermine the players' union.
"There seems to have been a breakdown in communication somewhere along the line," Daly said. "We felt the PA had specifically authorized today's announcement. We'll address it directly with Paul and try to make sure it doesn't happen again."
While it would appear that the NHLPA will in all likelihood end up approving the games in Prague and Stockholm, the IIHF's first-ever Victoria Cup could be jeopardy. Kelly had been under the impression that given the player transfer agreement issues with the IIHF — both the NHL and IIHF have opted out of the current player transfer agreement — that the Victoria Cup was in trouble.
"The Victoria Cup was very much in the air just days ago," Kelly said. "Until I read about it in their press release, I was unaware of the fact they had done a 180 as to the Victoria Cup and frankly, given the open transfer issues that are still pending with the IIHF and the Russians, I'm not so sure why we would so readily agree to the Victoria Cup. Because I think quite frankly the two of them are linked. Bill (Daly) said just that last week. If I sound a little bit more miffed about that one, it's because I am."
The four teams involved for the games in Prague and Stockholm informally polled their players about participating and apparently got a green light. But Kelly said that's not good enough.
"Until we talk to the Rangers players, it's not good enough for (GM) Glen Sather to say, 'My guys are on board.' That doesn't cut it," Kelly said. "That's not approval under the CBA."
