Statement from Burkle

Thursday, 06 December 2012 20:43

Written by Dave Molinari

Ron Burkle, the intensely private Penguins co-owner, issued this statement through the NHL after labor negotiations with the NHL Players' Association broke off this evening:

"The idea to put players and owners together in the same room was a
refreshing idea. Commissioner (Gary) Bettman should be thanked for proposing it
and (Donald and Steve Fehr of the NHLPA should be thanked for agreeing to it.

"The players came with a strong desire to get back to playing hockey.
They were professional and did a good job of expressing their concerns and
listening to ours.

"We wanted to move quickly and decisively. We have all spent too much
time without any real progress at the expense of our fans, our sponsor and
the communities we serve. It was time to make bold moves and get a deal.
Many people think we got over our skis and they are probably right, but we
wanted to do everything we could to get back to hockey now. We didn't hold
back.

"We made substantial movement on our end quickly, but unfortunately
that was not met with the same level of movement from the other side. The
players asked us to be patient and keep working with them. It's not what
they do and they wanted us to know they were committed. We understood and
appreciated their situation. We came back with an aggressive commitment to
pensions which we felt was well received. We needed a response on key items
that were important to us, but we were optimistic that we were down to very
few issues. I believe a deal was within reach.

"We were therefore surprised when the Fehrs made a unilateral and
'non-negotiable' decision – which is their right, to end the player/owner
process that has moved us farther in two days than we moved at any time in
the past months.

"I want to thank the players involved for their hard work as we tried
to reach a deal.

"I hope that going backwards does not prevent a deal."