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Poker may settle National Hockey League dispute

PokerRoom.com has invited bosses to settle over game of poker

Tuesday 21st December 2004

The online poker site has sent registered letters to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and NHL Players' Association executive director Bob Goodenow, inviting them to settle the longstanding labour dispute in a game of winner-take-all Texas Hold'em.

PokerRoom.com casino boss, Patrik Selin said, 'If they can't resolve this dispute through traditional negotiations and compromise, then the PokerRoom.com tournament offers them the best, and quickest, way to declare a winner and let the fans enjoy hockey again before it's too late. With no downloads required to play and the tournament hosted online, Mr. Bettman and Mr. Goodenow can easily take on the challenge from their respective offices in New York and Toronto.'

More than three months after the start of a labour dispute that derailed the start of the NHL season, the prospect of ice hockey becoming the first professional sport in North America to lose an entire season is edging closer to reality.

At the heart of the dispute between the league and National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) lies the former’s insistence on the implementation of a salary cap for each team. The players’ union opposes any such system and when the collective- bargaining agreement expired in August, the league locked out the players in the absence of a new agreement.

The NHL and the players' association met last week in Toronto and the league made a counter-proposal to the players submission of last week. Both parties have rejected the other's proposal and no date has been set for future negotiations.




Source: OnlineCasinoNews