Donald Fehr will squeeze the owners till the give in

I think everyone knew this CBA negotiation would be different with Donald Fehr at the table but no one was sure how.  Now it is slowly becoming apparent.

His approach can be best described as:

- frustrating the NHL negotiators
- being pessimistic about every NHL offer
- leaving people with the impression that he doesn't care about the game.

It is being reported that Fehr shows up late for most meetings.  We aren't talking about 30 minutes late but hours and hours late with no explanation. He tables very little in the way of material for the owners to review. He frustrates them at every turn which is why the NHL has begun to accuse him of misrepresenting their latest offer.  It appears as if they are hoping for a players revolt.  Not likely to happen this time.  They may be stuck dealing with him.

I think everyone knew the league would arrive at a 50% split which is where the NFL and NBA ended up.  But Fehr's insistence on honouring existing contracts has made things difficult for the owners.  The league has stopped pissing all over the union's position but that's not the case with Fehr.  As each day goes by the league is losing revenue that can't be recovered while the two sides bargain over small change.

Donald Fehr took over running the NHLPA specifically to negotiate the next contract.  I don't believe anyone thinks he will stay on after it's been completed.  So the fact that he has so little at stake in the process worries the owners.  If all he cares about is winning then why would he care about collateral damage? 

So right now Fehr is being subject to a little bit of character assassination by the NHL.  He really won't care.  In the meantime wealthy teams, sponsors and broadcasters want to move on.  Look for the league to give in soon.