Sneak Preview: Colony With Crosby
PITTSBURGH (93-7 THE FAN) -- Following an informal workout at Ice-O-Plex in Southpointe, the secondary home of the Penguins, captain Sidney Crosby sat down for a special one-on-one with 93.7 The Fan's Jim Colony to discuss the NHL lockout, which enters its third full day Tuesday.
"There are some franchises that need some help, and we've made it pretty clear we're willing to work with the league," Crosby said of the NHLPA. "That being said, it doesn't really seem like the proposal we got in return is addressing those needs."
No formal negotiations between the union and the Board of Governors, led by commissioner Gary Bettman, took place immediately before or the work stoppage became official late Saturday night. The driving force is the disconnect between the owners and players on how hockey-related revenue, which reached a record $3.3 billion in the NHL last season.
The players currently earn 57 percent of that money, but the Board of Governors, in at least one of its CBA offers, sought to reduce that share by as much as almost 15 percent.
Perhaps the most frustrating thing for fans is the fact that the Penguins' ownership tandem of Mario Lemieux and team president David Morehouse has been so well-received in the past, but are obligated to represent the league's point of view on this issue.
Is Crosby's longtime linemate, Pascal Dupuis, frustrated by this as well?
"I don't know what they think," Dupuis said, laughing politely. "But the game is healthy here in Pittsburgh. We have great fans...and us players, we're ready to roll."
The team's training camp was originally slated to begin Friday.
Listen to The Fan Morning Show Tuesday at 8:00 A.M. to hear Colony's one-on-one with Crosby.
