The Bruins will be represented -- both on the players side and owners side -- in whats building up to an important day in the NHL CBA negotiations at the NHLPA offices in Toronto. Bruins Principal owner and the Chairman of the NHL Board of Governors Jeremy Jacobs will be among four NHL owners personally sitting in on the meeting between the league and the players, and will be joined on the owners side by Minnesota Wild owner Craig Leopold, Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis and Calgary Flames owner Murray Edwards.
Jacobs is considered one of the most influential owners in the NHL, and is said to be one of the main old guard hawks gunning for the most profitable deal possible for the leagues 30 owners.
The NHLPA announced that 18 players will be standing arm-in-arm with Exec Director Donald Fehr when he makes his counter-proposal on Thursday, and Bruins enforcer Shawn Thornton will be among that select group of players that includes Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews, Jarome Iginla and Eric Staal. The NHL and NHLPA are expected to commence a meeting at 2:30 p.m., and the players union will be responding to the leagues offer in some way, shape or fashion.
The high-wattage gathering of players in Toronto would seem to indicate that the NHLPA will be sticking to its guns in the wake of the 5050 offer from Gary Bettman. The players will likely call for more revenue sharing, loosened player rights and some other bones to make the leagues offer much more palatable.
The 18 players in attendance at the NHLPA offices are Craig Adams, Brad Boyes, Chris Campoli, David Clarkson, Dan Cleary, Carlo Colaiacovo, Sidney Crosby, Mathieu Darche, Shane Doan, Shawn Horcoff, Jarome Iginla, Robyn Regehr, Eric Staal, Matt Stajan, Shawn Thornton, Jonathan Toews, Kevin Westgarth and Dan Winnik.