Absence of CBA claims annual event
Sidney Crosby (left) will be mulling over his options
NEW YORK -- The NHL canceled its draft Thursday, the latest casualty of the six-month lockout.
The annual event was scheduled for June 25-26 in Ottawa, but it was scrapped along with the entire 2004-05 season that was called off Feb. 16. The draft can't proceed without a collective bargaining agreement.
Bill Daly, the NHL's chief legal officer, apologized to fans, the city of Ottawa and "to everyone who already had put so much time and effort into creating a memorable weekend for the players and their families.''
"The Ottawa area hotels had already gone far beyond their normal reservation policies in allowing us to hold 4,500 rooms for the draft event,'' Daly told The Associated Press. "They weren't prepared to extend that longer.''
It was another blow for the NHL, which wanted to have a new labor agreement with the players' association in time to hold the draft on schedule. The league, which imposed the lockout Sept. 16, quickly initiated talks with the union just a few weeks after the season was lost.
But there is still no deal.
"The timing is very, very important because the sooner we make a deal, the sooner we can all put this labor dispute behind us and start working toward the future,'' Daly said.
So Canadian phenom Sidney Crosby -- most likely the No. 1 pick -- remains in limbo. Once a deal is in place, the NHL will have to determine the selection order.
"I'm disappointed to hear that the NHL has canceled the draft,'' Crosby said. "Although I knew this could be a possibility, given the current situation, I feel bad for all of the players who worked so hard to get to this point.''
The 17-year-old forward is currently preparing for the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoffs.
"All of us had been looking forward to having our names called in Ottawa,'' Crosby said. "Unfortunately this is something that is out of our control.''
Daly said there already has been considerable discussion about how teams will pick. If a collective bargaining agreement is reached soon, a live draft could still be held.
Regardless of when the lockout ends, a draft will then take place and could be conducted by a simple conference call among the 30 teams.
"I can't imagine the NHL doing a draft over the phone with their first round,'' Crosby's agent Pat Brisson told the AP.
Usually, the draft order is set by the previous season's standings, but that is not possible this year.
Washington won last year's draft lottery, after finishing with the league's second-worst record, and grabbed Russian sensation Alexander Ovechkin with the No. 1 pick. The Capitals would love the chance to go first again and add Crosby to a lineup that would be markedly improved since the last time they took the ice nearly a year ago.
"I know at one point there will be a draft,'' Brisson said. "We'll explore our options at the end of the season and see where we're at.''
Similar to the city of Atlanta, which lost the chance to host this year's All-Star game, it is unknown when Ottawa will be able to hold the draft. The NHL said the league is committed to bringing the event back there as soon as possible.
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