The NHL lockout is only a few days old but its effects are already being felt around the league.
With a number of bigname players continuing to head for Europe, NHL employees were informed Wednesday that their salaries are scheduled to be cut 20 per cent across the board. That will come into effect on Oct. 1, when full-time staff are reduced to a four-day work week.
The news was delivered by commissioner Gary Bettman during a Wednesday morning staff meeting.
The NHL also announced the cancellation of pre-season games through Sept. 30, as well as the postponement of the Kraft Hockeyville preseason game scheduled for Oct. 3 in Belleville, Ont., to the 2013-14 season.
Unlike in September 2004, when more than 50 per cent of NHL employees were laid off just days into the lockout, the league is trying to avoid cutting staff. But multiple sources who attended Wednesday's meeting said employees were warned that further cuts could be coming. A number of teams, including the Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers, announced layoffs earlier this week. The Senators also placed their remaining staff on a reduced work schedule.
"Every full-time, every part-time employee is affected by a work stoppage," team president Cyril Leeder said Monday.
Bettman and Daly both decided to forgo their salary during the lockout, according to sources.
There were still no formal bargaining sessions scheduled.
