In 30 days, the NHL Owners will lockout the players, thereby delaying the start of the 2012-13 NHL season. I would think that after the lockout which led to the cancellation of the entire 2004-05 season, and the fallout that came of it, the last thing the owners would want would be another labour dispute. The NHL lost their partnership with ESPN, a network seen in nearly 100% of households and bars across the country. Because of this, they had to partner up with the Outdoor Life Network (which became Versus, then VS., and now The NBC Sports Network). As many hockey fans soon came to find out, this network is nowhere near as readily available as is ESPN and it’s parent channel ABC.
Eight years ago the NHLPA had no strong voice negotiating for them. They were backed into a corner and were eventually forced to accept every single demand, many of them terribly unfair, that the NHL Owners wanted. For lo these past seven seasons, the league has operated under the collective bargaining agreement that the Owners set up. The Owners have gotten exactly what they wanted, but not it is still not enough. The players are better off now than they were before the 04-05 lockout, and therein lies the Owners problems. Whereas the Owners are making out great from the current CBA, the players are making out better than the Owners expected them to. Now the owners want to cut back the players earnings and profit sharings again, but this time the NHLPA has a strong leader with a strong voice.
A month ago, the Owners presented a new CBA to the NHLPA, and it was a horrible insulting one at that. Tuesday, the NHLPA offered up it’s counter-proposal to the Owners. Yesterday the Owners dismissed that offer. League President Gary Bettman yesterday said that the two sides are far apart from an agreement, and NHLPA head Donald Fehr agrees with that assessment.
My fear is that the last lockout hurt the NHL so badly, that neither side thought the other would allow another lockout this time around. Both sides believed that the other would back down first. But with 30 days left before a new lockout begins, it looks like there will be no NHL hockey come October this season.
Are you a hockey fan? What’s your team? (BUFFALO SABRES REPRESENT!!!)
Good grief. I hope there’s hockey!! Huge Canadian hockey fan here…
Omg, I would be super depressed with another lock out…. The funny thing is my husband and I were just talking about this last night & he thinks there is going to be a lock out sadly…
Let’s Go Flyers!
My hubby is a HUGE hockey fan. It would be one tough winter/spring to have to deal with his crabbiness from no hockey!
While I’m not loyal to one team or another, I do enjoy watching hockey…please no lock out!
I grew up a Bruins fan, but after the last lockout my interest in it, diminished and never really returned. I probably won’t notice too much if there is no hockey season and would get my hockey fix by watching the University of Maine or some local high school team or heaven forbid make an hour and half trip down to Portland and see the local minor league team.
Hockey shot itself in the foot last time and if they do it again, shame on them.
there better be hockey!
I look forward to it all year… love my penguins!
Of course this would happen the year we FINALLY get HD TV! I have been a HUGE San Jose Sharks fan since day 1!
Bruins girl here – and there had BETTER be hockey this year with how terrible the Bum Sox have been this baseball season… they’re not even fun to watch (bunch o’ bums). At least it’s football season.
Husband is an Islanders fan (he has no hope) and I am a huge Devils fan (we’re a very anti Rangers family). Another lockout would be devastating. They better get their act together and figure this out before the deadline.
I’m a huge hockey girl. I played ice hockey all through high school…goalie
Great post and thanks for sharing!
They are always being locked out… LOL. Sports are crazy. Players get too much… owners get even more.
I hope there’s hockey, although I am more of a colelge hockey fan.
I try to get into hockey, but another serious labor dispute would certainly be the end of my attempt to watch it anymore. I stopped watching baseball a long time ago because of that.
THERE HAS TO BE HOCKEY OR MY WINTER IS RUINED. GO OILERS
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