nhl season cancelled. www.nhl.com http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/hockey/nhl/02/16/nhl.lockout.ap/index.html assholes.
OMG WHAT WILL I DO NOW WITHOUT HOCKEY!?!?!?!? Oh yea, the same thing I've always done. Turn the channel.
crickets chirping across large portions of America. j/k sorry your sport got cancelled, that sux... go watch an Aeros game! Those tix are cheap for evry seat.
It literally took me a couple of seconds to realize what this thread was about. nhl didn't register in my head right away.
I really want to post in this thread, but my feelings have already been expressed precisely by the first 5 posts. ..now if only I could find a way to rid myself of all the college basketball footage/news... -- droxford
HOLD ON, EVERYBODY...!!!! I am looking for the last time a SOCCER LEAGUE had a strike... let me see... let me see... Hmmm... nothing yet...
Even if they salvaged the season, they were talking about playing a 28 game regular season. Would anyone take a 28 game season seriously? Very WNBAish.
You want to know whats funny. The NHL is planning on using replacement players for next season but theres two big problems with that. In Canada using replacement workers in a work stoppage is illegal and in the US you can only use AMERICAN replacement workers. So in other words 50% of us posters have a shot of being in the NHL next year
Hockey is still the best spectator sport around....too bad they canned the season...I will miss the playoff games (especially my beloved Devils)....but the reg season isn't much more exciting than the NBA reg season
Bettman showing how little class he has, taking a swipe at the players in his "letter to fans" Dear Fans: On behalf of the 30 NHL teams, I want to say how sorry we all are that, given the very practical reality that there are not enough days available to play a representative regular season and Stanley Cup Playoffs, we have been left with no choice but to cancel the remainder of the games scheduled for the 2004-05 campaign The NHL is very fortunate to enjoy the support of the most loyal and passionate fans in all of professional sports, and we want you to know how very much we appreciate the patience and understanding you have shown the NHL during this very difficult time in our history. We understand the impact this dispute has had on you, our loyal fans, and I want you to know we worked very hard, starting as far back as 1999, to prevent this from happening. Our intention throughout the collective bargaining process has been, and continues to be, the creation of an enduring partnership with our players that will allow you to enjoy a world-class product, at affordable prices, and enter each season confident that your favorite team can compete for the most cherished trophy in pro sports, the Stanley Cup. Our resolve to deliver on that promise will not change. While the various economic systems we have proposed to the players' Union would have permitted the maintenance of an average player salary in the neighborhood of $1.3 million (U.S.), and would have allocated as much as 55% of every dollar of revenue that the League and Clubs can generate to the players, Union leadership has not shown, to date, any interest in sharing our vision for the future. Accordingly, we remain resolute, for the good of the League and our fans, to postpone our return to the ice until we can assure you that the current business issues have been resolved in a way that assures the long-term viability of all our Clubs. I can promise you, though, that when NHL hockey does return, it will be in a way that allows our great game to prosper for years to come, both on and off the ice. Sincerely, Gary B. Bettman
Bettman IS a putz....possibly the worst commish in all of sports.....but he isn't wrong in what he said and its nothing more than what is already obvious to the fans.
Does this really boil down to anything more than greed on both sides maybe leaning more on the players side? I mean...they put up a huge fight over the salary cap. What...they didn't want a limit on how much money they could make so salaries could spiral out of control? Am I supposed to feel bad about this? I don't.
I'll say this....I follow hockey moreso than the average fan....obviously not this year....and I wouldnt be surprised if this lockout lasted into next season.
The problem is Bettman's vision for the future was rampant expansion into markets that don't give two ****s about hockey and a salary cap after owners proved they couldn't control their own spending. Both sides are at least partially fault, they both wanted it all - and they both end up with a fat load of nothing. But if I had to blame one side, it's Bettman and the Owners. I mean, going to the players and demanding salary cuts and a salary cap because of their out of control spending. . . .
