The sound you hear is the steady marching of feet, at a plodding yet undeniable pace. Many feet shuffling toward the cliff of no return, this 42nd day of the fourth NHL lockout in 20 years.
One of the greatest sports in Northern American history is imploding before our very eyes. Make no mistake, this lockout will permanently damage professional hockey far worse than the debacle of the 2004-2005.
Y’know the first ever professional sports lockout that resulted in an entire season being lost? This lockout has a lot of the same feel to it folks, and it’s looking more and more like a repeat to me.
Today the NHL wiped the month of November out, which means with no collective bargaining agreement, and no plans to resume negotiations, it’s not looking like there’s going to be a season at all.
The owners are blindly following Gary Bettman and playing hardball with the NHLPA, which is a bad omen for hockey fans. They wasted no time once their proposal deadline passed, and they seem dug in for the long haul. The NHLPA attempted to resume talks this weekend, but the NHL would only come to the table if their previous deal was the starting point.
The manner in which the NHL continues to lie about regretful actions, while talking in resolutes and wasting no time in cancelling games makes their words ring hollow and sound disingenuous at best.
“The National Hockey League deeply regrets having to take this action,” deputy commissioner Bill Daly said in a statement.
The translation :
“The National Hockey League deeply regrets having to bother explaining ourselves to you dolts. Shut up and wait until we tell you hockey has returned, rich people are busy making themselves richer.”
While most of the free world hates Gary Bettman ( give it a shot, it’s liberating ) he takes his directions from the owners. The very same rich idiots who signed many players to long term contracts and in the summer demand for a salary rollback.
“The league officially informed us today that they have withdrawn their latest proposal and have cancelled another slate of regular-season games,” union executive director Donald Fehr said in a statement. “This is deeply disappointing for all hockey fans and everyone who makes their living from hockey, including the players. But it comes as no surprise.”
I hate Donald Fehr, but he couldn’t be more right… or more smug. Fact is the rich are getting richer, but the fans are the ones that suffer. The owners want more salary rollback, and definitely do not want any revenue sharing framework in place.
A shortsighted vision… to be sure.
Could the day come when even the hardest of NHL fans turns it back and walks out the door permanently? The NHLPA also seems intent in sitting back and waiting, as many prominent players seem to be saying.
`We’ll see what happens in the next little while and see where it goes from there.”Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews said.
I’ll tell you what happens from here… the shuffling of feet becomes a run.
A run nobody wins in the end.
