Sad day for American Hockey fans

[gdog243 0]

NHL to lock out players Thursday

 

As a fan of Hockey and one who considers it his favorite sport of all the major sports in america, this is a really depressing day. I know it was bound to happen, but I was optimistic to think that maybe a mericle (Like the mericle on Ice) would happen and we would see a Hockey season this year. I can't believe these owners and players don't do a damn thing well in advance to prevent thier sport from maybe folding for good, and wait until the final day to not get anything done. I know Hockey wasn't as popular in the US as say the NFL or MLB, but this will have a more damaging impact on it's fans than the 1994 MLB strike did. I don't see the NHL recovering from this, and that is sad.

 

The Sharks (My favorite team) looked like they were going to be a good team this year ready to challenge for the stanley cup. They were so close last year, and it seemed like they were improving with the signing of Nabokov and other key players during the offseason. I guess that won't happen now.

 

:crybaby:

[Jack_Bauer 1]

An even sadder day in Canada (where, don't take offense to this, it really matters). I don't think this is going to be a short lockout either. Both sides are incredibly stubborn and are unwilling to compromise. Frankly, I side with the players since its not really their fault the owners are willing to pay crazy salaries. Bettman's idea of a 31 million dollar cap is ridiculous. Pittsburgh has the lowest payroll in the league and they are losing money. San Jose lost 7 million and made it to the semi-finals.

This situation is entirely Bettman's fault. He gave teams to any city that came along, many of whom don't deserve hockey IMO. That deluded the talent pool and increased the demand for star players, driving up salaries. Teams need to be eliminated or put into better markets (quebec city, halifax, winnipeg, regina). The league should drop to 24 teams with more teams in Canada (which will become the financial foundation of the league whenever the lockout ends). The sooner Bettman realizes that his crusade to sell hockey in the US is futile, the better this league will be.

And the WHA is a pipe dream and the OSHL is glorified workouts. International hockey will be the best we'll get for a while.