Thread: NHL Lockout

On ice: NHL locks out its players - Yahoo! News

As for details as to why this is happening: NHL lockout: What you need to know - Yahoo! News

I'm a huge hockey fan and this is really disappointing to me :(

Gary Bettman's answer when asked if he had a message to the fan - or the lack of thereof - is all you need to know about hockey.

He doesn't give a shit about the sport or its fans. To him, it's only a business like any others.

I am so pisssed about this right now, I'm not even going to talk about it. But I agree with Figment.

I don't even care that much about hockey, but wow, what a dick move.

Bettman is simply awful at his job. Like god awful.

So who's up for picking KHL teams? I know @Araragi Hakase; already has one.

I can't say that I'm surprised that this is playing out the way it is. Gary Bettman was always pro-owner/pro-money more than he ever was for the players.

I also heard rumors that in lieu of NHL games, many networks may begin to show the AHL affiliate games.

And, yup, I already have a KHL team :P Evgeni Malkin, who plays for the Penguins, is going back to play for his old KHL team, Metallurg, and Sidney Crosby may join him in December if the lockout persists. A lot of players are signing with KHL teams and elsewhere, and should the lock out come to an end, they will return to their respective NHL teams.

Most of my Habs are signing over in Switzerland, so no Russian favorite yet. We'll see.

In other news, there's growing reports that there may actually be some hockey in North America this year - Max Talbot and Bruno Gervais appear to be putting together a Hockey Caravan project. Two-four teams (if two, representing Montreal and Quebec, if four, Ottawa and Toronto also) of their friends and such, playing games in Montreal, Quebec, Ottawa and the surroundings. Reports have it Patrice Bergeron, M-A Fleury, Dany Brière, Antoine Vermette, Guillaume Latendresse, David Perron, Claude Giroux, Erik Cole, Josh Gorges, Lars Eller and Carey Price are all interested and/or have already joined. (And reports have it Max is trying to talk Sid into joining in)

Another, (and perhaps related?) thing to consider: the Stanley Cup. Back last lockout, it was under exclusive NHL control. This isn't the case anymore; after last lockout it was established during a court battle (that ended in settlement) that in the event of a canceled NHL season, the cup could be awarded to non-NHL teams.

This is just infuriating. Since a previous post mentioned how NHL Commish is pro-owner, I won't find it hard to believe if The Original Six instigated the lockout, especially when the Los Angeles Kings, a West Coast expansion team, is the reigning Stanley Cup Champion.

Nice conspiracy theory, but think again.

Three of the original six are legitimate Stanley Cup contenders on their own, and gain nothing from delaying by a season. (Chicago, Boston, New York)
In fact, two of them won the last two cups before the Kings. (Chicago, Boston)
Two more of them don't=NEED to be contenders: even as basement dweller, they're still the two most profitable teams in the NHL (Montreal, Toronto). Between the two of them, they're looking at losing around 100-150 millions in operating profit from the lockout.
These two, for that matter, are under brand new owners who are still buding their influence among the owners.

No; the reason this is happenign is Gary Bettman's Southern Expansion policy. The newer American teams are starving for money, the richer teams are not willing to share their profits, and Gary Bettman is not willing to abandon a few of those less-than-profitable markets. (See: Phoenix).

Sucks that the season will be locked out. Since the league was locked out in 2004-2005, I wonder, why does Bettman still have his job? Regardless, I still try not to look at the "political" side of hockey.

In AHL cities such as mine (St. John's IceCaps), the hockey will be even better, so, great. I'm even more excited for this AHL season than I am normally.

As for the NHL, I don't give a shit if it's the type of league that will lock itself out every few years. Fuck them. And it's probably best that no one cares.

I don't have a KHL team but I have a Sweedish team. HC Davos. Nash & Thornton will tear it up and win Davos another title.