If anyone has been paying any attention to the NHL it is no doubt that you know about the impending lockout. With only three days left until the deadline, it is looking ever more ominous that this league is bound for its third lockout under the reign of commissioner Gary Bettman. The sides originially seemed to be close together and were actively talking, which is more than the NBA could say at this time last year, but as the months went on things got worse.
Originially the league owners wanted the revenue that the players made from league operations to drop from 57% to 43%. Perfect right? A 20% pay cut to open negotiations. In my opinion, it seems very much like the NHL Players Association is the good guy in this situation. They have made countless attempts to bargain with Bettman and the owners, led by Donald Fehr. They have agreed to give up more revenue, but talks don't seem to be progressing lately. It is nearly impossible to find a detailed report of the latest offers online. All we can be assured about is the sides are 'talking'.
You know the situation is getting bad when ESPN dedicates a whole 70 seconds on Sportscenter to talk about a possible lockout, which is what they did today. I had faith originially that this would get solved, but the sheer greed of the owners is looking to be too much. There are reports everyday that there is almost no one at the Flyers practice facility in Voorhees, NJ, on a daily basis, leading to more chances of a lockout.
It seems that much like the NBA, the NHL will most likely start in December of this year, to avoid missing the Winter Classic. Lord knows Bettman doesn't wanna miss out on that payday. I don't know why playing one more season under the current CBA and having weekly discussions during the year isn't an option, but it isn't.
As I prepare to head into my internship training next week, I know the Flyers organization will take care of me. There's good people in that organization, many of whom will lack real purpose until this lockout situation is over. Perhaps it isn't a bad thing that the only possible year that I can do this internship is during a lockout. It will afterall, give me an interesting perspective on things that most don't usually get. What Bettman and the owners don't see though, is the little people they are affecting. I still have an internship thankfully, but who knows about some of the workers in say New York or Nashville or the other 27 markets? Obviously the fans don't matter either. Why should the owners give care about the fans when there is precious money to be had?
Another lockout would be bad for this league, real bad. If your're a true hockey fan and remember the lockout in 2004 you also remember how long it took the leauge to recover. The NHL is hotter than ever right now. Their best teams are in huge markets and the product is better than ever, but it could be hard to win the casual fan back. I mean, people in Pittsburgh will most likely forget what hockey even is if the season is delayed. If they won't pay any attention to a losing team they certainly won't pay attention to a dormant team. (Had to take my usually jab at Pittsburgh)
Simply put, this whole situation is a mess. Greed lead us to this point in 2004 and it has done it again. I hope we will see the NHL start on time, but I won't get my hopes up. In the meantime go Phillies.
