Red Wings have canceled the rookies' tournament that was to be held there for the first time since 1997. Things heating up between players and owners. Looks like I might have to settle for junior and women's hockey.
RE: will there be a season? (added a poll) I personally hope there is a season, and really hope both parties will see the damage another lockout will cause.
RE: will there be a season? (Edited a poll) The positions of the parties appear intractable, with under a month to go to Bettman's lockout date, and I personally don't see how a lockout is going to be averted. However, I certainly hope that the parties see some benefit to avoiding a repeat of the cancelled 2004-05 season, and for that reason I edited the poll to create the option for the possiblity that we could see at least a truncated season this year. And without that option, I would have voted the "no" response...unhappily. TM
RE: will there be a season? That little scuzbucket Bettman will lock out the players even though their propoasl was well thought out & reasonable. In 2004 I was in the owners corner. Now with the ridiculous contracts GM's are offering I have no sympathy for the owners at all.
RE: Will there be a season? Pee Wee Herman, Jr. (Bettman) gets paid nearly 9 million annually to run a sports syndicate. He looks at Donald Fehr with loathing and contempt and wants to show the world that Pee Wee isn't afraid of no one, nobody. Thus, whatever Fehr comes up with, Pee Wee will find a way to decline. With 8 to 11 NHL bleeding profusely (financially) there's little risk in trying to break a much stronger union than the last go round. Fehr vs. Pee Wee - now thats a pay-per-screw....
RE: Will there be a season? it's starting to look like it'll be one of the two bottom scenarios on this poll.
RE: Will there be a season? I was relatively patient with the lockout last time around, but that sure as hell isn't going to be the case again. I know Bettman thinks he can out wait the players again and get what he wants, but he seems to be losing sight of the consequences to the NHL product's appeal. We've already seen the on ice product regress to borderline pre-lockout dead puck levels in the past year or so, and now they're going to subject us to another lockout???? If neither of these trends are reversed the damage to the NHL brand could be irreparable. (I for one will be finding other hockey, or other sports entirely, to spend my time and money on.) Unfortunately it seems that Bettman is completely oblivious to the league's perilous position. But to answer your question, yes we will have a season. The real question is, what year will it be when it happens?
RE: Will there be a season? Will the Oilers get the first pick again next year? I say that we use replacement owners and replacement players and play on outdoor rinks. Screw em all.
RE: Will there be a season? Wonder if more Canadian hockey fans will become Canadian football fans over this? CFL doesn't lock out it's players.
RE: Will there be a season? Not likely. Habs,Flames and Oilers might avoid the lockout as they have each gone to their provincial law bodies to try and render it illegal. Then we'd finally have an all-canadian Stanley Cup final.
RE: Will there be a season? And yet even in a three team league, the Oilers would still be pickin' first overall in next year's draft... TM
RE: Will there be a season? NHL Freezes Over What everyone had long anticipated, and dreaded would happen, has now been made official: Too much greed from both sides to expect anything other than a prolonged lockout as both armies stare sullenly at one another across the modern-day Maginot Line of posturing they've erected. To Hell with the lot of them! TM
RE: Will there be a season? Maybe I'm just getting old, but with each passing season I care less and less about NHL hockey.
RE: Will there be a season? I was like that until the Jets came back to Winnipeg. Nothing like getting your team back to appreciate what you lost... To me, this is all on Bettman. In 2005, I sided with the owners. Not this time with all the money thrown aroiund on long term deals.
RE: Will there be a season? Hey I'm 29 and I'm feeling the same way. 10 years ago I would have said you were crazy if you told me that would one day be the case.
RE: Will there be a season? I completely agree. Didn't we just go through all this stupidity. The owners completely won the 2005 lockout and then proceeded to find every loophole possible to screw themselves anyway. Here's a bright idea. Stop screwing yourselves.
