As all you hockey fans already know, the NHL (National Hockey League) has been in the midst of a labour dispute since September, 2004. The players and the owners still seem to be miles apart when it comes to reaching agreement on a new CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement). The most recent talks organized by Trevor Linden have shown some glimpse of hope, but have gotten myself and many other fans wondering if this is too little, too late.

The two sides have been sticking to their guns over the last few months, spending very little time negotiating and reaching nothing even close to some common ground. There are many opinions as to who is to blame for the mess the NHL finds itself in, and imo there is more than enough blame to go around. Gary Bettman has made numerous blunders including the irrational expansion the NHL made in non-hockey markets. The owners just don't seem to be able to get out of their own way, often paying players way too much (eg, Alexi Yashin).

The players aren't angles either. Average salaries have gone through the roof since the early 1990s and the union has seen its ranks grow thanks to the addition of 9 new teams over that time. The average fan who for the most part may not be able to afford NHL tickets these days sees this salary inflation equate hockey players to just about any other "overpaid, greedy professional athlete".

With many teams losing money and the league without a real TV contract, it is most likely that the overall revenues of the league have peaked and have only one place to go - DOWN. The sooner both sides realize this and salvage this season the better. The NHL is the weakest of the pro-sports leagues in North America and cannot afford to be the first pro-league to miss an entire season due to labour issues. They will lose too many fans and may even see many teams in the non-hockey markets fold. That would mean pain for the league and more importantly for the union which would lose a lot of high paying jobs.

The NHL is going to be history after this. The players union just isn't thinking about the future ramifications of missing a whole season and possible even two (its possible!). Plus, my team - the Red Wings, just isn't what it used to be and there's really no hope for them now, as these guys are all a year older (they're already pretty old for hockey), and are most likely losing their edge, no matter how much they're 'practicing'. So personally, I'm not missing hockey right now - I'm resigned to wishing the Red Wings farewell, and seeing what comes up next. They had a great run, while it lasted. They should each take up other interests like PHP programming, web design, or sports broadcasting.

Labour strikes haven't been good for any of the other three major sports (Football, Baseball and Basketball) as far as keeping the interest of the fan. And as Div says, the NHL is the weakest of the big four. I believe this is a huge blow to the NHL. But even if the NHL doesn't survive, I feel there will be something else to take its place in terms of hockey.

I am not terribly missing the NHL right now, but I will in a few months when the playoffs should be starting. Regular season hockey games just don't have the intensity of playoff hockey. Besides the NFL, I have always thought that the NHL has the best playoffs in sports.

Why does one professional sport feel the need to match the player's salaries with another professional sport. Isn't that kind of like saying that I am a master electrician, tops in my field. I make X dollars a year. He is a race car driver, at the top of his field. He makes X * 100 dollars a year. I should make 100 times more than I do.

Let's face it guys, the NHL does not generate nearly the money as the NFL. Therefore, the rates should be based on the your (commercially driven) equation. A boxer might make 1 million for showing up to have their head pounded in. That doesn't mean the captain of the championship curling team should make the same. It sounds to me like the player's union is trying to add apples to oranges and getting a divide by banana error. The fact that the primary people are not sitting down together speaks poorly for the future of the NHL.

On another note the teams in smaller markets that have had their share of fiscal problems (due to rising salaries and dropping attendance) most likely will have to say, "We just can't do this any more." Start lining up the circus so someone will be using the venue. My home town (just outside of Buffalo,NY) is an example of one of those teams. They barely survived the Adelphia/Regis fiasco. I believe the NHL actually had to take control of the team for a while last year. These places have a hard enough time making ends meet. Maybe they'll get something to replace the Sabres, most likely the nice new arena will be just another silhouette you see while boating on Lake Erie.

Mark

So it looks like the owners put forward another proposal (still has a salary cap along with some interesting wrinkles) and the players dismissed it almost instantaneously.

Great, no hockey this year. I guess professional sports don't think that fans will carry a grudge and will come back next time. I predict bad things for the NHL when and if they can come to grips with each other and get back to business.

I think I'll watch some curling on CBC.

Yes, we can put a fork into the NHL season.

ps - I watched some (women's) curling this weekend as well. Quite sad.