The NHL and the league’s players association made a huge breakthrough yesterday, in that they figured out a way to reward both sides with longer vacations and the fans with more time to watch other sports. Basically, after yesterday’s labor talks, both sides are farther apart than ever in this NHL lockout, and the season is in serious jeopardy.
Talks broke off quickly between the league and NHL Players’ Association on Tuesday morning and deputy commissioner Bill Daly emerged from the meeting saying he didn’t have “any progress to report.” For the first time, he also revealed the extent of the damage the lockout has inflicted so far — “close to” $100 million after the cancellation of the entire pre-season schedule.
“That is not going to be recouped and that’s going to cost both sides,” Daly told reporters in New York. “That’s unfortunate but it’s a reality of where we are.” (Via the National Post)
And there are no immediate plans for both sides to meet, because hundreds of millions of dollars and thousands of jobs in two countries are hardly a priority when rich people are upset about percentages. But just like in the recent NFL and NBA lockouts, the fans are the true victim as far as we’re concerned, and the NHL’s fans are plenty upset about the prospects of no season.
NHL fans are fiercely loyal, almost cultish at times, when it comes to defending their sport from Jaromir-come-lately fans like me, and I respect that immensely. So I searched and scour the Intertubes for some fan reactions, and boy did I find plenty. You know what I learned more than anything? NHL fans want commissioner Gary Bettman to go far away. Like H-E-Double-Hockey-Sticks away. In fact, some even wish his mom had… well, I’ll let you read for yourself.
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![[image]](http://cdn.wl.uproxx.com/wp-content/thumbnails/130/110/2013/05/Broken-Leafs-TV-180x180.jpg)
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![[image]](http://cdn.wl.uproxx.com/wp-content/thumbnails/130/110/2013/05/jimmy-fallon-nhl-awards-180x180.png)
![[image]](http://cdn.wl.uproxx.com/wp-content/thumbnails/130/110/2013/05/James-Reimers-Wife-180x180.jpg)
My Rangers season tickets have been sitting in their Fed Ex box taunting me for a month and change now.
They were taunting you the moment you bought them.
The resale value of the games I sell make any taunts they may have had during last season pretty easy to ignore.
Your favourite team sucks is pretty much where I was going with that.
FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
*sigh*
Thank you W/L writers for still trying to keep hockey on our minds. Support college and minor leagues!
*sits looking at empty practice rink with single tear rolling down cheek*
*blood boiling*
Screw that attention slut in video 2. Oh, your an Oilers fan with a Crosby shrine, a Dion Phaneuff poster, a Jets poster in the background and you think the ’06 lockout was the first lockout the NHL had? Screw you up your poop shute Jaromir-come-lately-chick. Go watch the UFC. I’m sure there are desperate guys there who will feed your free drinking habit.
I sincerely hope more than one team (including a Canadian team) folds because of this unnecessary lockout that we’re being subjected to against our will. It’s an embarrassment that the lockout has lasted this long.
And the piss off is that when the NHL does come back, we’ll be subjected to the dead puck era 2.0. Because clutching, holding and watching stars get assaulted was so much fun the first time around.
Major Junior hockey for life.
PS: Thanks with leather for putting up some hockey coverage, even if it’s the depressing kind.
there was a time when players jump on the ice for the game, now they are spoiled kids with
too much money and focus on everything around the game, but the game.rocket richard top
salary was $25.000, and he was focus on is game plus a day job.you kids today have it to easy and at this point, if the nhl dont come back, well hope you will find a good job in a factory, like most of us so you can taste it!