NHL Cancels First String of Regular Season Games

The NHL Lockout is officially underway

By Andrew Miller

(AP Photo/Paul Chiasson)

Just past noon on October 4^th, the NHL cancelled all regular season games through October 24^th. This comes after talks on Tuesday stalled between the player’s union and the owners over a new collective bargaining agreement.

After already cancelling all preseason games on the 27^th of September, the owners’ move to attack the regular season schedule could be the first of many cancellations if the two sides do not make any progress in the near future. Still fresh in the minds of both the players and fans, the last lockout ended in the entire cancellation of the 2004-2005 season. Some players fear a similar fate.

The main issues for the lockout concerns the distribution of hockey related revenue (HHR) as well as the six of players’ contracts. Under the current CBA, the players receive 57 percent of the revenue. Bill Daly, the NHL deputy commissioner, comments that the players will not negotiate on the HHR distribution until, “we can solve the core economic issues.” According to Daly, the NHL already has lost 100 million dollars by cancelling the entire preseason and that the money cannot be recovered.

Many fans place the blame on Gary Bettman, current NHL commissioner, citing his involvement in the last three lockouts including the current one. However, Forbes magazine compares the current percentage split of HHR as 57 percent favoring the players to other sports. In the NFL, the richest sports league in America, the players only get 47 percent of the revenue. The NBA, which only makes slightly more money than the NHL, has a 50-50 split. Both sides know that the 57 percent must come close to a 50-50 split, but the question is who will get the extra one or two percent.

Players are showing their discontent by leaving the States in droves for European leagues, particularly for Russia and Switzerland. The KHL, Russia’s top league, has already claimed superstars Alex Ovechkin, Ilya Kovalchuck, Evengi Malkin, and Pavel Datsyuk. Meanwhile, the Swiss national hockey league teams have signed young stars Logan Couture and Tyler Seguin as well as veterans Rick Nash and Joe Thorton.

Others are taking to social media to show their displeasure for the situation. Sidney Crosby and Jonathan Toews, captains of the Penguins and Blackhawks respectively, were featured in a video that functions almost as propaganda for the players that is on YouTube. New York Rangers goalie used Twitter on Thursday to talk about his lack of drive. The reigning Vezina trophy winner tweeted, “Feels like I'm going to practice without a purpose, and I hate it! Don and Gary, let's figure this one out,” referring to the leaders of the owners, Bill Daly and Gary Bettman.

With no end in sight, the lockout leaves fans and players alike frustrated. However, there is promise in the semi-consistent communication between the two sides. Neither the players nor the owners want to face the same situation of trying to recapture fans as they had to in 2005.