LOCKOUT: Day 69 – Cut into the turkey, then cut into the season.
Nov 1, 2012; San Diego CA, USA; Fans of the NHL and the San Diego Chargers hold a sign that reads “Lock out has got us down so we
Well for those of you who have just woken up from your turkey coma, I’m afraid there is more bad news. The NHL added another block of games to the cancellation list. All NHL games through December 14th have been scratched, as well as the All-Star game. This brings the current travesty up to a total of four hundred and twenty two games.(In essence one third of the season gone.) Naturally, the NHL sent Bill Daly out to express the sadness of the whole situation and how upset they are for the fans.
“The reality of losing more regular-season games as well as the 2013 NHL All-Star Weekend in Columbus is extremely disappointing. We feel badly for NHL fans and particularly those in Columbus, and we intend to work closely with the Blue Jackets organization to return the NHL All-Star events to Columbus and their fans as quickly as possible.”
The NHL has been dedicating itself this week to the simple of mantra of ‘Blame it on the players!’ Keep in mind, they continued to conduct business as usual up to the last moment before they shut down the league.(and quite possibly the NHL brand as we know it.) Gary Bettman did offer his condolences as well to the fan base on Wednesday. “The union has had our best economic proposal and that was in the context of playing an 82-game season. That proposal was summarily rejected and any expectation that the offer is going to get better as time goes on is not realistic.” (P.S. Blame it on the players!)
NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr believes the players have shown a willingness to negotiate by continuing to offer concessions. The players’s latest proposal cut the financial gap to $182 million over five years. The only thing that Bettman and Fehr seem to agree on now is that both sides have given the best offer they can give. “The players have done everything they could to get the game back on the ice. This is a fight they didn’t want, it’s a fight they didn’t pick, it’s a lockout that they had no part in. And, they’re suffering right along with the fans. They made an enormous movement in the owner’s direction to try and end it and … that hasn’t been successful.”