[NHL] June 15th or bust

[NEVER85]

Source: TSN

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has a drop dead date in mind for the upcoming NHL season, according to a report by Sun Media.

A story in Saturday's Ottawa Sun cited league sources who said if a new CBA is not in place by mid June, the NHL may cancel next season and scrap negotiations altogether until the union accepts the league's terms.

The news comes amid reports that major sponsors have told the league they will take their money elsewhere if there is no labor agreement by June 15.

The league and the NHL Players' Association met for eight hours in New York on Friday, a day after sitting in a boardroom for 14 hours and word from within was that some progess was made.

Both sides have the weekend off before Bettman and NHLPA executive director Bob Goodenow decide when talks will resume next week.

[Fred Derf Veteran]

I might drop dead if they actually settle this before then.

[Ayepecks]

Scrap the entire season and make the PA agree to its terms to continue? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[Steven]

I might drop dead if they actually settle this before then.

585953190[/snapback]

I will drop dead if a deal is not made. :cry:

[speed3okie]

I'll tell you what if they cancel the season, it'll be hard to bring the fans back unless the drop ticket prices

[NEVER85]

It's in their best interest to get a deal done before 6/15. If Bettman scraps a 2nd season, even many die-hard Canadian hockey fans may just never watch hockey again, never mind the weak markets in the States. A deal prior to then will ensure an exciting brand of hockey for 05/06, and all the NHL's corporate sponsors won't pull out, which they're GOING to do if there's no deal in place by then. The loss of another NHL season would irreparably damage the sport far beyond actually PLAYING under a flawed CBA. If Bettman and Goodenow can't pull together a long-term deal, at least get a short-term deal done so we can have 1-2 seasons of hockey, and they can have more time to overcome their egos.

[neowin_hipster]

I'm a die hard fan and player. I played along many who got drafted and know many who played. This season i took to premiere league and uefa (liverpool just won champions league!!!) Quite sad really.

I went to 2 games in the past half-decade both of which i never paid. I can't bloody afford $100 for tickets. Most of these players are in europe for pennies (compared to what they make here). Back in the day i'd go to a canucks game. There was spirit, energy, drunken basturds yelling, and people were passionate. I go to a game now and its all rich people and "stylish" people and practically no hardcore beer drinking hockey loving canadians. There used to be amazing energy (especially back in '94).

I've played at gm place twice now. Full length games. It's a cool stadium and everything. Pacific colloseum has that nostalgia going on. It's a smaller rink and more open.

I almost hope the NHL dies. I'd like to see a replacement league. Wouldn't mind seeing more canadian teams. ****es me off royally that nashville, and so many other cities in red-states have hockey teams while winnipeg and QC failed and others struggle. Watching those games i feel sick. The stands are all empty!!

[imtoomuch]

Bettman is an idiot. The NHL isn't doing that well to begin with and this idiot is doing his best to drive it straight into the ground. The players make the league, not some egotistical retard who has no business being in control of anything.

[NEVER85]

I'm no fan of Bettman either, but between him and Goodenow, I gotta believe he's the lesser of 2 evils. Bettman wants to cap salaries, and that's a good thing. No more ludicrous contracts for sub-par players. The players have finally accepted that, and more progress was made today in the CBA talks.

As for the state of the game as a whole, I'd like to see 6 teams fold. Have a 24 team league. We don't need a Florida, a Carolina, a Nashville, a Phoenix, etc, despite the fact 2 of those teams were cinderella teams in 1996 and 2002.

[Cara Veteran]

Hey know, leave Phoenix alone, it's the only time I can actually seem my Red Wings in person! ;)

But I am in agreement, if they cancel another season I think it's the final nail for the NHL. It's sad given that the majority of players don't even come close to the cap, but as with all things the Golden Rule Applies... "He who has the gold (money), makes the rules."

[Deathray]

It's funny how progress suddenly seems to occur when the sponsors ready to jump ship... although enough damage has already occurred, one more season without hockey will be the final nail in the coffin.

[Matrix XII]

Seriously if a deal doesn't go down this time I'm grabbin an AR-15 and goin on a killing spree lol :ninja:

[....]

Lotsa die hard hockey fans here...hehe...I think with hockey you either love it or hate it.

This whole thing...it simply blows me away. Hockey doesn't have the luxury to go on with a long labor dispute, as fanbase (in my observation) isn't near the other big three sports.

They are hurting the sport as more games aren't played. Are they too blind and greedy to realize this?

[Fred Derf Veteran]

Lotsa die hard hockey fans here...hehe...I think with hockey you either love it or hate it.

This whole thing...it simply blows me away.  Hockey doesn't have the luxury to go on with a long labor dispute, as fanbase (in my observation) isn't near the other big three sports.

They are hurting the sport as more games aren't played.  Are they too blind and greedy to realize this?

585977719[/snapback]

Hockey is different up here. It is the #1 sport and the #1 league. Basketball news, even when the Raptors are doing well (okay, it would be a small sample size) will be relegated to the 3rd page. Baseball barely gets any interest until the hockey season ends. There is no NFL presence in Canada and we have our own football league but these don't get the exposure that hockey gets. College basketball, college football? You won't even find them on TV until the final four and even then they get minimal coverage. Up here it is hockey or nothing. Saturday night is hockey night in Canada. You can see it in every bar and pub. Hockey ads dominate on television. Don Cherry is the most recognized man in Canada (more so than any Prime Minister).

I played hockey last night at the local rec centre. It is what we do.

It is rare to see a non-immigrant male in Canada who does not know even the peripheral players on the Leafs. People know the details of the players who aren't even on the team yet. Heck, most immigrants even get indoctrinated. There are plenty of Muslims that play at the rec centre. I knew someone who immigrated from Vietnam and learned to ice skate at 19 so he could play hockey.

3 of the top 5 stories on the front page of thestar.com are currently about hockey. Surprisingly none of them are about the lockout. They all relate to junior hockey (Canada's international junior team, the Memorial Cup and Sydney Crosby).

That being said, this lockout is testing whether hockey is a passion or just a habit.

[NEVER85]

During the regular season, I'm forced to watch "La Soiree du Hockey" to watch my team in action, unless of course, HNIC is showing a Leafs/Habs game. ;)

Now, I don't wanna sound too optimistic, as I'm sure those who have been keeping up with the CBA talks have been down this road a million times already, but now it doesn't seem to be a question of IF a deal gets done, but WHEN.

[CatnipOligarchy]

i really hope they get this deal done, i've really missed hockey this winter. I know all the canadians don't think of Atlanta as worthy of a hockey team, but i've been to several Thrashers games, and the fans really get into it. They aren't all terribly knowledgable, but i've noticed it getting better over the first 5 years. I'm not sure how bad this lockout will hurt the fan base, but i don't think contraction is the answer. There is a potential market for hockey down here, its just a matter of getting people into the arena for that first time. I've never met a single person who went to a hockey game in person and didnt love it.

[Ayepecks]

I really hope Bettman gets his butt fired.

Oh, and I really hope they get it resolved, too :)

[mitch00]

yeah i cant ewait for the season to start again. watching juniors just isnt the same.. playing in my own league is fun though. im pretty confident theyll resolve the lockout sooner or later :) then i can start routi for my habs again. i love hockey, last year at school when the canadiens would win a playoff game (which is pretty rare lately :( ) people would come to school draped in flags and faces face-painted red.. ahh i love canada