Well it's been seven years in the making and the inevitable has finally been
reached. Hockey fans undoubtedly remember the 2005 season that never was after contract disputes over the collective bargaining agreement led to the entire season being cancelled. Fast forward to 2012 and fans would think that this time around things would be different. Gary Bettman and the players association will have learned from the last set of negotiations and be able to get a new contract done. I mean it's not like they had seven years to work on it and get it done. Well as it turns out, fans were wrong. The lockout officially started over the weekend and with neither side willing to budge it is very uncertain on whether or not there can be a hockey season this year.
It's starting to get a little ridiculous though. The last CBA was an almost complete overhaul of the league and how the game was played, along with the obvious financial aspects. This time around, money is the only real issue and both sides want what they deem to be their fair share of the profits. It's tough to say who is in the right or who is more deserving in a case like this, however. On one hand you have the league itself which has become a billion dollar profit organization. On the other hand you have players who are making more money than they probably really know what to do with. Can the league afford to provide the players with a little more of the profit to cover team costs? Absolutely. Do the players really need more money? Not likely. It's becoming more of a pain to the fans who have a passion for just watching the game that the players who supposedly have a passion to play the game are taking something as pure as Canada's game and turning it into nothing more than a cash cow. Think back to a Tim Horton's commercial featuring Sidney Crosby where they took footage of him as a child talking about how great it would be to wake up every day and have your job be to play the game you love. That kid (and every other child counterpart of NHL players) would probably want to kick their future selves right in the shins.
reached. Hockey fans undoubtedly remember the 2005 season that never was after contract disputes over the collective bargaining agreement led to the entire season being cancelled. Fast forward to 2012 and fans would think that this time around things would be different. Gary Bettman and the players association will have learned from the last set of negotiations and be able to get a new contract done. I mean it's not like they had seven years to work on it and get it done. Well as it turns out, fans were wrong. The lockout officially started over the weekend and with neither side willing to budge it is very uncertain on whether or not there can be a hockey season this year.
It's starting to get a little ridiculous though. The last CBA was an almost complete overhaul of the league and how the game was played, along with the obvious financial aspects. This time around, money is the only real issue and both sides want what they deem to be their fair share of the profits. It's tough to say who is in the right or who is more deserving in a case like this, however. On one hand you have the league itself which has become a billion dollar profit organization. On the other hand you have players who are making more money than they probably really know what to do with. Can the league afford to provide the players with a little more of the profit to cover team costs? Absolutely. Do the players really need more money? Not likely. It's becoming more of a pain to the fans who have a passion for just watching the game that the players who supposedly have a passion to play the game are taking something as pure as Canada's game and turning it into nothing more than a cash cow. Think back to a Tim Horton's commercial featuring Sidney Crosby where they took footage of him as a child talking about how great it would be to wake up every day and have your job be to play the game you love. That kid (and every other child counterpart of NHL players) would probably want to kick their future selves right in the shins.
As for Bettman, though, he has done nothing for the league or the game since taking over the helm of NHL Commissioner. Two lockouts in the last two CBA talks. Other major sports have had their problems with an agreement with their players but not this bad. He deems what the players are asking for (something along the lines of 43% of league revenue) to be unfair. Your company brings in over a billion dollars. These players are your employees who are making your money for you. Why wouldn't you be more willing to split and help teams out, especially smaller markets who aren't bringing in as much revenue as bigger cities. Bettman, who by the way is well known for not being a hockey guy, treats the game as nothing more than a business. Sadly, though, that's what it's become. The game that kids loved growing up comes secondary to how much profit can be made off it.
The lockout has created some rather interesting stories elsewhere in the hockey world as well. Players looking for work are now considering taking their talents to Europe. Reigning MVP, Evgeni Malkin and fellow Russian defender, Sergei Gonchar, have both signed deals through the 2012-23 season to play in Russia's KHL. Crosby has also considered playing overseas. With the league's top stars ready to sign over the year it's becoming more apparent that the NHL is not happening this year. However, it would be rather interesting to see what happens if the season is able to be salvaged and how teams would manage without
their top stars (a possible Columbus/Toronto Stanley Cup Final.. okay maybe not that extreme).
The NHL's affiliate American Hockey League has also reaped the benefits with the top young stars being sent down. Jordan Eberle, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and half of Edmonton's roster have been sent down to their farm club, the Oklahoma City Barons, which makes them an veritable NHL club. Jeff Skinner is another name who got moved down so fans in AHL cities will be able to see pro games for amateur prices (until of course teams decide to exploit fans and take advantage of the situation). Junior hockey is going to become a main source for many people's hockey needs with the Canadian Hockey League being the main source for a vast majority of professionals. Players like Ryan Strome, Jonathan Huberdeau, Mark Scheifele and many others will remain with their CHL clubs (minus first-overall pick Nail Yakupov who is taking his talents to Russia).
Overall hockey isn't totally lost you're just going to have to look a little harder to find it this year. Hopefully this will be something the league and players will all be able to learn from and in the next five to seven years we won't be having these same discussions. Until then it might be time to pick a football bandwagon to jump on or jump ship to the NBA's Miami Heat or LA Lakers. Then again Ron McLean did rather enjoy hosting CBC's movie nights in place of Saturday Night Hockey. Getcha popcorn ready!
- Big Easy
The lockout has created some rather interesting stories elsewhere in the hockey world as well. Players looking for work are now considering taking their talents to Europe. Reigning MVP, Evgeni Malkin and fellow Russian defender, Sergei Gonchar, have both signed deals through the 2012-23 season to play in Russia's KHL. Crosby has also considered playing overseas. With the league's top stars ready to sign over the year it's becoming more apparent that the NHL is not happening this year. However, it would be rather interesting to see what happens if the season is able to be salvaged and how teams would manage without
their top stars (a possible Columbus/Toronto Stanley Cup Final.. okay maybe not that extreme).
The NHL's affiliate American Hockey League has also reaped the benefits with the top young stars being sent down. Jordan Eberle, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and half of Edmonton's roster have been sent down to their farm club, the Oklahoma City Barons, which makes them an veritable NHL club. Jeff Skinner is another name who got moved down so fans in AHL cities will be able to see pro games for amateur prices (until of course teams decide to exploit fans and take advantage of the situation). Junior hockey is going to become a main source for many people's hockey needs with the Canadian Hockey League being the main source for a vast majority of professionals. Players like Ryan Strome, Jonathan Huberdeau, Mark Scheifele and many others will remain with their CHL clubs (minus first-overall pick Nail Yakupov who is taking his talents to Russia).
Overall hockey isn't totally lost you're just going to have to look a little harder to find it this year. Hopefully this will be something the league and players will all be able to learn from and in the next five to seven years we won't be having these same discussions. Until then it might be time to pick a football bandwagon to jump on or jump ship to the NBA's Miami Heat or LA Lakers. Then again Ron McLean did rather enjoy hosting CBC's movie nights in place of Saturday Night Hockey. Getcha popcorn ready!
- Big Easy
