The approaches that the NHLPA and NHL have taken in the press conferences and media gatherings couldn't be more opposite.
The players stand in a line wearing their best suits and jackets with Donald Fehr standing in the forefront making statements and answering reporter's questions.
The NHL just looks like a one person show with Gary Bettman as the owners go-to guy.
The type of approach the two sides take on the media is comparable to how far apart they are in their negotiations.
I have never heard one suggestion coming out of an NHL team owner's mouth on fixing the collective bargaining agreement. It seems as though as the owners feel either powerless against Bettman's regulations or they want to stay away from the spotlight and let Bettman get fired at with questions from the media. Either way I feel that they should step up to the issue.
Just recently Gary Bettman has announced that he is going to cancel the Winter Classic event with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings playing at this years event.
There are estimates on CBC and Global news that the NHL will lose $200 to $250 million from this event. This is huge money because all the profits are accumulated within just a few days time when the event is fully engaged. The NHL doesn't just lose profits, they lose fame, sponsorships, branding and trust from the fans from this single event so that's a big loss for the NHL. I can't believe that the owners of the Leafs and Red Wings aren't speaking their mind in the media. I love to hear what they have to say about this cancellation. I am not sure if Bettman organized an agreement with all 30 owners to keep quiet about the lockout until it's over but it seems pretty suspicious to me that the owners aren't showing any fight to this.
Of course NHL.com does not display all the reports on the CBA negotiations on their website leaving it to third-party sports media outlets like TSN and Sportsnet to report only what they want them to report to the fanbase. Fans on NHL.com still comment about the lockout on the website itself but the comment page about the lockout is always found on a different story.
I read some of the comments and a lot of them are stating that they simply returned NHL merchandise for a refund and promising themselves they will stay away from the NHL scene. Some say for good, some say until its over.
Unfortunately for the fans that say they will still cheer for their favourite NHL team, the lockout could last longer than anyone would like to.
Has anyone mentioned that the lockout could last more than one season. Think about how close the 2005-2006 season could've been locked out. It was only until July of 2005 that terms were reached for the collective bargaining agreement. That is only three months until the start of a potential second consecutive locked out season!
With Bettman being such a ruthless negotiator, he would love cancel a second straight season if plans don't go according to him. Don't forget that he was never a huge hockey fan while growing up. He admitted on the CBC hit show 'The Hour' that he only attended a few hockey games while growing up and he never told anybody that he had a favourite hockey team.
Donald Fehr isn't known as an avid hockey fan as well. He is just known as the person who organized two separate lockouts in two different major league sports. The lockout in Major League Baseball in the 1994-1995 season was partly orchestrated by Fehr and that has led to the cancellation of the World Series for that season.
With both chief executives not being passionate hockey fans, how will an agreement be passionately get done with the fans in mind. A deal will get done one day but not with a sense of urgency or flare that a real hockey advocate would have.
Most NHL players have their own following on their twitter account and while some are keeping quiet about the matter, a few are expressing frustration and disappoint. Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres is one of the few upset players who want to play hockey immediately and I can see his point.
Players have already lost $216 million in salary as of November 3rd, 2012 and Miller is one of the higher paid goaltenders in the league and he already lost a couple million from this work stoppage. Mike Modano admitted that he lost over $7 million from the 2004-2005 lockout and losses such as Miller's and Modano's are very common when there is no CBA contract in place.
The fans are the ones who lose the most of all. It's not money that they lose, it's the trust and credibility they lost with the negotiations. Very few fans aren't buying the claims and excuses that the NHL and NHLPA are making about why they rejected each others proposals. Frustration is setting in and some fans have turned a blind eye to the news about league negotiations and moved on to following the AHL and even the European Leagues.
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