Facing the Reality of Having the 2012-2013 Regular Season Completely Locked Out –NHL Special
A lot of fans may have already embraced the fact that they might be losing out completely on hockey being played at all during what should have been nearly half of the 2012-2013 regular season, but others are just beginning to face those realities.
With fresh cancellations which have forced fans to lose out on all games, over 600 in number and half of what would have been the regular season, through January 14th, and when that date comes, it will either be a break-it or make-it situation.
Experts and players alike, have termed January 15th and onwards as the time period of having a somewhat meaningful season, but further cancellations would just kill it entirely altogether.
The players and fans are not the only ones suffering from a pay check and entertainment, respectively, but a number of team front office employees have had to face being sacked over the lockout along with business suffering in all areas of the sport. Not
having games going on means loss in revenue for each and every team, forcing the higher management to make cuts in accordance with their needs.
Not only that, businesses around hockey arena’s, which would be usually packed with fans in and around game time, have seen a major decline as well, especially in Canada where hockey is everything. The United States still has the National Basketball Association
(NBA), Major League Baseball (MLB) and the National Football League (NFL), but business still is not what is was prior to the work stoppage.
"I had to look 32 of 48 employees in the eyes and inform them that I no longer can afford to keep them on staff," Joe Kasel, owner of Eagle Street Grill in St. Paul, Minnesota, wrote to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. "The impact on our lives is immeasurable.
One city's devastation may not seem like a powerful incentive to end the lockout; but I know this is happening in other cities around the nation."
Fans might think that team owners are responsible for the lockout, but that is not always the truth. Buffalo Sabres’ President Ted Black is one of those higher level officials that is also frustrated with the work stoppage and is looking forward to the day
when hockey will be back on schedule.
"We are disappointed the NHL and NHLPA have not been able to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement," Black said, according to NBC Sports.
While there may not be any definitive answer to those looking for hockey to be played, waiting is the only option on the table now and hoping that the two stakeholders will be able to work something out soon.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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