How the Lockout is a Win for Some and Lose Situation for Others -NHL Special
The National Hockey League (NHL) continues to be hit by one of its most unforgiving lockouts in history of the sport and for some players, it has been quite beneficial as they explore other opportunities but there are a group of players who struggle to cope
with the change.
One of the biggest changes some fans will notice next time around is that a lot of players, mostly the veterans and injured, will not be coming back to play. Either due to the expiration of their contracts, some calling it a day and others just not having
the will to come back and continue struggling day after day coming out of a hectic lockout.
Is my memory serves me correct, over 100 players did not rejoin the league after the 2004-2005 NHL lockout, which was less than a decade ago, and not much has changed since then besides the fact that the league continues to rake in more revenue than it ever
did before.
The good thing about hockey is that there are a lot of competitive leagues around the globe. With the Russian, Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) being extremely intense followed by a number of European ones like the Swedish Elite League, but not many sports
and athletes have that luxury. During the most recent National Basketball Association (NBA) lockout, only the big names found a place abroad while others just waited things out.
Team owners and the league are currently going through millions of dollars in losses. First, with the preseason entirely cut out, followed by a good portion of the regular season and now the 2012 NHL Winter Classic between the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto
Maple Leafs, which was certainly expected to be legendary.
Things are still not looking bright for either side, the league nor the Players’ Association, which are still deadlocked on a number of key issues including key economic factors along with the latest, honouring contracts that were enforced prior to the lockout.
A lot of players are also losing out as a majority have still not been able to find work, while others continue to get a salary, just not from the NHL. It is certainly most devastating to the fans who have been loyal to the sport throughout their lives and
doing this just is not the way they should be paid back.
Both stakeholders need to realise that they are not the only ones missing out and that a lot more than they think is on the line if anything is not worked out quick.
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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