Veteran could be facing the Axe if Lockout Persists Too Long -NHL Update
Staying sharp is one of the biggest issues players face whenever there is a lockout and if history teaches us anything, a lot of players may not be returning when the puck does drop or that amount just may increase by manifolds in case the entire season
is just phased out.
After the 2004-2005 National Hockey League (NHL) regular season, over 200 players did not play a single game after losing out on the entire hockey year as they were forced to take an early retirement and failed to make any sort of comeback.
"I knew if there was a lockout and I didn't play the whole year, I couldn't play again," former defenceman James Patrick told QMI Agency. "It's not hard to figure out a 40-year-old who hasn't played for a year wouldn't get an opportunity."
Especially those players that are already in the final years of their career, losing out on a whole 82-game regular season could mean devastating effects for them, even if they do get to continue playing.
"I don't think of it as having ended my career," Patrick added. "I look back on it as a really disappointing experience ... when all is said and done, I firmly believe they could have got that deal early in the '04-'05 season. With what we know now, that
season didn't have to be lost."
One of the latest casualties that fans may come to see is hockey legend, Anaheim Ducks veteran Teemu Selanne. He barely made a comeback to play another season after moving out to his hometown in Finland, but with the lockout and a regular season on the brink
of becoming extinct, fans may not be seeing him at all next time around.
Youngsters are also facing the heat as they fail to boost their records by not having an entire season to their career. It is highly disappointing for them since they fail to put their names on record lists, which could also affect their induction in the
Hockey Hall of Fame in the future after they retire.
It will be interesting to see how long the lockout actually lasts.
Tags: