When the National Hockey League Lockout could come to an end –NHL Special
The lockout has everyone from fans, team owners, players and the National Hockey League (NHL) itself on the edge of their seats as the biggest hockey federation of North America is on route to be locked out totally, which could last throughout the entire
regular season.
Many are hopeful that the team just may be able to save the regular season, except for the opening two weeks which have already been cancelled by the league, and as the starting date for the season was set for October 11, 2012, there should be significant
progress in the upcoming days.
At the moment, there is no telling when the lockout may come to an end or even how long it will last, but looking at the factors that have deadlocked both sides at the moment, it will become easier to make an educated guess about it all.
One of the most disappointing aspects for the NHL Players’ Association was that their appeals were not only rejected by the Quebec labour board but also recently by the Alberta Labour Board as well after the side filed a claim from the Edmonton Oilers and
Calgary Flames players. The players have been crying foul this whole time as the league has also not appointing a mutually approved moderator, along with forcing the players to be locked out of all facility use and monetary benefits according to their contracts.
For the NHL, this is extremely negative since the lockout is definitely bad for a sport that has gained a lot of ground recently and continues to slack behind other major sports in America like Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association
(NBA) and National Football League (NFL). With the recent winning of the Stanley Cup by the Los Angeles Kings, hockey managed to gain many new viewers who became intrigued to discover the sport played on ice, but a lockout would obviously kill any momentum
gained a few months ago, bringing them back to where they stood previously.
The last time around, the league was in a bad financial position, which is why the players decided to cut their share in team revenues, set a salary cap along with many other things against their favour. But this time, it is an entirely different situation
as NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, termed these past few season to be the best the sport has ever seen. Now, as they demand the players to further cut their share, the labour union seems to be in no mood to do so and could be staunch for a very long time.
Personal Prediction on Lockout:
I personally think that the lockout will last at the very least, half a season and it will be due to the NHL breaking after realising the losses are just too much and they will eventually have to cave in to the demands of the players. If not, a full season
being wasted should be no surprise to anyone.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
Tags: