The sports media crowd has moved on and found other sports to pump up. I think major-league hockey will go into a new era where half the teams fail within eighteen months...with little interest from the public. The players really screwed up this time on the strike.
I think it has something to do with ice, not sure.
I am happy to see hockey back. Tampa Bay Lightning fan
This was a dumb move by the owners and Commisioner Gary Bettman. Not only they do not have the leverage of other pro sports leagues (since NHL players have other options to play, especially the top Russian/Eastern Europe players)....they were still signing players to big contracts up until the lockout. Hard to preach “we are losing money” to players when you are still signing them to huge contracts.
The early numbers on the deal look like the players ended up with the advantage. NHLPA lead negotiator Donald Fehr (he of baseball strike fame) looks like he won another one
Although it is hard to sympathsize with players who make millions per year playing a game....the owners really blew this. The NHL was having a renaissance of sorts..especially with The Winter Classic games (outdoor games in large stadiums)...but the owners decided to stop everything
The NHL Players in the Olympics still has to be decided on for 2014....but I think the NHL players will go...the top Russian players want to play in the first Russian hosted Winter Olympics...and they will bolt the NHL for the Kontinental Hockey League if they are not allowed to the Olympics thru NHL
Oh, good! Now I can get back to utterly ignoring it. Baseball, you’re next.
Hockey need another pro league if it wants to suvive as a spectator sport.