For those who care there might not be no hockey this year.

Im sure anyone who follows lots of hockey already knows that its not looking good for the season this year. It seems that the players and the owners are still too far apart and a deal wont get made in time. I know most of you are going to say who cares but hockey is what i look forward to in the winter as the weather here sucks and theres not a ton to do otherwise. I realize this is all greed on both sides so i guess its hard to feel for any of them but for me i love watching the game, its the only sport that can hold my attention through a entire season and make me long for it to come back when the season ends. Also i just realized i used a double negative in the topic title, seems i cant fix it so dont hurt me internet.

So anyways im just basically wondering what you guys think of all of this, also this video is really well done and you should watch it if you like the game at all.

While it looks like they will lockout on Saturday there is still a chance it'll end up like the NBA lockout last year, it will resolve in a month or two and a shortened season will start around Christmas. There's also more than just NHL/AHL out there, check out some minor league stuff(depending where you live it might be on TV occasionally) it's less skilled but is still good hockey.

Yea, id love to go to some amateur stuff but the Johnstown Chiefs are gone now, i think they might have a few games a year here when another team comes in and plays but thats about it. Too long a drive for me to go to Hershey or Wilkes Barre so not much around in terms of going to a game. I honestly only go to a Penguins game 1-2 times a year anyways as they cost too much so thats whay its a bummer to not have much in the way of hockey on tv for me.

Didn't a similar problem occur in the NFL? I think they finally came to the conclusion that not making as much money as you'd like is better than not making any money at all.

On one hand, if there is a lockout i will be bummed that I can't watch hockey.
 
On the other, it means I won't be paying for NHL Center Ice this year.

@Vigil said:

Didn't a similar problem occur in the NFL? I think they finally came to the conclusion that not making as much money as you'd like is better than not making any money at all.

You would think but considering that both sides are at a stalemate and they only have until Saturday to make a deal before the lockout starts it dont look too good.

I'm pretty sure that the WHL, OHL, QMJHL, etc all have web streaming packages that you can buy (but at like 3 times the cost of NHL Gamecenter). So if a lockout happens you won't miss hockey, you'll just pay more to watch amateurs play. Or you could take up curling. It is one of the few sports that you can drink beer while playing.

Everytime something like this happens in sports, part of me hopes that it will turn into The Replacements. Except then I feel bad for the athletes who'll be out of work.

I'm getting really tired of NHL/NBA/NFL/MLB players bitching all the damn time. Just shut the fuck up, take your millions of dollars, and be happy with it.

@Jrinswand said:

I'm getting really tired of NHL/NBA/NFL/MLB players bitching all the damn time. Just shut the fuck up, take your millions of dollars, and be happy with it.

I agree to a point but its also like this, they are the reason there is a league, there the main attraction. So i can kinda side with them to a point when its a guy in a office not getting his teeth knocked out taking there money. Also all things considered even tho they still get paid a shit ton its far less in comparison to most other sports.

Would be a bummer if they don't. Believe it or not this year is the first tie in about 10 years since i have had cable so i am getting back into the sports i love (NHL, NCAA football, NFL and MLB)

@Vigil said:

Didn't a similar problem occur in the NFL? I think they finally came to the conclusion that not making as much money as you'd like is better than not making any money at all.

The difference is that there aren't other leagues for NFL players to go to. When the NHL cancelled the 2005 season the players ended up in dozens of different European leagues. They could still make money without the NHL.

@dudy80 said:

@Vigil said:

Didn't a similar problem occur in the NFL? I think they finally came to the conclusion that not making as much money as you'd like is better than not making any money at all.

You would think but considering that both sides are at a stalemate and they only have until Saturday to make a deal before the lockout starts it dont look too good.

Well that does suck, especially when its the fans that suffer the most. I'm not really a hockey fan but thats probably because I'm just not a sports fan, but I can see the appeal of hockey, its fast paced, exciting a bit brutal at times and can hold my attention longer than soccer can.

@mosespippy said:

@Vigil said:

Didn't a similar problem occur in the NFL? I think they finally came to the conclusion that not making as much money as you'd like is better than not making any money at all.

The difference is that there aren't other leagues for NFL players to go to. When the NHL cancelled the 2005 season the players ended up in dozens of different European leagues. They could still make money without the NHL.

I wasn't aware that hockey was a big thing in Europe, it does help when you can just skip across the pond and find more work.

@dudy80 said:

@Jrinswand said:

I'm getting really tired of NHL/NBA/NFL/MLB players bitching all the damn time. Just shut the fuck up, take your millions of dollars, and be happy with it.

I agree to a point but its also like this, they are the reason there is a league, there the main attraction. So i can kinda side with them to a point when its a guy in a office not getting his teeth knocked out taking there money. Also all things considered even tho they still get paid a shit ton its far less in comparison to most other sports.

Pro sports are disgusting. I like hockey just as much as the next guy but just about the only sport I can watch any more is college football. I just get sick of the cashgrab that is the entirety of modern professional sports these days.

I don't watch Hockey, but lockouts are always a bummer.

@Vigil said:

@mosespippy said:

@Vigil said:

Didn't a similar problem occur in the NFL? I think they finally came to the conclusion that not making as much money as you'd like is better than not making any money at all.

The difference is that there aren't other leagues for NFL players to go to. When the NHL cancelled the 2005 season the players ended up in dozens of different European leagues. They could still make money without the NHL.

I wasn't aware that hockey was a big thing in Europe, it does help when you can just skip across the pond and find more work.

Its huge in both Europe and Russia, the KHL already said that they would take NHL players if it comes to a lockout but they also said that they had to sign for a entire season and that they would allow only 3 per team with only one of them not being Russian.

@dudy80 said:

@Vigil said:

@mosespippy said:

@Vigil said:

Didn't a similar problem occur in the NFL? I think they finally came to the conclusion that not making as much money as you'd like is better than not making any money at all.

The difference is that there aren't other leagues for NFL players to go to. When the NHL cancelled the 2005 season the players ended up in dozens of different European leagues. They could still make money without the NHL.

I wasn't aware that hockey was a big thing in Europe, it does help when you can just skip across the pond and find more work.

Its huge in both Europe and Russia, the KHL already said that they would take NHL players if it comes to a lockout but they also said that they had to sign for a entire season and that they would allow only 3 per team with only one of them not being Russian.

I guess a lot of dudes would be out of luck in that league, but I cant imagine the NHL players being that desperate for one season of work, especially if they have to pack up and move to Russia to get it.

@Jrinswand:

college sports are just as much of a cash grab as anything else. the only difference is that they have to hide the money they get in the form of tuition and cars and letting players get college degrees while underperforming. the colleges get massive amounts of money from advertising and merchandise

I'm kind of sick of this shit to be honest. There was a lockout about 6 years ago and during that entire thing my interest in hockey completely dropped. I only got back into giving a fuck in 2008-2009 and in time for the Olympics. They're just shooting themselves in the foot and destroying the league at this point. And let me say this, for a Canadian that plays hockey and loves the sport as a whole, to not give a fuck about the highest professional league of said sport is pretty bad. I understand that they want more money, and they deserve it, but it doesn't make me any happy or accepting of it.

I'll say this though, that boil on the ass end of humanity named Gary Bettman needs to go at this point. The man is like a fucking lizard. Watching him speak makes me want to reach out and wring his neck. I have never seen a person that I've never met and had such disdain for in my life. He just has this aura of douche surrounding him.

@Jrinswand: That's a very shallow view. The NFL makes a metric shit ton of money, that's just how it is And the league makes this money because of the players obviously. Shouldn't it be fair that the money be at least even distributed between the owners and the players? You can't just say ok players you can make this much money, that's how it is forever, any more money that comes in goes to the owners no ifs ands or buts.

@AiurFlux: Amen, Bettman is the worst thing that ever happened to the NHL and he honestly could give a rats ass about the sport it seems as long as hes lineing his pockets. I cant believe they pay him 8M a year or whatever it is, i still dont get why they let him hand the cup out either. It always leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

@stonepawfox said:

@Jrinswand:

college sports are just as much of a cash grab as anything else. the only difference is that they have to hide the money they get in the form of tuition and cars and letting players get college degrees while underperforming.

I'm sorry, but that's just not true. And even when it is, those people almost always get found out sooner or later. As for letting them slide academically, that's not true either. I grade my athletes just as fairly as I grade any of my other students.

You know what fuck it im done with this im going to watch baseball!

@AiurFlux said:

I'll say this though, that boil on the ass end of humanity named Gary Bettman needs to go at this point. The man is like a fucking lizard. Watching him speak makes me want to reach out and wring his neck. I have never seen a person that I've never met and had such disdain for in my life. He just has this aura of douche surrounding him.

I can't say I share the same fear and despair towards a NHL lockout but as a native to one of the league's most rabid fanbases, (Montreal) I feel for y'all. I know I'd go fucking insane if they announced a Formula 1 lockout for 2013.

Hold up! Wait just a god damn minute here. What year is this? I didn't time travel back to 2004, right? This is still 2012, yes? Did they not learn from what happened the last fucking time they went through this bullshit! And I was just starting to come around on hockey again. I'd watched the playoffs the last couple years, at least. Well fuck.

Hopefully they cant get something worked out so the Winter Classic can still happen, as a Detroit fan I was really looking forward to watching this year.

@dudy80 said:

Yea, id love to go to some amateur stuff

Oh, really? [I guess that's a porn joke... I don't know. It's been a long day.]

It's a sad day indeed.

That does suck. However they seem to do this so much I've stopped watching hockey. 
 
I guess there's always video game hockey.

@mustachioeugene: I would have been there as a Leafer. My father-in-law won the raffle to buy tickets, but looks like that's all fucked now. Would have been great.

@Jrinswand: it patently is true, i don't care if they will "get found out eventually" because plenty don't for quite a long while. obviously it's been seen recently that atrocious things in college sports can be covered up for years and years. just recently I remember there was plenty of controversy about college basketball and an argument about how much money the college makes off of the athletes and the fact that many of the athletes were receiving kickbacks, some of them getting cars out of it. and there was quite an argument about paying the athletes part of the profits the college made from their playing. i'm sure you're a great teacher but you're certainly not the template by which all teachers are created.

just face facts that if there's a sufficient base of people that enjoy something that there are others looking to monetize the activity. and when money is involved, you'll find corruption and greed. i don't doubt that most college athletes have more inherent drive to play just for the sake of the game, but anyone with talent is surrounded and constantly bombarded by those wishing to make money off of them, and pushing them towards getting paid.

Today's DownGoesBrown has a pretty funny parody of "Mama Said Knock You Out" called "Mama Said Lock You Out".

After listening to a lot of Marek vs Wyshynski (the world's greatest hockey podcast), I think I'm pretty sold on the idea that yes, there will be a lockout and it will last until around November 23rd - which is when the first nationally televised game will be (on NBC). There's too much money in being on NBC to pass up.

Go Blues.

The fans should lockout and make their own demands. The owners want a greater share of the revenue, the players want don't want to budge ... what if we lockout them and demand lower ticket prices? We'd get them. They'd have less revenue to get their panties in a bunch over, and they wouldn't try this shit again.

FUCK YOU CANADA!

No, but it's always pretty stupid when shit like this happens in sports. Everyone's making a shit ton of money anyway, and it's always the fans that lose out in the end.

Down with the professional sports industry and the idolization of athletes. That is all.

Seriously, hockey fans are taking it to a religious level in my hometown, a lockout would be most welcome.

@Toxin066: Thanks for that video, just about had me in tears laughing.

Wait, didn't an entire NHL season get cancelled/locked out, like only seven years ago? And they still can't work it out?

The business of sports in this modern age is obviously a precarious balancing act. We almost had the last NBA season cancelled, the NFL was locked out for most of the offseason last year, and, well, MLB is just the MLB. Now another NHL labour dispute? Crazy times.

@AiurFlux said:

I'll say this though, that boil on the ass end of humanity named Gary Bettman needs to go at this point. The man is like a fucking lizard. Watching him speak makes me want to reach out and wring his neck. I have never seen a person that I've never met and had such disdain for in my life. He just has this aura of douche surrounding him.

Bettman is the worst thing to happen to Hockey in decades, he only cares about the business end of things and couldn't give a fuck about the sport or it's fans. Doesn't help that he has Shannahan as puppet so he can keep his star players on the ice, such as Shea Weber, while 4th line grinders get massive suspensions.

I tend to get more annoyed at the pro-sports for extracting excessive amounts of cash from the host city, and return relatively little of value (other than making the city council feel a little more important). To bad about hockey being a much more dynamic sport to watch than football. Although soccer / euro football / makes for what is probably the best substitute.

So with less then 6 hours before the lockout both sides have refused to return to the table as neither is willing to budge. Yes another lockout is upon us sadly.