NHL Cancels 2004-05 Season

Disgrace to sport

from WinCustomize Forums
The formal announcement of the cancellation by Gary Bettman today kills any hopes of saving the season. Needles to say, that it is an enormous blow to NHL and its popularity; especially in the US, where other sports are dominating the field.

NHL has been already struggling to bring in ratings, revenues and most importantly fans. I myself consider hockey as the second best sport out there and I am a big fan. But, I’m looking elsewhere, because I feel insulted and betrayed by both, the union as well as the NHL. The whole dispute is shameful and totally disregards the feelings of millions.

Will I come back? Sure, but with no the same passion as before. Hey, what about destroying the NHL altogether? Who cares? I’m pissed so much, that right now I would accept it in a heartbeat. I’m listening to Bettman’s B.S. and I’m eager to throw up whenever he mentions fairness and fans in the same sentence.

He goes on blabbing like a corrupt politician saying and repeating over and over that they'll come back "better than ever"
Dammit!, this is not the elections. Fire him already! Lack of negotiation skills, incompetence, etc...
10,617 views 29 replies
Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top
LOL...
Reply #2 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I will still support the Toronto Maple Leafs no matter what happens , hockey or no hockey.
Star Control: Origins
Reply #3 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Eh typical, players want too much and owners/NHL want too much.. I think the players need to realize the position their sport is in and try to strong arm the owners once they've improved their fan base. Once everyone (or at least more people) love watching hockey then try and get more money, not before! Oh well, que sera I suppose.
Reply #4 from WinCustomize Forums Top
The same thing happened to baseball a few years ago.  It still hasn't recovered, and the players aren't any more ahead (especially since they lost fans).  You would think that maybe the NHL would have used that as a precedence.
Reply #5 from WinCustomize Forums Top
MONTREAL CANADIANS FOREVER..
Reply #6 from WinCustomize Forums Top
They lost me during the last NHL lockout(a few years ago) It just didn't seem the same
Reply #7 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I was a big Blackhawks fan until the intentions of the owner (Bill Wirtz) became evident. He would consistently trade away good players because people would still go to the games. Also no TV contract so people would have to go to the games. And then he would talk about protscting the season ticket holders in the same breath. Look at some of the players that left disgruntled: Dominek Hasek, Ed Belfour, Bernie Nichols, Jeremy Roenick, Tony Amonte, Chris Chelios, Dave Manson, ....on and on. About two years ago, I lost interest. Today was the end result of a bush league attitude.
Reply #8 from WinCustomize Forums Top
is hockey a sport? what is this hockey and NHL you speak of?
Reply #9 from WinCustomize Forums Top
On the upside, some of the players who probably would have been playing in the NHL this year have been playing in the lower leagues. I've caught a couple pretty good IHL games this year (local franchise is a Mighty Ducks farm team)I can get center ice tickets there for less than $30, while mid-level seats to a BlueJackets (closest NHL team to Cincinnati) were $90 a seat.
Reply #10 from WinCustomize Forums Top
The NHLPA wants their people to paid like they are a major sport (eg. football). Well hockey is not on that level (although personally I bleed Broadway Blue) and they need to come to grips with that.
Reply #11 from WinCustomize Forums Top
The NHL really has to come back. It's really dumb how they're in a lockdown. I mean hockey is a pretty cool sport.
Reply #12 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I'm with you snidely hockey a sport?
Reply #13 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Eh typical, players want too much and owners/NHL want too much..


How do you figure the players want too much? They only want what someone is willing to pay them. I think all of us want that.

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Reply #14 from WinCustomize Forums Top
No need to look at people's profiles to figure out who's Canadian and who's not in here. LOL
There is no biggest sport up here in the Great White North. Hockey is THE sport. Footwhat?

The problem started about 15 years ago when the NHL started trying to expand more into the US market, where outrageous salaries were normal for professional sports. And that was the beginning of the end. Now they realize that such salaries are insane in hockey, so they finally decide to impose a salary cap. The salary cap is a good thing, but the team owners are the ones to blame for such a increase in the player's salaries. As much as I'm disappointed that there is no hockey this year, I knew before it started that the season would be canceled. Possibly even the next season. The players will need to realise that the owners will not budge on this. They have been stacking up in preparation for this lockout for years. They are prepared to loose two whole seasons.
Reply #15 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I'm from Chicago, but I ate and slept Hockey and if you cut me, I bled hockey. Now it's Baseball. Go White Sox!!
Reply #16 from WinCustomize Forums Top
you know... I thought this was a forgone conclusion already... or was that last season? I saw someone playing Hockey on TV a few days ago and I was thinking that it must be a tape because there is no Hockey this year...

I am still a little confused because they were talking like as if it was a game on right now...

anyway, I think sports in general has gone heywire. Before it was the owners getting all the cash and players getting 'the fun of playing the game' (in other words, no money). Now, its some free for all with everyone getting no less than 100,000 a year and up.



Someone better take it in the gut (both owners and players) and get the fans back or they aint gonna be no game to see.
Reply #17 from WinCustomize Forums Top
The IHL and AHL are playing which are pro / farm leagues. Wolves, Moose, Admirals, ..
Reply #18 from WinCustomize Forums Top
OOOOOhhhhh, ok. Yeah, I saw AHL and I thought that was some sort of like sub-division of the NHL.

A for American.. . and maybe another one like FHL... F for Federated... all under NHL.

Really, I thought that....
Reply #19 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Reply #20 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Winnipeg Jets Forever!!
Ahh well...
They'll get as many games in this year as the Canadiens or Maple Leafs.

I'm to the point where I almost prefer international hockey (world junior, world championships, olympics) anyway.
Reply #21 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I love Hockey (Flyers) and this is a shame. If this could happen to the NHL what's next??? I am afraid that this is only the beginning
Reply #22 from WinCustomize Forums Top
It would be really, REALLY funny if the AHL takes off and people end up going there instead of to the NHL next season?
Reply #23 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I agree with you Paxx, things were getting out of hand. Small market teams couldn't survive much longer cause they can't compete salary wise. I still love the Calgary Flames but things have changed so much in this league, this whole thing is a turn-off
Reply #24 from WinCustomize Forums Top
LOL
As I wrote previously... it would be REALLY funny if the small leagues took of because the NHL is cloed for the year... or next.
Reply #25 from WinCustomize Forums Top
White Sox? are they the minor league baseball team in Chicago?