The National Hockey League is currently at a stand- still because of ongoing disputes regarding the collective bargaining agreement that expired less than a month before the 2012-2013 season was scheduled to begin.
The season scheduled to begin Oct. 11 has been delayed because the owners and members of the NHL Players’Association could not reach an agreement before the Sept. 15 deadline, forcing the league into a lockout.
The owners of the NHL are in debate with the ath- letes to reduce the 57 percent of their guaranteed share
of hockey-related revenues, place salary caps and change free agency rules for the league.
According to ESPN Insider report, this is the fourth lockout the NHL has had in the past 19 years. This is the third lockout involving the players, with the 1993 lockout involving officials.
“The NHL lockout is the backlash of the owners and players both being too stubborn to compromise,” said Ella Paul, sophomore graphic design major and Edmonton Oilers fan. “It’s ridiculous that the entire lockout is about who needs more money.”
For the NHL, preseason games are usually scheduled for most of September. All preseason games were cancelled for September and around two weeks of scheduled season games were cancelled.
As of October, approximately $100 million of revenue has been lost for both sides.
“The start of the regular season was postponed on Oct. 4, when a total of 82 scheduled games from Oct. 11 through Oct. 24 were cancelled,” an ESPN Insider from The Canadian Press said of the lockout.
The NHL and the members of the players association are meeting to resume labor negotiations and attempt to come to a deal to end the holdout.
