What if... we lose another season?

With labour talks between the NHL and the NHLPA appearing as though they have met another impasse, and more and more October days tick off the calendar, it looks like we might have to start bracing ourselves for the possibility that we might lose another season.

With now over 100 NHLPA members seeking employment in Europe, and the NHL owners keeping in line behind their fearless leader Gary Bettman, it looks more and more like we are in for another pissing contest instead of a constructive negotiation.

From this humble blogger's standpoint, having been a huge NHL fan long before Mr. Bettman arrived on the scene, I have noticed that the league just hasn't been the same since he became league commissioner.  The man carries himself with a certain arrogance that, frankly, makes me want to hurl.  He constantly talks down to people and answers reporters questions as though they are something he just scraped off the bottom of his shoe.  This is not a pleasant man.  Just the kind of guy you want leading your negotiation team if you're an NHL owner, but certainly not who you want running your favourite sports league if you're an NHL fan.

This is now Mr. Bettman's THIRD lockout in less than 20 years.  It took him about 7 minutes to fire up the first one when he got the job back in 1993.  Everyone knew we were headed for another lockout this year because this is Gary Bettman's negotiation style.  He could care less about the game.  He has no time for a reasonable negotiation where both sides come away with something.  No.  He wants the players to grovel.  he wants the players to kiss his shiny loafers AND thank him for the privilege.  This is what Gary Bettman wants.  During the last lockout, after losing an entire season, the owners got the players to finally agree to a hard cap.  Fast forward 6 years and, somehow, this is not good enough for our friend Gary.  In fact, it is so terrible that he was forced to lock the players out rather than start the season and continue to negotiate...this is WITH a cap!  If the owners can't figure it out with a hard cap in place, maybe they need to take a look in the mirror, or better yet have a good long look at the man who is leading them down this path.

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