The NHL lockout has past the 50-day mark into the regular season. So far, a total of 327 regular season games have been canceled, which results in the loss of approximately $100 million in potential revenue.
Over the past few years, we have seen two other expired collective bargaining agreements, which have lead to the lockouts of both the NBA and the NFL. In each of the three lockouts, revenue distribution has been the key problem.
“Its ridiculous. They all already make a lot of money, and the fact that they’re letting this problem have an impact on the regular season just shows that these guys don’t care about the fans,” sophomore Hayden Vance said.
The new collective bargaining agreement, which was proposed by the owners on July 13, called for the players guaranteed share of the NHL revenue to be reduced from 57% to 46%, which is about $300 million. The National Hockey League Players Association declined the offer, which led to the eventual lockout.
“The players should be getting more of the money. Hockey is a really intense sport, and these guys are risking their health every time they play and it’s unfair that the owners think they should get more money,” senior Kathryn Goetz said.
As of now, the regular season is scheduled to begin on December 1, but that’s only if the players and owners can come to an agreement. If no agreement is made by that date, then the possibility of a canceled season becomes much more serious.
“Truthfully, I wouldn’t be surprised if this went on all season. People that have that much money are always going to want more of it,” ASC teacher Erik Jameson said.
Perhaps the biggest impact this has is on the fans, which supply both the players and owners with most of their paychecks.
“This whole thing makes me mad. The Blues had a legitimate chance of winning the Stanley Cup, and now they might not even play this season,” junior Bill Branstetter said.
There have only been 2 other NHL lockouts, one in 2004 and one in 1994. The 2004 lockout ended with the cancelation of the entire season, while the 1994 lockout only saw the cancelation of 468 regular season games. At this point, the 2012 lockout can go either way, and the only way it is going to be resolved is if there is patience and understanding from both sides
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