Any thoughts on it?

Hooooo rawwww!

At least the Leafs are tied for first place.

Corporate greed never fails to amaze me, all the people counting on the jobs associated with the NHL and those millionaires quibble over what???? Shame on them.

To paraphrase a famous movie actor "Frankly my dear I don't give a damn."

(In the interest of openess I quit watching hockey 60 years ago.)

Jim

Gee, you're older than you look, Jim! I usually watch two games a year, sometimes less.

Who cares!!

The world junior championship starts 12/26. I'd rather watch this instead of the prima donnas in the nhl anyway.

F**k em!!

Both sides make to much $$ & could care less about the people that supply them with the $$$!!

What I don't understand is how the employee's (players) figure it's they're right to suddenly demand a portion of the employer's(owners) profits?

Were they in the same line-up to dole some $$ back to help the failing teams!!! I thought not!

I'd like to see them(players) get Lewinskie of CAW fame to help them out in their negotiations, we all know what happened when auto workers demanded to much!

Yea, I miss it alot.

Strikes, or lockouts in the major sports are nothing new.
This has gone on a long time.
Suppose Don Cherry has gotten a paper route?

YUP!! We got a shot at the title this year by gum!!!

I quit watching NHL hockey before the last strike.Don't miss it at all..

I'm thinkin' the juniors will be HEAVILY watched this year, incl me!

OTOH ... Looks like the Leafs won't be in the play-offs this year either. Oh well, next year.

Leafs in the playoffs? Not unless they were the only team playng in the whole league.

Think positive?

I AM!

My wife once asked me why I still root for the Leafs after so many bad years and suggested I go with another team. I replied ... "Why don't I switch you out for another wife if we have a bit of rough times". She never mentioned it again.

I was born in TO and grew up an hour away, so I didn't get a choice in this favourite team thing. Win or lose, I'm stuck with the Leafs.

"Stuck with" being the operative words there.

Thank god for the WHL!!!

I grew up in Spokane and watched the Jets become the Chiefs and pops had season tickets. Moved to Vancouver in 95' and becoming Winterhawk fan was easy as brethin air. Being a Hawk fan and all.

Right now the WHL fans are really enjoying these kids play.

This kid has been hot!

Brendan Leipsic scored once and set up two more as the Portland Winterhawks downed the host Seattle Thunderbirds 6-2 on Saturday in Western Hockey League play.

Leipsic extended his point streak to 18 games and has 18 goals and 43 points in the process. The 18-year-old forward has recorded a multi-point outing 15 times this season and now has 21 goals and 49 points in 27 games, which places him fourth in WHL scoring.

I blame the owners....SOLELY! I miss it. I go to several B's games a year living only 45 minutes north of Boston. I do have The Kings AHL affiliate in my hometown to get a fix when needed. Season is toast if you ask me.

To continue....the teams to the North of the border will survive....Original 6 as weel that sit here in US. Teams that are hurting will be paralyzed by alienating an already lax fan base. If and when this thing gets back, I think relocation to true hockey venues would help! Toronto owner should stop being a dink and allow a team to move to Hamilton. Montreal should stop being a dink behind the scene and talk up a Phoenix move to Q.C. Hockey just is not cutting it in a bunch of places in the US. Greed!

Yeah it [bleep] sucks! Hockey is my favorite sport (along with motocross & hunting of course) and i hate this stupid lockout.. especially after we (MN Wild) picked up Zach Parise and Ryan Suter.

I'm alright with it.

Sure beats rooting for the Habs or Bruins. <barf>


.

Actually, years ago while I was in high school, I was forced into picking a favorite team, because well, everyone has to have one, so I found out who was in the basement and had been for years, and "picked" them so I wouldn't be accused of just picking the best team. Guys laughed at my selection and made fun of me for a while, and then . . . . . . . enter Bobby Orr. Now, I couldn't care less.

Habs are punk assed whiners....B's are a blue collar team. I actually don't mind the Leafs....so pull it together FrankenCub!

Here, here!! Not watching the Bruins is the only thing I miss about this season. They can shut it down for the rest of the year as far as i'm concerned so my local semi-pro club can keep the 4 NHL'ers currently on their roster.

We have a maj. junior team here, so there is still some good hockey here to watch. I have ten seats on NYs eve ready to go.

The hard part will be finding ten friends.

Ain't that the truth!!!

Any of you play the sport when you were younger?

Hell, I'm only 41 and still play. Scored two goals last night as a matter of fact!

I think there was a scout in the crowd.......

I can't even skate. Was born with rubber ankles.

I played for the local AF base hockey team and was their capt for several years, I got tired of the late games (9-10pm) and finally said enough is enough. I quit playing at 51 but I still love the game.

As a Canucks fan,this might have been our last year with this group, age takes it's toll,it has been a very good team. I do miss listening to broadcasts while reloading. I could fellow the Heat,but that's the Calgary farm team.

As I understand the issue.

The NHL owners have locked out the NHL players for accepting the outrageous salaries that the owners kept on offering them.

This had made the owners furious.

They are now insisting that something has to be done about this.

Did I miss anything?

In the last couple of lock outs the owners insisted that they needed a salary cap because they couldn't trust each other not to offer ever increasing higher salaries.

During the start of negotiations this time around the owners were still offering and signing increased salaries and extended lenght of contracts, now the owners don't want to honour those contracts they offered and signed during negotiations.

Why is it the owners keep going to jail, Ballard, McNall, Pockington?

I'd be willing to bet that the percentage of honest men is higher on the player's side of the equation than it is on the owner's side.

And what does that have to with the lockout? It ain't about honesty, it's about the almighty dollar, on both sides.

Hockey isn't much more than a gladiatorial sport on skates.

C'mon...the players are Locked OUT not on strike.....the blame is solely upon the owners.

[quote=CanuckShooter
C'mon...the players are Locked OUT not on strike.....the blame is solely upon the owners. [/quote]

From what I understand the players are demanding a portion of the profits!
Seems to me if your a (well) paid employee, I don't see what basis you have to demand a share of what your employer makes!

Again I point out, I saw no initiative from the players to pitch in $$$ to support teams that were failing!
Seems it would be an extremely good deal for them to only have the cash flowing one way.
Seems there's a parallel to how the CAW auto workers negotiate their contracts, take..take...take when the industries flourishing but refuse to give back when it's floundering! We all know how that worked out for them here in Canada!

The failing teams are only there because Bettman at the bidding of the owners wanted to grow the sport in the USA, every new team that joins the NHL puts lots of money in the existing owners pockets. There is a move to have even more teams. I would like to see the league reduced by about 10 teams, the ones that are failing would be a good start, the quality of hockey would improve greatly.

The NHLPA chose not to negotiate before the season, hence they are locked out. You could really say they have refused to negotiate up to this point. Anyone who thinks the NHLPA wanted the season to start on time just isn't paying attention.

The fact remains - the owners don't want to honour the contracts they offered the players.

They locked out the players - for accepting the contracts the owners offered them.

It's about as one-sided as any labour dispute can be.

Nowhere near as one-sided as your predictable bias. And, you have absolutely no idea what you are talking about.

The word is, it's over.

Too bad.....best thing that ever happened to the NHL was the day they locked them out!! I'll never watch another game until every last one of them is retired!!

Let the lockout run.

Saves the ice for the curlers.

Not a skip I wouldn't hit, back in the day.