Lockout Just Got Real: Regular Season Games Cancelled Through Oct. 24

In case fans were not completely convinced that the NHL lockout was a real threat to the regular season, the news out of the league office today should cement it for them.  The league announced that the first two weeks of the season have been cancelled as  a result of the ongoing work stoppage.

In total, 82 games will be written off through October 24.  The season was to officially kick off on October 11 with four games slated for the opening night.

The lockout has already cost the league nearly $100 million dollars in revenue thanks to the cancelled preseason schedule and that number will only grow with this latest news.  The players will now lose out on the first of 13 paychecks that were set to go out on October 15, according to the Canadian Press.

To make matters worse, there does not appear to be a silver lining in this cloud as no talks are scheduled between the two sides, bringing further weeks of scheduled games into question.