11/02/2012 – The Day The NHL Died
With the news forthcoming that the league and it’s owners have pulled their latest CBA proposal off the table when the November 2nd deadline came and went with no new offers from the NHLPA, it is time to pronounce the NHL dead. Time of death – 11:59.59 EST on 11/02/2012. Cause of death – greedy owners.
It’s hard to fathom that the owners have stuck by this tough guy act, forcing the players and their union to negotiate from the leagues most recent proposal and nothing else. The owners won’t even consider the players three counter offers and because of it we are all watching the death of one of the greatest games on earth.
Remember when the NHL used the slogan “Coolest Game on Earth” to promote the game? Well it’s going to need a lot more than some catchy catchphrase to revitalize this game. The leagues heart has stopped beating and many rounds of resuscitation may not be enough to save it.
The league announced they have pulled their latest offer from the negotiating tables and to make matters worse, they are now threatening to cancel all of the scheduled games through November.
The Winter Classic is also said to be on the bubble of being cancelled, something that is very near and dear to Gary Bettman’s heart, so maybe he will get to experience the pain and suffering that we the fans have endured when he loses something that he cares so passionately about.
There are no scheduled talks between the two sides, all but confirming that the league is dead, at least for this year. This lockout will have a lasting impression the league’s reputation and more importantly fan base with many fans already stating they are finished supporting the NHL when we’ve had to endure three lockouts in the last twenty years.
Add in the fact that the owners aren’t willing to move on their stance that it’s only their offer that will be the center point of a new CBA and what are we left with? A dead, rotting carcass of a league that stinks of greediness. Leave the body there, don’t look at it, don’t move it, don’t even acknowledge it; that’s what the fans need to do. Sure it’s easier said than done, but if the owners don’t give two winks about the fans, why should we care about them and continue to support their greed.
November 2nd will go down as the day that the NHL died and with a revitalization of it’s heart no where in site, the cold, lonely feeling of losing something we love has now set in. Thanks a lot Gary.
Rest in peace NHL, it’s been fun and you will be missed.
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