27 Sep
Last month in this column we laid out the facts related to the National Hockey League’s current player and owner dispute. As of the writing of this month column, we still don’t have an agreement between the two sides. One immediate impact is that the already announced cancellation of pre-season games. The absence of an agreement is putting some doubts about the regular season and a possible lockout.
Once again, the whole situation comes down to one issue; how to split the hockey revenue that both parties can live with. Owners want to share less than 57 percent currently enjoyed by the players and a pay cut. Players want to firmly stand their grounds.
One sure outcome is going to be cancellation of some part of the regular season in addition to the already cancelled pre-season games. The regular season is scheduled to start on October 11, 2012. Another bad outcome will be further erosion of the fan base. The NHL is already faced with dwindling ticket sales and the current crisis is sure to aggravate the situation. Another issue will be some of the current league stars may not come back at all. Some including Boston’s Tyler Seguin are already looking into other foreign leagues.