NHL Cancels entire preseason: Nobody noticed

Gary Bettman

Hey, did you hear the one about the National Hockey League and their lockout of the players? No? Well, you are part of a rather large majority of people.

The league, in a brief, tersely worded statement announced they are canceling all preseason games. They actually had some games scheduled leading up to what would have been the start of the 2012 season, just over two weeks from today.

The NHLPA and the league are scheduled to meet on Friday and talk through the weekend, but according to most reports they are just on small issues rather than the elephant in the room, how to split their newly acquired--and possibly soon to be lost revenue.

As big a deal that most made about the NFL Locking out their officials and how big an impact that had on football, in the long run it didn't kill football.

This strike may kill professional hockey.

The powers that be here seem to think that a majority of the sporting public will stick with them and support their decision to equalize revenue sharing.

They would be wrong.

Yeah, sure, there will be the odd hockey fan in Detroit or New York or Philadelphia who will be emotional about this and come back the minute they say the lockout is over. But they will not be in the majority. NBC is sticking with their partners for now, but how long before they need to plan alternate programming. Programming that will probably do as well as the low rated NHL.

No, Gary Bettman needs to come to his senses, even if his ego won't let him. You've managed to alienate just about everyone who came back to the game, which just recovered from it's last labor issue 7-years ago.

But he won't.

The players need to realize what is at stake here too, but they are too busy chasing contracts in the KHL and in Europe.

So good luck hockey fan. Enjoy missing your sport, a sport that somehow seems to marginalize itself every time it comes close to being relevant again.