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Over To You Hockey Fans
 Posted
1/11/2013 9:50:00 AM
Over to you hockey fans! The National Hockey League lockout is over but will the resentment expressed during the work stoppage continue?
Our talk shows, on-line forums and other venues were full of bitter comments from betrayed fans. These fans vowed to never give the National Hockey League another nickle as punishment for the lockout.
The lockout king, Gary Bettman, has at least acknowledged the fan unrest. He issued an apology and says there will be 'outreach' programs to placate fans.
If he really wants to placate fans, he can start by leaving. His history of confrontation has resulted in three lockouts and over 2,000 games cancelled. And when this collective agreement is set to expire, there will no doubt be another lockout. Bettman could also make his NHL Network and Centre Ice packages free to fans through March 1. That would be a small start
But the real power ...
You’ll be back…
Posted
10/10/2012 1:39:00 PM
At the root of this current National Hockey League lockout is one unassailable fact. Both sides expect you back in the building as soon as the lockout is over. History is on their side.
During the lockout King’s (aka Gary Bettman) last two work stoppages, we heard angry fans vowing never to darken the doorways of NHL arenas again. What happened? The arenas were jammed, revenues soared and ratings took off league-wide. Some boycott.
That's exactly what the NHL is counting on this time. Rage or indifference will soon give way to a big thirst for hockey.
No other business could get away with that. Could your tire shop close down three times in twenty years? How about restaurant owners that didn’t want to pay their employees. Could they shutdown and reopen a couple of months later? Of course not, they would be out of business in rapid order.
So ...
LOCKOUT LOOMS AGAIN
Posted
8/21/2012 1:12:00 PM
When Flames winger Jarome Iginla scores a hat trick, it's a big deal for him and the Calgary Flames. They have likely won the game and Iginla takes another step to the Hall of Fame.
When National Hockey League commissioner Gary Bettman records a hat trick, the stakes are far different. He is about to shutter the National Hockey League for a third time on his watch. This is progress? Or a step to the Hall of Shame?
Put me in the latter category. Bettman crows about the huge revenue growth in the National Hockey League. Since the end of his last lockout, he has seen is league's revenues grow by about one billion dollars. All the while, his owner-employers are busily spending wildly.
So rather than fix internal issues of wild spending by a group of rogue owners. Rather than acknowledge the disparity between a group of big revenue teams ...
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