1994-1995 frustrated many fans. It was the first time the NHL had a lockout. But that lasted only half the season. Fast Forward to 2004-2005. The second NHL lockout in 10 years takes place. By then, many fans had it. Fans were lost. But the NHL brought in a new CBA to make the game better. But it has only made more problems.
There is talk the NHL will have another lockout in 2012. Give me a break. That would be the last straw. If Im not mistaken, that's the year people say the world will end. It would also be the end of the Hockey world. The 04-05 lockout hurt everyone connected to the NHL: The Players, the League, The General Managers, and us Fans. What can possibly be gained from no NHL?
The answer is nothing. Not The GM's because they would not make any money. You cannot make any money if you don't have a team to make sell tickets. And other then conerts, most arena's would not make any money. There are Arena's that operate multiple sports teams, Like the Air Canada Center In Toronto, but not all arena's do. Most arena's make their revenue from NHL games, and when theres no NHL, there is no money. And All the NHL seems to care about is Piles and Piles Of Green Paper.
Some players may never return back to the NHL. Robert Esche was never the same and went to the KHL. He's just one of a few players that have never returned. It's the other leagues that threaten the NHL the most. Look at some of the players who have left in the past few years: Alexi Yashin, Marcel Hossa, Alexander Radulov, Maxim Afinogenov, Ray Emery, Jaromir Jagr, Slava Kozlov, Jiri Hudler (Now with Detroit), Anton Babchuk (Now With Carolina) to the KHL, the Pro league in Russia. People go there for good pay and because it's good competition. Ilya Kovalchuk, Alexander Frolov and Vesa Toskala are also names thrown around that could have been going overseas. What happens to the NHL if they lose all their star players? Dont forget the 2014 olympics. If the NHL does not compete, you may see the end of NHL careers for stars like Kovalchuk, Ovechkin and Malkin. And what do the players gain? Nothing. They dont play, they dont get payed. They would have to go to smaller leagues or not play at all. The AHL and KHL are the 2 leagues that gain the most from no NHL.
What Does The League Gain? Nothing. Zero. Zip. Just bad Publicity. Not like the league needs it. They would lose out on major t.v. deals. Who wants a year without Don Cherry or Pierre Mcquire? People can't stand the boring re-runs of non-important games on the NHL network during the summer. But an entire year? Arrgggh! Why kill us? Unless the NHL doesn't care about what us fans think or want. Like i said before, they only care about Money. They won't get any if they are no games to attend. Please NHL: SAVE OUR SOULS! NO LOCKOUT!! I may only be a kid who wasn't born to remember the first lockout and was not a big enough fan to remember much from the previous one, but i do know it hurt the league badly. Why lose fans?
I Hope The NHL Reads This.
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