Think of the worst possible scenario in any situation, and then multiply that by 10. That's the impact a lockout will have on the NHL.
After a number of meetings, it appears an agreement will not be reached between the owners and the NHLPA before the deadline September 15. Commissioner Gary Bettman has failed to bring optimism to the table, comparing this situation to the NBA and NFL lockouts last year.
If the NHL does have a work stoppage, it will be the second time in less than 10 years that the players and owners have failed to reach an agreement. When the league had its first lockout in 2004-2005, it lost its momentum, which took years to get back.
In '04, ESPN dropped its television contract with the NHL once word of the lockout got out (The College Voice). That meant the NHL lost its nightly coverage on the top sports network in the country, as well as all national broadcasts and its show, "NHL 2night," on ESPN2.
Since then, television ratings for the NHL plummeted to new lows, and fans grew frustrated that Versus, now NBC Sports Network, was the only network covering nationally broadcasted games. It took six years to get the rating ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Joseph Kuchie
NHL Lockout: What a Work Stoppage Will Do to the League
August 18th, 2012 by Joseph Kuchie Leave a reply »
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