The NHL entered another lockout on September 15, and is on its third week. The season was supposed to start October 11, but the NHL cancelled the first week of the regular season last Thursday. The issues that the NHL Players Association and the owners face involves revenue sharing, cutbacks on player contracts, repeal of salary arbitration, and amended free agency rules.
Meetings between the players, the owners and commissioner Gary Bettman has been tense at times, concluding without any solution with regards to ending the lockout. This is already the third lockout of the Bettman era, the last being the 48-game 1994-95 season, and the cancelled 2004-05 season. In both cases, many of the NHL's top stars left for the European leagues, while the rookies and younger players were assigned to the minor league affiliates, such as the American Hockey League. Now when will this lockout end? And will hockey really come back? We only hope that 2005 does not repeat itself.
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