Does the NHL lockout seem way less relevant than last time?

I keep hearing that Elliotte but it really is being treated with complete apathy with the people I associate with. Which is season ticket holders and beer leaguers who you would think it would be felt by the most. I know it is a small sample but I feel a lot more apathy than last time.

There are not enough NHL markets in North America and it will always be a niche sport in the States. It's Bettmans hand pick markets that has the NHL in this mess.

They get what they deserve if fans down south don't come back.

 

Elliotte, I'm in a market (Sharks) where people really felt it and missed it in 2004-05. Now, if I hear any sentiment at all, it's relief from people who are going to get their season-ticket money back. I'm in the same sports-crazed crowd I've always been in and I hear absolutely zero talk about what the issues are and when/if the players might return.

 

That is not a good sign, San Jose has been a strong market for the league.

 

Name the last team that came even remotely close to making the playoffs with 82 points since they went to this system?

You get the point for basically tying the game, the shootout is the bonus point.

You think the game is stupid then why bother reading the thread unless you are just trolling.

 

The last one did, except for a few franchises. And at least one of those is somewhere it never belonged.

 

In 2004 some people had a hard time fathoming the cancellation of an entire season. It happened. Then the league and teams were scared shitless that fans wouldn't come back and revenues would drop through the floor (see the 2005-06 schedule). But fans came back and thanks to an infusion of new talent, the sport actually grew.

I agree with LTL that there is less emotion involved on all sides thus far. Personally, my plate is so full between now and Christmas I don't know when I'd find time to watch games anyway.

It will be interesting to see if we get to the point of cancelling a season again, if there is much anger or if people just shrug their shoulders and flip the channel.

 

I'm not planning on any hockey being played this season. There's no urgency. The owners are losing less money by not playing, and the players are getting paid in Europe.

The Dallas Stars were going to be a 60-point team this year anyway, so it's just as well.

 

At some point we need a multi-hundred million (or billion-) dollar lawsuit by a local government/taxing body which shelled out nine-figure sums to build a new arena under the promise that major-league hockey would be played in it, against the franchise owners (and the NHL), for:

1) BREACH OF CONTRACT

2) fraud and misrepresentation,

3) conspiracy,


along with whatever other grounds anybody can think up, for willfully precipitating and instigating the lockouts with reckless disregard for the interests of the taxpayers of the financing district.


And, if it gets to the point any of the marginal franchises are actually folded by the league, those lawsuits should be upped to the tens-of-billions price range.

 

I can honestly say I don't care very much. There's hockey, not just the NHL.

HC & I started going to Brampton Battallion games (hi, Huggy) starting with the last lockout. Brampton's in the Ontario Hockey League, one of the three Canadian Hockey League members and the major feeder league for the NHL.

Over those years we've seen up and coming stars like Matt Duchene, Cody Hodgson, Corey Perry, David Bolland, Mike Richards---the list goes on. And you see these guys for $15.00 a ticket .


We'll probably go to some Brampton games, some Marlies games (AHL) and maybe even catch a Ryerson University game at the newly refurbished Maple Leaf Gardens.

Lots of hockey to satisfy the soul .

And besides, I'm a Leafs fan so there's nothing to be hopeful for anyway

 

Yet, here we are again ...

 

In the last lockout, rightly or wrongly, the majority of fans sided with the owners. They got what they wanted (careful what you wish for) but it hasn't changed anything much.

The rich teams (Leafs, Rangers, Flyers et al) keep getting richer and the bottom feeders keep losing money.

 

Walked down 16th Street Mall in Denver this evening adn I could see the KHL game on about half the screens. Hockey fans are finding the game in unusual places