The 2012 NHL Lockout: Two Sides Desperate to Win Your Support - Comments

pretty awesome article, one of the best that i've actually read about the lockout.

I've been through the '04 lockout and being through another one now, yeah it hurts. Although, I'm sorry, but I cannot support or feel sorry for any group that makes millions of dollars. Boohoo, you won't get millions more on your next paycheck. Just tell that to all the individuals working in every other aspect of the sport who make minimum wage. It just blows my mind.

Sports are run by money and they die by money. That's something that will, unfortunately, never change. :/

@ voracek
It's really a scary thought not knowing if they'll have jobs tomorrow, seeing as so many people have been laid off. This is all so unnecessary and I feel like everyone but the people fighting are the one's being affected. I feel that the people who should be protesting and arguing should be the ordinary, everyday employers. Not the people that are already bringing home salaries that are more than 10 times what my parents make combined.

@ Pioneer.
I'm so sorry to hear about your parents. I can't even imagine being in that position. I do feel your frustration though. It's so aggravating to see both sides talk about how it's the fans that suffer most when it's not the NHL that signs our paychecks. They should be worrying about those they employ (not the players, however); without those people working behind the scenes there probably wouldn't be any professional hockey. They're the ones that suffer; they're the ones that should be angry.

It's all around greedy, on the side of the players and on the owners. As they sit and bicker over who deserves more money, there are the workers that are behind the scenes that are suffering over this.

Both of my parents work for the Phoenix Coyotes. In a meeting yesterday, they were told that starting in October, the workers are to take off one day a week in October so they are only working 4 day work weeks, and they are to take 20% pay cuts. As if the Coyotes aren't already having to worry about whether or not they are even staying in Phoenix!

It absolutely breaks my heart to see this happening yet again. Not only because hockey is my absolute favorite sport and I've been dying for the season to start, but because this affects my family on a personal level, as it does every other family who has someone working for the NHL. Do the owners and the players not realize that there are more people than just them that are suffering? Is a 1 million dollar paycheck not enough? One of the reasons I'm such a huge hockey fan is the players are respectable people, but as of right now, I'm not so sure.

Greedy owners, greedy players. As if 1.6 million a year isn't enough for the players, they still think they deserve more of the fans money. Constantly raising the prices every year, it's bullshit i say. I no longer support the sport of hockey.

Thanks so much for the feedback everyone! It's so awesome to see everyone's point of view on this.

I guess the NHL announced today that if the lockout isn't resolved by October 1st they're implementing a 20% pay cut to NHL staff members. This just keeps getting worse.

Gary Bettman.......... He has a story coming out I hear. It's called 50 Shades of Gary - The story of how one man screws an entire fan-base. My dad and I are pissed at the NHL as many hockey fans are. It's unfair and greedy what they are doing. Hockey isn't about money; at least it shouldn't be. Hockey is about the passion, the love, the joy, unity. I'm ashamed to be an NHL fan right about now.

I think that the NHL players are entitled to what they're asking, they make the NHL its money but I am sad that there is seemingly zero concern for the people who do all of the work. The trainers and dietitians and what not who get the players to where they need to be and the on-ice people and the PR oh my god the PR people who make these players look good because let's face it a lot of the time these people are not as great as they seem and it sucks that they are all maybe going to lose their jobs. I've heard a couple teams like Carolina and Pittsburgh aren't laying anyone off but still. And some businesses are dependent on the season, too. Anyway, I think both sides probably have good intentions (one more than the other possibly) but both sides are fighting like kids in a sandbox except they aren't fighting over toys and are instead fighting over money!!

Also I wanna say how much I adore these guys for organizing practices. I know for sure Toews organized a practice for the Hawks and former guys like Campbell and Eager showed up and I think the Leafs and the Pens held one too but I'm not 100% sure.

It's nice to read about the lockout plain English, not an article biased one way or the other. Thanks for posting this.

Nobody ever thinks of the bigger picture, it's all greed with players, teams and owner.
There was a time when being an athlete consisted of playing because you had a heart for the game,
your wages weren't vest, you weren't wealthy, you were dirt poor and loving what you did.
Now all the little people are going to suffer because of a measly 8% pay deduction.
Woop-de-doo.

Oops, let me rephrase that, I was wrong... the first one was a strike but it locked out 30 games.

There have been four lockouts, actually, not three.

The whole thing is ridiculous. Sports are meant to be played for fun and entertainment, but everything is all about money now. I saw an article talking about how the Stanley Cup had the least viewers in a while this past year... yet no one has stopped to realize that the two teams that were playing were smaller teams that don't have as many fans. So of course they freak out and think they're losing viewers who will spend money on hockey. Plus there's the issue of lots of NHL players losing their jobs, along with all those trainers and announcers and everyone else remotely related to hockey.

The economic world is just total chaos. I hope they settle the stupid disagreement so everyone can just watch hockey.

It's not just trainers and who suffer too. It's also towns who put on training camp festivals. It usually brings a lot of people into the city who won't be there now. Not to mention radio channels that broadcast the games might see a drop in ratings. I, honestly, just wish they'd figure everything out and play hockey since the only other sports I watch are X Games events and gymnastics.