Your reaction to the cancelation

[Stampman]

It's ridiculous--it's self destruction.

I was, however, expecting this--my main beef is that they didn't jsut admit and cancel it sooner, no they had to do all the posturing first--what a joke.

I love watching hockey, I've been a hockey fan for a long time, but over the past few seasons the NHL has been losing ground to the CFL. In fact once the NHL was bigger to me, then they were equals--now they're behind.

I'll get through it--I have a lot of things going on and less time to use in following it anyway--but still it sucks.

I think this is worse for younger fans in some ways--I know when I was younger I had more time to devote to following hockey...

I blame both sides.

The losers in this are the fans, and the people who work for the teams, arenas, and related businesses who have lost their jobs, or seen a reduction in pay and/or hours. For some of those people it was their main income, for others it was an important supplement--now it's gone or cutback.

I was once able to take a trip I wanted to go on because of a job related to the NHL-without it I couldn't have done it, as my income barely covered my expenses, until I took the extra work--it was only 3 months of work--but it paid for the trip & then some.

Whenthe NHL returns, will I? I really don't know--it depends what else happens.

If a rivala league starts, or I get really into junior hockey or another winter sport--maybe not.

I know I'll think even harder before spending money on the NHL--unless there's a big markdown in prices.

I'll still wear my Flames stuff, and still have fond memories of past successes, and other NHL memories as well.

It's too bad there's going to be a delay in adding to those memories.

Well that's enough rambling for now...

[Dilbert]

I'll tell you this is one long summer(Offseason). This sucks but because I live in an AHL town, its not as bad.

[JQK]

I'm relieved. I'm just glad this is finally over and my soul can stop being twisted by the greediest men in sport.

I blame Gary Bettman for his stupidity and lack of vision as commissioner. He has single-handedly ruined the game of hockey. He has been the worst thing to happen to the sport. He makes John Zeigler Jr. look good.

I blame the players for not realizing that if they continue to play in the current system, there will be no league to play in. But it doesn't seem to bother them. They can just go to Europe and fu*k beautiful swedish women with very large breasts.

I personally want the sport to survive, but wether i watch it again.... that will be a debate i'll have to have with myself at a later date. To me that's something i never thought i would have said. I loved this sport. I loved hockey so much. It was everything to me for most of my life. I played, i gave everything i had to it. I gave my fu*king soul to the fuc*king Devils man. :censored: i wanted to move to Canada when i was younger because of hockey alone. I wanted to live in Toronto, skate everyday, go to HHOF every night. I lived and breathed this sport. Now? It's just... it's broken my heart. It's just broken it.

John King

East Stroudsburg, PA

[puckhead42]

I dont know how I really feel right now.....But I do know this.....I fell in love with the game at the age of eight.....was watching a game on t.v. black and white at that....this guy scored....flew through the air....to me it was magic....it was Bobby Orr scoring in OT to beat the Blues and take the cup....I watched Sunday afternoon games on the tube and the Blackhawks became my team.....I cried when the Hawks lost to the Habs in I think it was in 71 or 72....they led 2 to 1 going into the third.....Tony Esposito gave up 2 and the Hawks were done.....My first live hockey game was in 1974...the Southern Hockey League in Virginia...I was amazed at the speed....everything about the game....the players.....Jacques Locas...Curt Brackenbury....later on Gord Lane...Rod Langway...they were happy to talk to you....sign sticks....throw you pucks after warmups...soon I started to play the game on rollerskates....then finally on ice...I learned all I could about my favorite sport.....that included the history of the game also......yes I was an American..... and living in the south as well...but in my heart the game was just as important to me as it was for a little boy in Canada.......I was intrigued by the roots of the sport and marveled at the stories I read about the pastime of Canada... and at that time and at the present I believe that Hockey In Canada is a bigger passion than baseball is here in the US......anyway...sorry to ramble...after the last lockout I vowed that if this ever happened again I would never watch an NHL game again.....Ive pumped thousands of dollars of hard earned money on NHL whatever from hotdogs...tickets...jerseys...its over for me..........Ive played..supported.. and watched this game for 35 years...nowI feel like Ive been slapped in the face...........Mike

[Magus]

least the thrashers are guarenteed a 500 record at 0-0-0-0.

[Blackjack76]

The NHL just pulled a Fredo Corleone.

[DEAD!]

Biggest Shutout of the 2004-2005 NHL Season : Owners and Players shutting out the fans.

[Suigi]

Well, I personally am gonna try and start a floor hockey league ASAP for play in the spring months.

Heck, if I like watching the sport, maybe I can get in shape AND prove that I'm better than some NHLers!

(When I played goal in floor hockey in a camp staff rec, my GAA was better than an NHLer's! 5.00 for me, 5.33 for Frederic Cassivi!)

[BB61]

I'll tell you this is one long summer(Offseason). This sucks but because I live in an AHL town, its not as bad.

As reassuring as that is (I live in one too, although I've yet to make it to a Phantoms game yet), it's still the AHL.

[DEAD!]

I just saw a funny segment on TSN on where to put the blame on the cancellation of the NHL season ...... The Boston Red Sox!

[JQK]

The NHL just pulled a Fredo Corleone.

You are nothing to me.

You are not a brother.

You are not a friend.

[Mac the Knife]

The NHL just pulled a Fredo Corleone.

You are nothing to me.

You are not a brother.

You are not a friend.

Thanks for clearing that one up, man. Despite watching TG series (yes, even TG III) over 20 times each, I didn't catch the reference.

[zer0dotcom]

Biggest Shutout of the 2004-2005 NHL Season : Owners and Players shutting out the fans.

amen to that. The NHL can got screw itself and everyone involved in it. I don't need them to fill my hockey void, not with tickets to watch my beloved Genrals get trounced by the 67's tomarrow night

[NJTank]

You know what I think the NHL sees and the NHLPA does not see is that the NHL in the US is not on the level with MLB, NFL and the NBA. THerefore the money available is not a s great and any cap wil have to be samller in the low $40 Million range. Now with the cancellation it may have to be lower as revnues will take a hit.

I mean you can begin to argue taht there are not 4 major sports any more. NHL was always teh 4th of 4 but after this they may be on that secondary level with Arena Football, and its just short sightedness all around.

The NHL offered the PA a chance to look at the books they refused and said teh NHL was lying they offered them to look at the books with theior own accountants they refused. THe NHL tired for 5 years to reach out the NHLPA refused and so the NHL had a lock out and the NHLPA still never reached out.

When they were not meeting it was the Players aassociation who was out of touch and when it came time for last ditch negoatiating the NHL made offers while the NHLPA just kept rejecting, the PA didnt not wnat to negoatiate, and that's why they deserve most of the blame

A deal needs to reached soem how some way tehy cant throw away another season 1-Season lost will hurt for years anotehr season lost the NHL migfht as well fold, becuase it will lose any pressance it had and it will go from being on level with Arena Football to NLL, and when is the last time you saw any NLL highlights on TV?

The best thing the PA can do is push out Goodenow now and startt fresh, and once this is settled pressure the NHL to do the same to Bettman to start fresh.

Once a deal and cap is in place the NHL has to look at what frnachsie work and whichs ones dont and they need to move, move more temas to Canada cities liek Winnipeg, Halifax, Quebec, Regina and Hamilton

Remove them from Atlanta, Anaheim, Phoenix, Nasvhille anbd especiallly Carolina,.

Examine all the rest of teh teams if they have a bad arena and no plans for a new one like in Pittsburgh maybe you look to =oving them to.

Places like Portland, Salt Lake and Milwauke, shift the sport around, if there is no fan base now and teh sport is not well recived in these places now then you have to move em.

Then name a new comish a Canadian or someone with deep hockey roots someone who understands the tradtion of the game and is deeply rooted in that.

Stop tinkering with the rules, get rid of the regulation tie point, bring back fightning by getting rid of the instiagtor penalty.

Hockey has a core of loyal fans and if others dont like it screw them its tiome to embrace what you have and stop trying to reach out because ESPN will never let you be bigger then the NBA in the US.

Stop listening to people who dont like the sport on ways to change it. There is no need to increase the goal net, no need to have 4-4 skating, no need for olympic rules, and no need for penalty shot overtimes.

Maybe you can offer a penalty shot option in leiu of a powerplay one per game per team but that's it.

They say the PS is the best part of the game, but if you had one at the end of regulation soon it will grow old and tiresome.

And for the record the puck is not hard to see if you wtahc a few games, soon you learn how to find the puck, and the more you watch the easier it is, so the fact you cant see the puck is not an excuse.

Thats all I can say now Im sure I can think of more later.

[Stampman]

uh, ditto...

[wheateater]

Whoa. Other than being hard to read (sorry, Tank ), you nailed it on the head. There may be some changes that need to be implemented to cut down on obstruction (like cal the damn things ALL GAME) and conjestion in the neutral zone. Other than that, I agree that there's no way Billy Bob down in rural Caolina will ever care about hockey, nor should hockey ever care about Billy Bob. Come back to Pete and Johnny up in Canada and the northern US (or at least places where it gets cold and snows sometimes). I'd love to have a team in Sask. It won't happen, but that's something the NHL should think about instead of money, money, money. It used to be a game; now it's trying to be a business. Take a hint, Gary. Quit and go back to being a lawyer or something.

[winters in buffalo]

Man, I'd kill for an AHL team right about now.

[IronChefShark]

ECHL is coming to Stockton one year too late

[TBGKon]

After my team, the Lightning, won the cup, I was ecstatic. When I saw Andreychuk lift the Cup, I was already looking forward to the 04-05 home opener when the champs banner would be raised to the rafters in the St Pete Times Forum. But Mr. Bettman and the NHL ended my dream when they cancelled the season. Even though I live in Florida now, I am a transplanted Detroiter who cant stand the fact that there will be no hockey this season, but I still do have in the back of my mind, the fact that my Lightning will have the Cup for an extra year. Come on guys, make a deal and stop locking out the people who really count in the NHL, THE FANS!!!

-Garrett Konrad

New Port Richey, Florida

[MonkeyWrench32]

This is what happens when greedy lawyers are put in charge of something that means so much to so many. The NHL should be disbanded and restarted with fair rules, less teams and ran by people who actually love the game instead of suits with cold hearts and fat wallets.

Jon Kemppainen

Chesaning, MI