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One word for NHL lockout
By Amaury Pi Gonzalez February 16, 2005 |
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PHOENIX - I think I could answer the NHL lockout in one word - greed. Players and owners are both responsible. They waited until the last minute and kept postponing, waiting for somebody with a magic wand to come down and solve the problem. It is a sad story - no hockey this year and the first time ever that a professional league sports in North America cancels the whole season because of a labor dispute. The NHL has done irreparable damage and I would not be surprised in the summer if there is a restructuring and four or five teams go under. The NHL should not be proud of this. I'm not talking about the people getting tickets when you walk into the Arena or the people cleaning the ice, sports broadcasters and writers - I'm talking about the union and the owners. These are the people who are responsible for basically killing this sport right now. Even if the players surprised everybody and said they would have played 26 games, who cares? Who wants to play 26 games of hockey when baseball is just about to start, when the NBA is in midstream, and when March Madness is just around the corner? The NHL is so off base, the players union and the owners, and they are responsible for the future of this league. Economic impact to one NHL city: Businesses have suffered through the NHL lockout economically. In the restaurants on San Fernando and San Carlos streets in downtown San Jose, the effect is palpable. You feel it especially after night games. For the Sharks to shut down this year with the rest of the NHL teams, the economic impact from this will be felt for months to come. If you walk in downtown San Jose and mention the Sharks, people look at you without much of a smile. They know this lockout has caused a lot of problems and a lot of grief. Amaury Pi Gonzalez writes features for Sports Radio and hosts Sportstalk on KVVN 1430 San Jose and KLIB 1110. |
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