Sports Radio Service


		NHL's future now in jeopardy By Amuary Pi Gonzalez February 24, 2005

	PHOENIX - I don't see how the Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators, who filed bankruptcy during last season, will survive the NHL lockout. This is something like the coup de grace, a shot in the head to them. This hockey cancellation will be the demise of the NHL as we know it. On the list also to disband are the Florida Panthers and Wayne Gretzky's Phoenix Coyotes. We saw what happened to owner Gretzky, the greatest hockey player in the world. Gretzky desperately called that last-ditch meeting last Saturday with Pittsburgh Penguins owner Mario Lemieux because the Great One knows his neck is on the line. He might have to sell the Coyotes. The NHL could be completely out, eliminated, if the league and players association don't come to an agreement by September. The few fans they have from when the league peaked a few years ago will be lost. Whatever happens from now on, they won't play this season. The NHL will forever be remembered as the only North American sports league to cancel a whole season because of a labor dispute. That is the nightmare of a public-relations disaster in any sport. This is going to be very, very tough and I would not be surprised if six teams just go under. I really feel for the San Jose Sharks organization. Here is an organization in California, where people are not born with hockey in mind. The Sharks have done a marvelous job and I've covered them since the Sharks games at the Cow Palace back in 1991. It's sad to see people who worked so hard come to this because of a lot of greed and ego on both sides. The fans of course got the shaft, the people who support the people who work in the arena, and the people who broadcast. This is so ugly and so negative that I wish I could say something good. I'm prejudiced because I live in the Bay Area and have learned about hockey with the Sharks. San Jose is a big town and there are a lot of people to draw a lot of money from. The Sharks will probably survive under the umbrella of Silicon Valley Sports and Entertainment. If the Sharks are not playing, SVSE won't make any money and the Pavilion is now going to have to be reserved for other events and concerts. Those people need four or five months so they could market and advertise. It doesn't bode well for anybody. Amuary Pi Gonzalez is covering the Oakland A's for Sportstalk. You can catch up with his articles right here and listen to him co-hosting Sportstalk from Arizona on 1430 KVVN San Jose and KLIB 1110 Sacramento.