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		NHL may end up canceling '05-'06 as well By Amaury Pi Gonzalez April 1, 2005

	SAN JOSE -- Traditionally, when the NHL holds its draft its a sign that they're trying to get their prospects lined up. But the draft was canceled last week, a bad indication that the NHL is on the way to canceling its 2005-06 season. Another proof positive measure to this is that the NHL owners, as of Monday, announced that they were suing the NHL Players Assocuiation for bargaining in bad faith and not making good on the salary cap issue. The bad blood thickened, as Sportstalk has learned this week that some of the owners now refuse to even deal with the Players Associaiton over the loss of the season and the way negotiations have failed. Further, the owners are pressing the issues of replacement players, saying that is a legitimate issue and they have a right to bring in replacement players. And, the owners continued, since the union won't do their job and bargain in good faith, the owners will step up and say they have rights as owners to use replacement players -- a measure the Players Association is calling "union busting." Players Association president Bob Goodenow shot back, saying that the lawsuit is frivilous and that the union negotiated in good faith. This seems to be the continued roundabout that the NHL has been facing since the conclusion of the 2003-04 season -- the last season the NHL might ever know. Also, Goodenow noted that replacement players would not come under the labor agreement and it would be considered encroachment, or, in layman's terms, scabbing. And there's more bad news for the NHL when you thought it couldnt get any worse. First, last season was canceled becoming the first pro league to cancel an entire schedule in the US and Canada, now the draft has gone away, and the NHL virtually does not have an national TV contract that they could call decent. In some circles, NHL executives have said the contract the NHL has with NBC, which is almost week to week, is worse than the contract the defunct Xtreme Football League had, which lasted for only one season in fall of 2001. At least the XFL had a one full season deal out of it. The other day on radio, a fan called, depressed because he was a season ticket holder of the San Jose Sharks and he was a retired person with some money. He said his wife had passed away, his kids have moved out, and that his only joy was to watch the Sharks. I wish I had taped this conversation. The caller asked the radio talk show host, who had an attorney on the show, "Can I hire an attorney to sue the NHL, because I'm depressed, my wife passed away, and my only joy was the Sharks? They canceled the season, now there is no draft and the owners are now suing the Players Association." The attorney on the radio told the fan, "You might have a case there, but you may not win it. But there are a lot of fans like you." My point with the NHL is, when you thought it couldn't get any worse, here is a draft most fans follow and most sports fans would follow the team to see who they're going to get, they canceled the season. That's very close to saying the NHL is not in intensive care, they're about dead. Imagine if an NHL fan is reading this. What is he thinking? The league cancels a whole season, it's like adios, good bye, forget it, look for some other sport. That is really bad, and the writing is on the wall -- unless a miracle happens, the NHL is gone. The NHL doesn't even have plans for the future. The owner of the Sharks, Greg Jamison, says there's going to be a season next year. Sure, it's like I'm telling people there's going to be Christmas, but you don't know if your going to die in a car accident or an earthquake. You never know. You can't predict anything. We live in a fast world, everybody is doing stuff. It's just too bad that they canceled the draft. As I said, this is just another indication that the NHL is just about dead. I don't know how they can revive this league. TV will not touch the NHL unless the get half off on the rights, or for free. TV will not pay to broadcast a league that nobody cares about. I wouldn't be suprised if NBC gets a big discount. Last month, the Mighty Ducks of Anahiem were sold for $75 million, which is ridiculously low because there's no league. It's like buying a car and the guy says the transmission is going to fall when you drive it, this guy doesnt know. The new owners of the Mighty Ducks doesn't know that. The Mighty Ducks aren't going to exist -- that's why he got it for $75 million so. If you're a TV executive, you might be able to hold the leauge over a barrel now, and the NHL might have to do it for free if they really want to promote. Or, how about the first month of the year, when you can watch your favorite team for free. Somebody is going to have to sacrafice here, because the union and owners have screwed this league up so bad that their going to have to do something radical, something revolutionary, they're going to have to allow NBC to come on board free for a month. (Editor's note: In NBC's current contract with the NHL, the league doesn't get anything for its American television rights unless the network turns a profit on the broadcasts.) The NHL is going to have to do something. Nobody's ever done, but because the hockey fans are gone, that might just kill this league. Without a major network TV contract, I dont see how they can play. Amuary Pi Gonzalez is covering the NHL dispute along with his other duties and co-hosts Sportstalk on 1430 KVVN San Jose and KLIB 1110 Sacramento.