The NHL lockout began this September when the collective bargaining agreement between the owners and players expired at 11:59 pm. Due to this, the NHL has cancelled all the preseason games in September, including two weeks of regular season and the first week of November. The last lockout was during the 2004-2005 season and there was no season at all. Some players, such as Alex Ovechkin, went to Russia to play hockey along with another 100 players who went to Europe.
The good news is that the owners and the NHLPA met for more negotiations. Also, the owners offered a proposal that would split the revenue. Although the NHLPA said that the new proposal is an improvement, there are still issues they have to discuss and finalize. Although the NHLPA offered three counter offers, both sides are still far apart and have not reached an accord. The negations will continue through the week.
At least both sides are talking and some progress was made. Hopefully, it won’t last the whole season and hockey will be back. Hockey fans should not worry, especially knowing how much money the owners are losing with each passing day.