There was a brief meeting today between the NHL and NHLPA and after meeting for a few days this past weekend, they have decided to report that they are not close to making any progress on a new deal. This is probably why Zdeno Chara, star defenseman of the Boston Bruins, signed in the KHL today and why more players will keep going overseas.
When I talked with Jimmy Howard (Goalie, Detroit Red Wings) two weeks ago at the Michigan football game against Massachusetts, he said that there wouldn’t be any progress made in talks until the NHL loses revenue that they should have gotten from regular season games. TSN analyst Aaron Ward has said that the NHL is currently reporting losses around $100 Million from the cancellation of the preseason hockey games.
Further to NHL claim of $100 M loss at this stage,amount could be deceiving.Unclear if league applied expenses/operating costs to it. #TSN
— Aaron Ward (@NHL_AaronWard) October 3, 2012
As he says, this number could be deceiving, but until regular season games are lost, don’t expect a lot of progress. Look for a deal to get done around Thanksgiving so they can have a full month before the winter classic and then they can still have the HBO 24/7: Road To The Winter Classic series. It’s unfortunate for NHL fans to be treated so terribly and for the Owners to just assume that they will come back and watch.
