Hockey $take Out

     The New Year is always supposed to bring excitement to the New Year for Hockey fans but this year is different. Hockey season is still in the air, but thanks to the lockout, many are missing out on the fastest sport out there. Sure like all disagreements, there will be an eventual end to the dilemma, but there doesn't appear to be an end in sight. This situation is just hard to predict, especially sense the season should have started oh I don't know, 2 1/2 months ago. This is one of those scenarios where everyday means something different. Some days, they are close to ending the lockout and others, everyone is in disagreement. Why don't they end the misery and just cancel the entire season? Well the answer is all the revenue they will lose from not having hockey. This is a fact they are well familiar with from experiencing the 2004-05 lockout. Business took a hit and it wasn't even as bad then as it can be this season. Since the 2005-06 season, Revenue has reached well over $3 Billion dollars, an increase of over 30%.

     The NHL has many new advantages today that have allowed for this economic growth, such as T.V. deals with NBC. Virtually all of the Conference finals and Stanley Cup finals can be seen on the Networks of NBC. Perhaps the most significant addition to the revenue is the NHL Winter Classic. The Outdoor Hockey event which takes place on New Years Day is not only successful because of it's popularity and extraordinary context, but it also allows for different financial opportunities such as participation in the 24/7 series by HBO regarding the two teams that play in that season's Winter Classic and how they prepare for the event.

     This however, brings up a completely different issue. Surely the NHL won't go through another lost season with this much on the line, right? Well don't be too surprised, I mean after all, it has already gotten this far, and this was supposed to be the least likely lockout to occur compared to last year's NFL and NBA labor negotiations. 

     It all comes down to the classic cliche, Millionaires (players) vs Billionaires (owners). The losers in the end are always the fans. What is overlooked too often, however, is the employees of the arenas and teams that are taking a financial hit due to this. Many of us might know some of these people and it is frustrating to receive no commission despite technically still receiving salary as a result of employment. 

     The players and the owners need to realize that in order to make things right, they need to set aside their differences and think about everyone else that is involved or affected. However, if you are going to get something done, be sure to do it right, and avoid making the same mistakes the NBA did; with the condensed schedule leading to injuries and travelling nightmares.

     This is a fixable problem but needs to be taken care of. Your move super rich!