Latest on the Lockout
More trouble on the ice: NHL cancels first two weeks of season, including sixStars games
The National Hockey League lockout has now ensured that Dallas Stars fans will not see a full season of hockey. The NHL announced Thursday that the league was canceling all regular-season games through October 24, as the NHL and the NHL Players’ Association have not come to an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement.
The NHL canceled all preseason games shortly after the lockout began last month. Thursday’s announcement ensures the loss of 82 regular-season games.
If the lockout is resolved quickly, the Stars could conceivably open the season October 25 at home against Vancouver.
For Stars fans, that means the loss of six regular-season games, including the previously scheduled home opener against the Phoenix Coyotes October 16, along with the following home game against the Minnesota Wild October 18. The Stars’ other four canceled games were on the road, including a trip to Boston.
If the lockout is resolved quickly, the Stars could conceivably open the season October 25 at home against Vancouver. But that would appear to be a long shot. The Stars, along with the rest of the league’s teams, would need time to train for the regular season.
Plus, there appears to be no movement in negotiations between the NHL and the NHL Players’ Association. Both sides are talking, but the core disagreement is about the amount of hockey-related revenue to set aside for player salaries.
Under the previous agreement, the players received about 57 percent of the revenue in player salaries and benefits. The league wants to bring that figure below 50 percent.
Since the lockout started September 15, more than 100 NHL players have signed contracts to play with foreign teams, including three Stars – Jamie Benn, Philip Larsen and Jaromir Jagr.
Most of those contracts allow those NHL players to return to the U.S. once the two sides agree on a new collective bargaining agreement.
