It's Dead. Where's The Wake?

Well, at least I won't have to worry about the Blues crashing out of the playoffs this spring.

Game off! NHL season canceled

The NHL canceled what little was left of the season Wednesday after a series of last-minute offers were rejected on the final day of negotiations.

A lockout over a salary cap shut down the game before it ever got a chance to start in October. Now the NHL, already low on the popularity scale in the United States, becomes the first major pro sports league in North America to lose an entire season to a labor dispute.

"As I stand before you today, it is my sad duty to announce ... it no longer is practical to conduct even an abbreviated season," commissioner Gary Bettman said. "Accordingly, I have no choice but to announce the formal cancellation of play for 2004-05."

Bettman adds ominously (for the players at least):

"We're planning to have hockey next season," he said.

With which players he didn't specify. Maybe I should teach myself to skate over the summer? I could sure use the money.

For an unhappy reflection on all this read: Bettman is "sorry"? Truer words were never spoken!

So the lockout reached Day 153 before the two sides grudgingly edged onto the same page. But on Day 154, with the two sides still millions a part, Bettman finally pulled the plug.

The cancellation beat the alternative -– a bogus 28-game microseason featuring hodgepodge rosters of mostly bitter players. That would have been a sleazy money grab at the expense of season-ticket holders, corporate sponsors and broadcast partners.

At least the owners and players got one thing right. They were determined to stay on a self-destructive path.

They held true and went over the cliff, hand in hand, refusing to cooperate to the bitter end.

Idiots!

But at least the European hockey fans are happy to have all the NHL players over there, right? Uh, maybe not.

Three NHL players suspended:

Three Swedish NHL players accused of rape were suspended for the remainder of the season by their clubs on Monday, two days after being banned from the national team.

On a different note we can at least be thankful that some players DO get it, at least part of it: Roenick hoping for best, preparing for Europe

Roenick, adopting a statesman's approach, wants both the owners and players to realize the consequences of the work stoppage.

"Put this in there: Because of all this, the owners and the players are going to have to find a way to give back to the fans, whether it's lower ticket prices, offering more packages, offering more TV exposure ... There has to be something so fans can say, 'This lockout was worth it because I got something out of it,'" the 35-year-old veteran said. "If we take the hockey the way it was during this period of time and keep it as is, it's going to be hard to get people back."