"Early in the lockout, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman sent a letter to the league's season-ticket holders. His message was familiar, because it essentially repeated the same messages -- in many of the same phrases -- he has been delivering for months, in news conferences and other appearances."

ESPN: What Bettman really meant

September 26,2004

Are the lowest paid the real problem?

"It's finger-pointing time throughout hockey because of NHL commissioner Gary Bettman's lockout."

The real money problem: Big deals for little talent

September 25,2004

Should be said but will never happen!

"In that light, it's hard to understand why both the NHL and NHL Players' Association are spending so much time and energy trying to win this mythical battle for public sentiment."

The Star: Top 5 things NHL, union should say (but won't)

Owners stepping out of line; now Bettman steps in!

"Los Angeles Kings president Tim Leiweke has been fined by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman for comments he made in a radio interview concerning the league's labor problems."

Yahoo!: NHL commissioner fines Kings president

September 24,2004

Can injured players stop the stop the lockout?

"Employee says he's sick but still should be paid even if he isn't working. Employer says no, you're not, and no, you shouldn't be, and no, you won't be. "

Yahoo!: Roenick, Flyers in nasty face-off

Who will understand the cap first?

"Commissioner Gary Bettman argues a salary cap is the vaccine that will cure the NHL's financial ills while the players call it a plague that will cripple their ability to earn a fair living."

TSN: The issues around salary caps

September 23,2004

Is NHL really playing fair?

"The National Hockey League Players Association has filed an unfair labour practice complaint against the NHL with the U.S. National Labour Relations Board."

TSN!: NHLPA files labour complaint against NHL

September 22,2004

You might be saving money but you are losing fans!

"NHL owners are determined to see their losses stop, according to Carolina Hurricanes owner Peter Karmanos, who says he saves money every day his team doesn't play."

TSN: Karmanos: Saving money by not playing

September 21,2004

Does the NHL really care about the fans?

"The day came as expected, with the announcement the hockey world knew was coming for months, if not longer. The season will not start on time. There is no timeline for a return and no scheduled negotiations with the players' union."

Yahoo!: Only the fans have no choice

September 20,2004

League longs for days when it was hot! - submitted by Ryan in San Jose

"In 1994, the NHL was not unlike the many startup dot-coms of the day. Although the league had been around since the start of the century, it had been repackaged into something fresh, something best resembling the go-go feeling of the time."

Denver Post: When the NHL was hot

Ice jam

"If men are from Mars and women are from Venus, where does that leave NHL officials and members of the NHL Players' Association?"

Yahoo!: How far apart?

NHL won't be widely missed

"The essential question facing NHL owners and locked-out players is: Who cares?"

Yahoo!: Who really does care?

September 19,2004

"No matter how much nonsense both sides spin during this maddening lockout, the simple thing to remember is that someone has to be held accountable for this mess."

Yahoo!: Puck stops with Bettman

"No shots, no saves, no goals. The National Hockey League locked out its players Thursday, threatening to keep the sport off the ice for the entire 2004-05 season and perhaps beyond in an effort by management to gain massive economic change."

Yahoo!: Stop the puck! NHL locks out players

"The World Cup of Hockey trophy rested on a Canadian flag on the floor of Team Canada's dressing room late Tuesday night, a gewgaw that was designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry and looks so stunningly ugly that if you put it on a table at a yard sale you would get $5 for it -- $10 tops. The body of the trophy is some kind of glass thing with a smaller silver cup sitting in the middle, which makes it look like a vase that would fit in a room with a cathedral ceiling."

Yahoo!: The night that hockey died

"According to the poll, commissioned by the Globe and Mail, CTV and TSN, 52 per cent of Canadians surveyed said they blamed the players for the labour impasse, while only 21 per cent laid the blame with the owners. "

CBC: Fans support NHL owners: poll (I find this very strange!)

September 18,2004

Say goodbye to the NHL

TSN: NHL owners vote to lock out players

"Don Cherry isn't mincing words when it comes to his thoughts on the current NHL lockout.The popular and controversial Hockey Night in Canada commentator called the situation "Armageddon" and described it as "the biggest thing that ever happened to the National Hockey League."

Cherry believes NHL at crucial moment in history

"The Edmonton "Oilers stand to lose $13 million this season if the team doesn't take the ice as a result of the NHL lockout, says board chair Cal Nichols But Nichols, who also serves as team governor, said Thursday the club's 37 owners are willing to take that hit in a bid for a new collective bargaining agreement with players that will achieve economic certainty."

Oilers to lose $13 million in lockout

"Calgary Flames president Ken King says the lockout is the best chance the club has to recapture the magic that led the club to the Stanley Cup final this spring."

Calgary Flames prepared to miss entire season"