[eleven24]

As goofy as he may be, Don Cherry, aka "Grapes" (Canadas version of Chris Berman) has guaranteed there will be NO LOCKOUT next year.

He said this between the alumni game and the EDM/MTL game Saturday.

Chery said, "I have spoken with both sides, and they will not let what happened to baseball happen to hockey. They understand that they can't kill the goose that lays the golden egg. Both sides are willing to bend if it means avoiding a lockout".

Let's hope he speaks the truth.

[TonyFatt]

I just can't see them making a deal before next season. After all the fighting, and blaming each other, and insults thrown from both sides, I think next season will be either cut short or thrown out completely.

[eleven24]

Hockey is already dead. At least in the U.S.

It's pretty sad when the WNBA had better ratings than the NHL (last season). Outside of hockey hotbeds (Philly, Detroit, etc) there isn't much interest. Cutting a season short, or tossing it entirely would absolutely kill the sport.

Hopefully, both sides realize this.

[Chris]

I agree. The NHL has become very sparse in ratings and overall interest in the past few seasons. I hope that what "Grapes" was talking about is true and that both sides of this dispute are willing to bend. I have no idea what I would do without hockey.

[Jlg-28]

hopefully they learned the last time they went thru a lock-out and seeing what it did to baseball should help them realize that they need to agree on something before the NHL goes the way of the DoDo , , if there is a lock out ,it is possible that many of the small market teams will not be able to survive.

so in short i just say this . . . "Get Er Done"

[Blindside]

I want hockey as much as the next fan, but I also realize that there's something terribly terribly wrong with the sport when one man is making $11 million a year.
Players have to accept that they make too much money and if they really care about the sport they say they love, they'll do what's best for hockey.
With the upward climb of players' salaries and the ever-dwindling TV contracts, fading fan base and boring trap games, hockey will be dead in 3-5 years anyways. If hockey survives long-term, I'm willing to watch the WHA2 for a year.

[TonyFatt]

Obviously, one man shouldn't be getting 11 million a season playing hockey, but in other sports (e.g. basketball and baseball) players make more than double that. The players have agreed to take a pay cut, and it's up to the owners to make the next move in my opinion.