A Letter to the NHL and NHLPA - From the Fans

Amen, Brother...

Dear NHL and NHLPA,
       Thanks for taking the time to read my letter.  It is the holiday season (whatever you celebrate) and I was hoping you could help me out.  You see, I am a huge hockey fan, and it has been really disturbing how you have completely turned your back on the fans of the game you "supposedly" protect.  Before I get ahead of myself, let me tell you that I don't side with the Players, and I don't side with the Owners.  I side with the sport of hockey, and in that instance neither of you are doing your jobs in getting the game back on the ice.
       The NHL is a sport I fell in love with during the boom of the 1990s when the NHL was sporting superstars in their prime: Wayne Gretzky, Steve Yzerman, Mark Messier, Pavel Bure, Ray Bourque, Patrick Roy, Jaromir Jagr, and my all-time favorite...Mario Lemieux (Just to name a few).  The play those men displayed was stunning and got alot of America sucked into a sport that was very foreign to them.  Just when the sport was getting a ton of publicity on ESPN and airing games on ESPN2 and other prominent channels, then the NHL introduced Gary Bettman.  Here is the description that Wikipedia has of when Bettman was brought on in 1993 as the first NHL commissioner:
On February 1, 1993, Bettman began his tenure as the first commissioner of the National Hockey League began, replacing Gil Stein, who served as the NHL's final president.^[13] The owners hired Bettman with the mandate of selling the game in the U.S. market, ending labor unrest, completing expansion plans, and modernizing the views of the "old guard" within the ownership ranks.

Mr. Bettman has done alot of what was expected of him when he was hired...except the part I italicized and underlined.  As a fan, it was exciting to see teams in Arizona, Dallas, and Florida.  Although I didn't think hockey should be played in Florida, it seemed like the area embraced John Vanbiesbrouck and the boys down in Florida.  Things were good in the NHL and we even lived through the "glowing puck" era.  Mr. Bettman then almost lost the '94-'95 season due to a lockout, lost the entire 2004-2005 season due to a lockout, and is on the verge of losing the entire '12-'13 season due to a lockout.  Do you see a trend here?
       In my opinion, it isn't just Mr. Bettman who is at fault during this ridiculous lockout.  The owners are at times asking way to much from the players who have had a deal in place for the last 7 years.  To ask the players to completely give back everything they worked to get during the last work stoppage is ludicrous.  Not to mention that they want to take all of the revenue back in the first few years.  The owners have come off as stubborn, impatient, and a group of grumpy old men who won't stop until they get what they want.  Lets also not forget that these are billionaires arguing about thousands of dollars. Some would say the players are the heroes in this entire ordeal...not so fast.
       The Players Association (headed by moron Don Fehr) are just as guilty, and its time you get a piece of my mind as well.  The players got a pretty big piece of the revenue "pie" after the '04 lockout...did they really think the owners weren't going to demand a piece of that pie back in return?  The players are fighting to retain their current contracts, and stop the limitations that are put on long term deals.  Turns out, that only impacts about 20 players in the NHL today.  Are we really going to argue arduously for contract rights that only effect such a small portion of the total NHL??  If you are a superstar and want that long term deal, you can re-negotiate before your contract expires.  The owners are trying to protect their investments and to avoid falling into the traps that some owners are seeing after dealing horrible contracts.  Lets not forget these players are millionaires that are arguing about thousands of dollars.
       To wrap this up, I ask one thing...why waste our time?  It is obvious that you (both the NHL and NHLPA) are not really interested in getting a deal done, but rather have your own hidden agendas that you are slowly unfolding in front of the fans who hang on every report regarding the lockout and hope there is an end is site.  There are people who work in arenas that depend on checks that aren't coming in, there are fans who are leaving their teams in the dust, and their are NHL haters out there that are saying "I told you so...".  As a die hard fan I'll always be there waiting for the game to return, but it certainly looks like I will be in the minority when it comes to my stance on that.  Gentlemen, its time to get down to business and get a deal done before you (as Red Wings Coach Babcock said) "turn the NHL into bowling".  Get the job done so we can move on and watch the sport we love!

Sincerely,
NHL Fans EVERYWHERE