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| Carolina Hurricanes' Eric Staal hoists the Stanley Cup in 2006 - Grant Halverson, Getty Images |
So now the two quarreling sides, the National Hockey League (NHL) and the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) have gone to counseling.
More sets of ears to hear why the owners continue to lock out the players and deny millions of fans the opportunity to watch the 'best' hockey players in the world compete for the Stanley Cup, and keep thousands of workers in the related industries tied to the game, from earning a living.
Does the power base that maintains control (the owners) continue its reign in completing a third lockout in 18 years and canceling the NHL season again, similar to 2004-2005?
The possibility of the oldest, most storied and recognizable trophy in professional sport not being awarded for only the third time since the NHL (NHA back then) was formed, and the second time in eight years, due to a labor issue such as a lockout, is ludicrous.
The only other time that the Cup was not awarded occurred during the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1919 - a much more understandable reason to cancel playing for Lord Stanley's chalice - and they still played four games of the series between the Montreal Canadiens and Seattle Metropolitans before they called it off.
Not competing for the Stanley Cup due to a flu epidemic makes sense.
Not competing for the Stanley Cup due to a lockout, doesn't.
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Recent Carolina Hurricanes Examiner news on Examiner.com:
The National Hockey League (NHL) and the National Hockey League
Players’ Association (NHLPA) agreed to allow federal mediators to become
involved with current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA)
negotiations as announced in New York, N.Y. on Monday.Federal
Mediation...
As of Friday morning, the word coming from various media reports
was that National Hockey League (NHL) Commissioner Gary Bettman had
proposed a two-week moratorium on current Collective Bargaining
Agreement (CBA) talks with the National Hockey League
Players'...
