Just when it looked like months of negotiating was finally about to pay off in the form of a new collective bargaining agreement, the NHL decided to pull the plug on the 2004-05 season.

For many, this is a breath of fresh air, relieving them of the constant banter being tossed around through the media between the NHL and the NHLPA.

However, others see this as a travesty, seeing the sport they love so much sink to a new low.

The canceling of the season marks an unprecedented move, as none of the four major sports leagues have ever went an entire season without playing. Also, this will be the first time the NHL does not award the Stanley Cup since the year 1919. For a league starving for attention in the United States and trying desperately to build a fan base in markets that there arguably should not be teams, this marks the beginning of a drastic new era for the NHL.

Many observers feel that when the league finally starts playing again, perhaps even with the use of replacement players, that the league will be smaller both economically and team wise. The prospect of all 30 teams surviving, while maintaining $2 billion in revenue is remote. But as commissioner Gary Bettman has been stating all along, the long-term needs for the NHL to adopt a new economic system far outweigh the current short-term losses.

Many people following the process felt that by the NHL dropping their demand for a linkage between salaries and revenue and the NHLPA no longer unwilling to accept a hard cap that a deal would be struck. However, the sticking point, which was a gap of $6.5 million on a salary cap between the league and the NHLPA?s proposal, proved to be too large of an obstacle to overcome.

Now the focus turns to the future of the league, which is no doubt in question. With the rumored emergence of a new European super league, the dwindling of an already meager following in the United States, and no agreement in the foreseeable future, the NHL?s marketing team will have the unenviable mission in growing the game back to the level it once was. As fans find other ways to occupy their time and spend their money, it will be anyone?s guess what the response from fans will be when the league finally does get back to playing on the ice, instead of in the boardrooms.






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