(no subject)
Cancellation Wheels In Motion
TSN.ca Staff/CP files
2/14/2005
It should come as no surprise to anybody, but the end is near.
It's expected the National Hockey League will put out an advisory later today that it is calling a news conference for tomorrow afternoon in New York, at which time NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is expected to officially cancel the 2004-05 regular season and playoffs.
Individual NHL clubs are said to be planning their own local news conferences immediately following Bettman's announcement.
Some are still holding out hope, desperate as it may be, that there will be some last-minute movement that could lead to a resumption of negotiations that could delay what appears to be the inevitable, but it requires a monumental leap of faith to believe that.
The NHL and NHL Players' Association met with U.S. federal mediators in Washington on Sunday but still could not make any progress, despite five hours of talks.
According to a statement from the NHLPA, Scot B. Beckenbaugh, acting director of the U.S. Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, requested the meeting.
League commissioner Gary Bettman and NHLPA executive director Bob Goodenow were not in the meeting. Bill Daly, the NHL's executive vice-president and chief legal officer, and league outside counsel Bob Batterman were there with NHLPA senior director Ted Saskin and union outside counsel John McCambridge.
Saskin later released a statement saying that no progress was made as a result of the meeting.
Daly also released a statement, which echoed Saskin's.
If the season is canceled on Tuesday, the NHL would become the first major professional league in North America to ever cancel an entire season from beginning to finish.
R.I.P HOCKEY
for all who dont get that...the season is going to be cancelled.
P.S. thanks to the players and owners for ruining what couldve been a good season of hockey. THANKS ALOT.