Lockout 2012: All Remaining Preseason Games to be Cancelled
By jer
June 22, 2012; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman on stage at the 2012 NHL Draft at CONSOL Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-US PRESSWIRE
John Shannon from Sportsnet is reporting that the NHL is set to announce the cancellation of all remaining preseason NHL games sometime later today, September 27th. Earlier this month, all September games were cancelled, but the possibility remained that we could still see some early October exhibition games, even if it was a long shot.. Those hopes will be dashed as the NHL makes it official later today, according to Shannon.
With the cancellation of the entire preseason, it makes it harder to suspend our disbelief and lie to ourselves that the regular season can still start on time if a miracle happens and a new CBA is agreed upon.
CBA negotiations are set to start back up on Friday, but announcing the further cancellation of games prior to those negotiations shows you just how much faith the league has in those negotiations being fruitful. It sends a clear message that the league does not plan on getting any actual work done on Friday, and is once again not prepared to have a real discussion.
Is it time to hit the panic button yet?
Jer is praying for the miracle that will save this season. Follow him on Twitter @JerMeansWell.