Detroit’s Henrik Zetterberg sums up NHL Players’ feelings on Lockout
By Sean
April 7, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Red Wings forward Henrik Zetterberg (40) during the first period against the Chicago Blackhawks at Joe Louis Arena. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-US PRESSWIRE
On Wednesday, Detroit Red Wings’ forward Henrik Zetterberg voiced his opinion on the current state of the lockout and negotiations. I’m pretty sure that he pretty much is letting us know how all of the players are feeling right now. The lockout started LAST MONTH, 19 days to be exact. It has wiped out every preseason game and is now wiping out the first month of the regular season. Tough to write that.
In his interview, Zetterberg pointed out the frustration that the players have on the league’s lack of flexibility when it comes to the CBA negotiations:
"“We can’t really counter what they’re offering. It feels, right now, like if we don’t give everything that they want, it doesn’t really matter. And we will never do that. It’s tough to negotiate with yourself, basically. That’s what we feel like we’re doing. They’re not coming off anything, basically, on their thing, and we’re trying to find ways to make it work. But they are sticking to their views, and we think that’s wrong.”"
This is not Zetterberg’s first rodeo with a lockout, he knows he this goes. He also knows exactly how Bettman negotiates:
"“This is the way he negotiates. We have been through this before, and if he’s going to stay, we’ll probably go through it again. We know how he does things, and we’ve just got to find a way to still make a deal happen. But we can’t give in the things that we really believe in.”"
You know, I’ve never liked the Red Wings, but I’d give anything to be watching a hockey game between the Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Penguins, arguably two of my least favorite teams in the league. However, Zetterberg has really hit the nail on the head here. I just did that three-part series on blaming Bettman, so I don’t want to get too much into the same topic, but this relates to it. Here’s the first part of that series, the second part and the third part.
Also, today will most likely lead to the cancellation of the first month of the regular season, all games in October.
[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/sbaickerCSN/status/253850514649919488″]
So, enjoy!
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