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Caring about the fans does not mean capitulating to the other side. I would hope they love the game more than it's fans. This deal also will affect hundreds of players not even in the league yet, there are more things to consider than "will fan X have something to do after work tonight?" I want hockey back also, but in no way am I pretending I am the victim here. The simple fact: The OWNERS locked out the PLAYERS, because the OWNERS saw a opportunity to take back guaranteed contract money and use it to subsidize teams in non-traditional markets. I sign contracts with people all the time, never has anyone ever suggested that I take less money and do the same amount of work. I don't know why people feel entitled to these players, they don't owe you anything, they owe their family for all the time they are gone and cutting their household income by 1/4 doesn't fly. If Mario had to give back 1/4 of his money back in the day then there might not be a Penguins team today. Yet now he has the balls to demand that of the people he inspired to join this profession. Bottom Line: The league is not losing money, it is earning a profit. Some teams are winning, others losing. The heaviest contributing factor to the losing of said teams is that they don't have a big enough fan base in their non-traditional market. Taking money from the players allows owners to operate the flawed system longer, but does nothing to fix the problem. If there is no problems then what will they point to next time they feel like changing all the rules because their team can not win the cup.

Flat out, anyone who uses the "Bettman is doing what the owners want and working for them" defense of him is just proving the point of why he should be removed. A GOOD commissioner of any league does what is the best for the league and makes the hard stances AGAINST the owners when need be, they do not just give the spoiled brats whatever they want, whenever they want and be a yes man. A commissioner works for the league, not the owners. Bettman is a spineless yes man that bends over at all of the bog's whims and never tells them no, even when it's what is best for the LEAGUE. More games lost than ALL of the other 3 major sports combined under Bettman's watch... Tell me again how he is doing a good job... The NHL needs a leader and a visionary, not a spineless weasel that won't stand up to the owners in the best interest of the league when he needs to... and to put it quite bluntly, if you disagree with this post, then you are beyond logic and not worth debating with anyway.

You need a better contract lawyer. NHL contracts can not be modified without changing the CBA. They are etched in stone.

I'm really starting to think that Bettman is in way over his head. I think the PA brought Fehr in to take Bettman out and save hockey from this dictator. Fehr has taken on MLB many times and won every time. Bettman and the NHL are small compared to MLB, so Fehr can win this without breaking to much of a sweat or losing to much sleep. The owners have allowed Bettman's to get to powerful, and his self inflated ego is way to big to think straight. Along with being at a disadvantage against Fehr, Bettman is also facing this: 1) Most fans and media are on the side of the players, the longer this goes, the more pressure the owners face. 2) NBC signed a 10 year deal to show games on TV. NBC will pressure Bettman to get a deal done, or they'll do what ESPN didn't and not cover them anyone. 3) The outdoor game and HBO 24/7 is Wings-Leafs. If there's no outdoor game, that's a huge amount of revenue the League will miss out on. 4) 1/3 of the teams are bankrupt. I wouldn't be surprised the longer this goes, teams like Phoenix and Florida may not exists anymore. The owners of those teams may say, "forget it, I don't want to lose anymore money, I'm out" I'd seriously be surprised if Bettman keeps his job after this lockout. I'd put money on it that this will be his undoing. Seriously how can he ever present the Cup again without his life being threatened? I know I'd be throwing stuff at him.

A decade by decade history of the Detroit Red Wings. Hope this helps! http://redwings.nhl....ge.htm?id=43765

I think a presentation about the last 20 something years of the Wings would be interesting, mentioning how they managed to recover from the "Dead Wings" era with the leadership of Yzerman, the Stanley Cups, the playoff streak, the Russian Five, the Konstantinov-incident, the rivalry and brawls with the Colorado Avalanche, the back to back finals with the Penguins, lots of interesting stuff to choose from.

I dunno, 3 lockouts in 3 chances for Uncle Gary. If that's not reliable and consistent, I don't know what is...