NHL Betting – Players As Much To Blame For Lockout As Owners

 

NHL Lockout is Both Parties Fault

The Saturday deadline for the NHL and its players to get a deal done on a new CBA passed. When no deal was in place it wasn’t a surprise to even the casual NHL online betting fan. The general consensus for weeks now has been decided. It is that the two sides would not be able to get the job done. At lest not in time to avoid the Sept. 15 lockout. In many ways it was expected that this would happen. What wasn’t expected is what happened last night. With 24 hours to go before the deadline the two sides would have completely broken off talks. There is no immediate plans to get back to the bargaining table. While it’s obvious that the owners have played a fundamental role in the current lockout situation. The players should not be let off the hook that easily.

Squabbling Like Kids Helps No One

Where were the players when the countdown to the lockout was ticking down on Saturday night? Ilya Kovalchuk and Evgeni Malkin were already cementing plans to play in the KHL this September. We can cross their names off the list of players fighting hard to avoid a lockout. Fellow Russian Sergei Gonchar was also across the pond finalizing plans to play in his native land. New York Islanders’ captain Mark Streit has admitted his plans to play in his native Switzerland during the lockout. The most fundamental issue in any bargaining situation is the ability to form a united front. The owners did exactly that when they held a unanimous vote to lock out their players ahead of the Saturday deadline. They made it public despite that they had already conceded that decision to Commissioner Gary Bettman. As for the players, well, it appears as though a good portion of their PA was already busy scrambling to look out for themselves rather than their union.

NHL Has Lack of TV Deal to Be Too Greedy

There is no denying that the owners’ economical demands are far too high.Especially to forge a common ground in collective bargaining right now. Where have the players been to point that out to the general public and find a way to use that to their advantage? Bettman has repeatedly answered endless questions in a fashion that breeds confidence. The players have lacked the same powerful leader to guide them through this process. In the midst of talks concerning hundreds of millions of dollars most players couldn’t be bothered to show up in anything more formal than ball caps and flip-flops. As easy as it is to blame the owners for their desire to have a system in place that guarantees they succeed, the players have given the public no reason to believe they are wrong.

NHL Better Get to Negotiating

The NHL and NHLPA have no further talks scheduled for this week. At this rate it seems as though the two sides are destined for an extended lockout. The owners are easy to blame since it is them calling for change. The bottom line is that the players have done nothing to help the process along. While there are no odds for upcoming NHL games in light of the likelihood they will be cancelled. There are odds for when the lockout will eventually come to an end that are listed on the best online betting sites.