5 days until the fate of the NHL is revealed by Bettman & company. All is eerily quiet on both sides of this waging war in what is sure to be the calm before the coming storm. The next few days are expected to be filled with meetings between the NHL and the NHLPA. It seems like Bettman is going for the kill…and by that I mean it seems as though he wants to kill the NHL by forcing all the fans to endure yet another lockout. Do we want Bettman to kill the NHL? Simply put, NO. With the lockout as I have mentioned SOOOOO many times..there are NO winners. The fans do not win. The league certainly does not win…the lose money and more. Should there be a full season lockout there is  no presidents trophy[yes I know it doesn’t mean a whole lot], there are no playoffs and there is no Stanley cup awarded. There will no parade for that one lucky city to celebrate their team’s victory. There are NO winners in the event of a lockout. So PLEASE…Bettman, NHL executives, and NHLPA….get with the program. There are 5 days [count ’em up]…5 days to discuss…argue…discuss some more OH and come to a freaking agreement before MIDNIGHT of the 15th. Let’s get ‘er done. Stat. Thank-you.

Rumor has it that not only is the NHLPA attempting to block a lockout in Alberta…but they also attempting to block a lockout in Montreal as well. It appears that like Alberta…there must be voting and mediation…none of which has occurred. Like with Alberta…provincial law requires the Labour board’s involvement. If the labour board agrees with the NHLPA that the NHL did not follow protocol then Montreal could NOT legally lockout their players. Could this Quebec legal snag & the Alberta conundrum be the keys to stopping the lockout and proceeding with a season that starts on time? Maybe.

Everyone’s favourite GM Brian Burke [not really everyone’s favourite but he’s never afraid to speak his mind & he did get BOTH Sedins in the 1999 draft for the Canucks] is lashing out at ESPN following their survey which named the Maple Leafs as the WORST sports franchise. Burke has never been one to keep quiet when someone slams his team. He vehemently claims that clearly ESPN knows NOTHING about hockey. He also insists that he will not be making any more roster movements before the season starts [if there is a season that is].

5 days left for the drama that is yet to come to unfold and you know the sparks will fly as they always do when the tension is high. Each day that passes with no answers only creates more dislike for Bettman and the owners and even more loathing as the word ‘lockout’ forces its way into my vocabulary. Let’s hope that whatever happens…that it does not involve the words ‘full season lockout’. I refuse to accept that the entire season will be lost. Absolutely refuse. That is all.

As always, until next time, nuck said.

Sarah E.L.