The labor stoppage hammer fell on Saturday when the NHL's collective bargaining agreement expired, and the players were locked out by the owners.
Now what?
While the most important thing for both sides is to ultimately get what they want, winning the support of the fans likely remains an important piece of the puzzle.
Naturally, both sides have begun their full-court press in an effort to spin the story and gain sympathy from the real losers in a lockout — the fans.
That, of course, begins with statements.
First up, we've got the owners. Via NHL.com:
Despite the expiration of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the National Hockey League has been, and remains, committed to negotiating around the clock to reach a new CBA that is fair to the Players and to the 30 NHL teams.
Thanks to the conditions fostered by seven seasons under the previous CBA, competitive balance has created arguably the most meaningful regular season in pro sports; a different team has won the Stanley Cup every year; fans and sponsors have agreed the game is at its best, and the League has generated remarkable growth and momentum. While our last CBA negotiation resulted in a seismic change in the League's economic system, and produced corresponding on-ice benefits, our current negotiation is focused on a fairer and more sustainable division of revenues with the Players — as well as other necessary adjustments consistent with the objectives of the economic system we developed jointly with the NHL Players' Association seven years ago. Those adjustments are attainable through sensible, focused negotiation — not through rhetoric.
This is a time of year for all attention to be focused on the ice, not on a meeting room. The League, the Clubs and the Players all have a stake in resolving our bargaining issues appropriately and getting the puck dropped as soon as possible. We owe it to each other, to the game and, most of all, to the fans.
The players had a message as well, and they upped the ante with a multimedia presentation, opting to go with a video set to sappy music. See that video in all of it's cliche-filled glory below.
