You have options during an NHL Lockout

Here is a good article that I found this morning that piqued my interest and this article kind of sums up the lockout in a nutshell – I would have to say that I agree with the author – I do believe that both sides could come to an agreement very quickly that would allow the season to start on time if both sides were equally committed to starting the season on time. I mean seriously, lock the NHL owners and the NHLPA in a room by themselves and tell them do not come out until you have an agreement.

I also agree with others that say the lockout is not our fault – we aren’t culpable.

Let’s not kid ourselves, both sides are banking on the assumption that no matter how long the work stoppage lasts that the fans are going to come back in droves when the work stoppage is over and watch the NHL play hockey.

The players want to play and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman seems bound and determined to lock the players out for a third time since 1994.

Robert Tychkowski, Edmonton Sun --- It seems rather odd that NHL owners are hurrying to sign as many players as possible under the current CBA before locking those same players out because the current CBA just isn't working.

But that actually sums up hockey's latest labour strife perfectly: it makes absolutely no sense, millionaires squabbling with billionaires over who gets the bigger slice of an obscenely big pie.

If the players were a little more understanding and the owners were a little less stupid, they could solve this thing in a week.

But they aren't, and they probably won't.

Why should owners worry about making smart business decisions, like not putting hockey teams in places where 12-year-olds knew they couldn't survive and not trying to cheat their way around their own salary cap, when all it takes to get about $350 million in taxpayer money for a new arena is stamping their feet and threatening to leave town?

And why should players settle for $4 million a season when they can get $4.5 million? Think it's easy scoring 12 goals a year?

While it appears that the NHLPA and the NHL owners are on a collision course to be locked out for an unprecedented third time since 1994 by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman – there’s no reason to fret – hockey fans have many viable otions. Unlike the professional ranks there are no lockouts in college and junior hockey. These are good options to fill the NHL.

With the aid of DirecTV you can watch oodles of College Hockey. The best comprehensive schedule for all of the college Division I hockey games can be found at the College Hockey News. While the television Schedule is not posted yet it will be closer to the start of the college hockey season.

While the prospects of not starting the NHL season on team – they NHL cynically released their 2012-13 television schedule this past week.