NHL Lockout Update

NHL Lockout Update: Brief

By Kenton Wolfe

The NHL has cancelled the first of what could be many blocks of games.

The ongoing discussions to draw up a new Collective Bargaining Agreement give no indication of a new deal to be reached between the NHLPA and the team owners. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman scratched all regular season games scheduled between Oct. 11 – 24, and threatened to cancel more should a new contract not be reached. The NHL’s preseason has already been cancelled.

Four of the league’s top five scorers from the 2011-12 NHL season have followed the trend of signing overseas. The list includes Evgeni Malkin, Claude Giroux, Jason Spezza and Ilya Kovalchuk. Over 100 NHL players have joined squads in Europe.