| In the fall of 2004 the owners of the teams in the | | | | did some serious thinking. And what they came up with |
| National Hockey League locked the players out. This | | | | was 'A Whole New Game'. Or at least that was the |
| was a chapter in the NHL hockey history all fans sure | | | | slogan. |
| could have been without. For the first time in ice | | | | For the beginning of the 2005-2006 National Hockey |
| hockey history an entire NHL season was canceled. | | | | League season, they introduced rule changes that was |
| Part of an NHL season has been canceled before due | | | | to benefit the more talented players. In turn this would |
| to disputes with the collective bargain agreement, but | | | | lead to a faster and higher scoring game, just as |
| this time we didn't even get to watch the Stanley Cup | | | | hockey is supposed to be played. |
| finals. And this hasn't happened since 1919, when the | | | | Prior to the beginning of the season, many doubted |
| Stanley Cup Final was canceled due to a worldwide | | | | these new rule changes. But soon everyone could see |
| influenza. That time the final would have been played | | | | that the new NHL had turned into a huge success. |
| between the Montreal Canadiens and the Seattle | | | | Scoring was up and the fans had returned to the |
| Metropolitans. Who do you think would have played in | | | | arenas. A lucrative broadcasting agreement was also |
| 2005? | | | | signed with a new television network. |
| Did you know that Montreal Canadiens' Joe Hall | | | | The NHL had turned the crises around and things |
| actually died from the flu in 1919? | | | | were looking better than ever before in North |
| When the 2004-2005 season got canceled for the | | | | American ice hockey history. Also fortunate for the |
| first time in NHL hockey history, many people thought | | | | league was that the Winter Olympics was played in |
| that this would be the end for hockey in North | | | | 2006, which helped to boost interested for the NHL |
| America. Especially in the important and wealthy US | | | | and ice hockey even more. |
| market. And I am sure this is something that must | | | | This far the only losers seem to be the players. They |
| have troubled the owners of the clubs and the National | | | | all got to sign smaller tickets due to the new collective |
| Hockey League. You sure loose a lot of fans if you | | | | bargain agreement. What I've never understood |
| don't show up for an entire season and with that | | | | though, is whether some clubs really were broke prior |
| comes loss of revenue. | | | | to the lockout or if the owners just wanted to keep |
| But the owners and the NHLPA kept negotiating and | | | | more money to themselves. |
| finally the owners came out on top. All the time they | | | | But why should we figure so much about that now? |
| had known that they must win the fans back. So they | | | | Hockey is on and we all love it... |