The Ticking Clock, Pt. II

As if by magic, the hockey season, which was predicted to be cancelled on January 14th, still breathes. The meeting scheduled for hockey's Board of Governors on the 14th was, interestingly, cancelled abruptly by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. Apparently, the reason why the meeting was cancelled was because there was nothing new which required the BoG to meet.

Ostensibly, this is a positive sign, in that it means the season won't necessarily be cancelled that particular day. However, actually, it's a very negative sign, because it indicates two things: first, it shows the NHL isn't in any hurry to take any action; and second, it suggests that the NHL, knowing that speculation to this meeting would be to cancel the season, might spur some movement on the part of the Players Association, which it didn't. So short of a "drop-dead date," the league's turmoil continues.

Unfortunately, what is perhaps most troubling, is the fact that with the cancellation, the League stated that they will not announce a pre-determined "drop-dead date" but will simply announce the cancellation of the season after an undisclosed date beyond which the season cannot continue. In essence, without declaring a deadline for negotiations to either bear fruit or wither on the vine, there's no hope whatsoever at this point for any real progress.

I guess the prediction that there won't be a hockey season this year still remains the odds-on favorite. Stay tuned...if you're so inclined.