from Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail,

So here’s a prediction based as much on the past as the present state of NHL labour relations:

The chances of salvaging any portion of the 2012-13 NHL season went from slim to virtually zero Thursday, a roller-coaster moment in the negotiations that closely resembled an almost-identical day eight years ago.

Can anyone remember how that played out?

On Dec. 10, 2004, NHL Players’ Association executive director Bob Goodenow made a dramatic offer to end the lockout, proposing that players would immediately accept a 24-per-cent rollback on salaries – a move he asserted would save the NHL hundreds of millions of dollars.

Too many observers jumped the gun and declared it a season-saving moment, when it was anything but.

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