from Damien Cox of The Spin at the Toronto Star,

There are already hardline owners saying they should shut down the league now, which makes no sense at all. Having spent unwisely during the summer months right up to the expiration of the old CBA, it would be the height of hypocrisy now (again) for the league to turn around and get suddenly impatient with the negotiating process.

Until these CBA squabbles become about more than name-calling and beating down the other guy, we're destined to have this kind of nonsense spoil the atmosphere time after time. One side shows up late, other side says nothing to talk about so why meet, blah-blah, blah-blah. A true statesman on either side has yet to emerge.

This much seems clear. The minute Gary Bettman said he wanted to start play Nov. 2, you knew the NHLPA would never give him that date. So they'll blow through another pseudo-deadline tonight without having faced one another across a bargaining table.

more