Sociology 101
NHL LOCKOUT The 2012 NHL lockout began on September 15th, 2012 because of an ongoing labor dispute on the expiration of the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement. The lockout began less than a month earlier to the scheduled beginning of the 2012–13 NHL season. The owners confirmed a lockout of the members of the National Hockey League Players ' Association after a new agreement could not be met before their deadline. The NHL 2012-13 is the 96th season. It was scheduled to begin on October 11, 2012 but is currently delayed, and as a result a total of 326 games have been canceled. The 2013 NHL Winter Classic was scheduled to feature the Detroit Red Wings hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan, but it was canceled due to the labor lockout. The season is schedule to resume on December 1, 2012 and end on April 13, 2013 as a shortened season with only a total of 999 games to be played. The issues at hand for the owners are the wishes to reduce the players share of 57% hockey related revenues, introduce term limits on contracts, eliminate salary arbitration, and change free agency rules. The offers introduced by the unions have focused on increased revenue sharing between owners and a fixed salary cap that is not linked to league revenues. As the deadline for a work stoppage approached, the union challenged the league 's ability to lock out players of three Canadian teams – the Edmonton Oilers, the Calgary Flames, and the Montreal Canadians. Since Gary Bettman became NHL Commissioner in 1993, this has been the fourth lockout in the 19 years. Beginning with an official’s lockout in 1993 and following player lockouts in 1994–95 and 2004–05.
ISSUES
* Reduce the players ' share of hockey-related revenues from 57 percent to 46 percent. Proposed modifications to HRR itself would actually reduce the players ' share to 43 percent as defined by the expired CBA. * Set a maximum term of five years on all