NHL cancels all November games
The NHL dealt yet another blow to its fanbase Friday when all of its November games were cancelled and the league withdrew its latest proposal.
That proposal had been aimed at beginning the season on Nov. 2, which would have allowed each team to play a full 82-game schedule. It’s now more or less out of the question for the league to try and fit in 82 games between December and April.
The Winter Classic and All-Star Game have not yet been cancelled, but they are assumed to be the next items on the chopping block, since all parties involved with the games – from HBO’s 24/7 producers to the people running Michigan Stadium, where the Winter Classic would be held – will need to know as soon as possible how to proceed.
The NHL and its players haven’t met to negotiate since Oct. 18, when the league rejected the union’s offers. The league had proposed a cut in hockey-related revenue for the players, from 57 percent to 50 percent, that was one of the many sticking points for the players’ union. The two sides also failed to agree on contract-related issues.
The NHLPA has not made any further offers since Oct. 18. They have reportedly attempted to set up meetings with the league, but those offers have been turned down, and so the stalemate will march on for another month at the very least.
