Lockout Forces NHL to Cancel All-Star Game
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In another sign the NHL season is slipping away, the league canceled its All-Star game yesterday because of the lockout. No regular-season games have been played since the season was scheduled to begin October 13, and NHL arenas have been given the go-ahead to release dates on a 45-day rolling basis. With the All-Star game now off the schedule, the next announcement could be the cancellation of the entire season.
The lockout, now in its 49th day, was imposed by Commissioner Gary Bettman after the collective bargaining agreement expired on September 15. Bettman declined comment on the cancellation of the game, which was scheduled to be held in February.
The NHL and the players association haven’t met since September 9 and have no plans to return to the bargaining table. The lockout during the 1994-95 season also forced the All-Star game to be canceled. That lockout ended when an agreement was reached in January 1995. A new deal would have to be reached by the same time in this season for any part of the campaign to be salvaged.
“The season is likely to slip away,” Bettman said in an interview this week with TSN in Canada.
