Thursday Night Thoughts

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I needed to rant a little about the lockout and since the only other person that I really talk hockey with face to face is so far opposed to my views it makes me more upset, here goes:

1. When the last lockout ended, Gary Bettman and the NHL were championing a new system and a new CBA. One that they had broken the players for and written themselves. Suddenly, after record revenues and parity, this system is not working and therefore they have to lock the players out in hopes of breaking them so that they will take another 24% reduction in salary, this time though it will be in the form of escrow and not a straight rollback. (Let's face it they're the same thing though.) 
2. The players have a shelf-life and if this lockout goes the entire season and not only deprives me of NHL hockey but also takes another away another 82 games that I won't get to see Datsyuk, Zetterberg, and my favorite players play, I am going to be even more upset than coming back from the last lockout. I live and breathe hockey and at some point, I am going to come to the realization that there are other leagues that deserve my money more than the NHL, namely ones that do not have labor strife every time there is a new Collective Bargaining Agreement to be negotiated. 
3. I get that the owners are the ones who put up the financial capital to keep the arenas open and the paychecks coming for the players, and employees. I understand that but, if your team is in trouble and you may not have the cash flow to keep the team running, don't spend so much money on one or two "franchise players." (*coughMINNESOTAcough*) This seems like common sense to me but, if the owners can't keep themselves in check, then I guess I get that the league needs to. 
4. I'm not by any means insinuating that the Players Assoc. proposal was the best proposal there ever will be, there were flaws, like wanting salary to go up the next couple seasons? How is that even going to inspire coming to the bargaining table? What I am saying is that while the PA's proposal has flaws, it puts forth a solution to the problem that the league has said it wants to fix. That being the one where some teams are struggling financially. What that means to me is that the owners that have the money, are the ones that want more and think they can break the players again. (Note: It is not a problem to want more money, after all that is the point in being an American. Fair is not equal and therefore, if you have the ability to be more successful you should be.) 
5. GET ME MY DARN HOCKEY

I needed to get that out of my system.
My prediction for the end of the lockout: Early November (The issues are not "salary cap vs. no cap" size this time. It is all about the money and how long can it take to divide that up?)
Games will start around November 15-20 because the league is going to make a whole lot of money from HBO 24/7. They need time to film it.