It's becoming harder and harder to remain optimistic that the NHL season will start on time. Don Cherry, for one, has lost all confidence in that being a possibility.
The former NHL coach and current Hockey Night in Canada commentator said Friday he expects there to be a two-month lockout, according to Canada's Pembroke Daily Observer.
"I'm afraid it looks like two months. Everybody's talking that they're going to be out two months," Cherry reportedly said. "It's a lockout, it's a shame. Everybody's making money but everybody wants more money, and wouldn't you? And that's the way it works. It's too bad.
"It's hard to believe we're going to miss hockey for two months."
Obviously the players and owners could come to an agreement that would make starting on time realistic, but there hasn't been a lot of good news coming out of the negotiations thus far. Any hockey would certainly be better than no hockey, but missing two months — which Cherry seems pretty adamant about being the case — is still not good for a league that finally rebounded from its last lockout in 2004-05.
The current collective bargaining agreement expires on Sept. 15, so we should know then whether or not the NHL will be starting things up on time.
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