Is there any logical way to have the owners get their hardcap? Declaring an impasse is ridiculous and wont work since they have not conceeded any of their points (which are what , anyway?) and they are clearly not negotiating in good faith (or trying to negotiate at all). Furthermore, the replacement player situation is absolutely Pejorative Slured, since
1. Fans in US cities dont even care to go see real NHLers, why the hell would they bother to see replacement players ?
2. The replacement player scenario is illegal in Montreal and Vancouver, and probably wouldn't fly in Calgary Edmonton Toronto or Ottawa, either... (thus, alienating 6 of your top 15 markets as well as the most loyal fanbase)
3. Even with drastically reduced to AHL or lower ticket prices, the owners would definitely not bring in enough revenue to make this a sustainable option.
4. Cancelling a whole season will destroy whatever small amount of fans there are in the states and severely hurt Canadian teams as well.
The owners position has always been illogical, and smart fans like myself have been able to see through it. Lets hope they be fair and negotiate a deal with compromises on both sides, which is what will happen anyway. Whats the point of wasting months and months when the end result is pretty clear, anyway?
The 94-04 CBA was great, what a shame.