The NHL canceled the regular-season schedule through Oct. 24, meaning games from Oct. 11-24 won't be played.
That affects five Wild games -- three at home.
The wording of the league's release was somewhat vague, the reason being that there is a brief window to reshuffle the schedule and have an 82-game season per team if there is a quick solution to the lockout.
Of course, the way talks are going, that is slim.
Said NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly in an email to the Star Tribune: "It was an extremely disappointing but necessary decision. There is simply not enough days left to open the regular season on time. We remain committed to continuing to work hard to try to figure something out that will result in the breakthrough we need to get this agreement done and behind us. But obviously, we haven't been able to do that yet. And for better or worse, we need a negotiating partner to make that happen."
In a statement, NHLPA Executive Director Donald Fehr said, "The decision to cancel the first two weeks of the NHL season is the unilateral choice of the NHL owners. If the owners truly cared about the game and the fans, they would lift the lockout and allow the season to begin on time while negotiations continue. A lockout should be the last resort in bargaining, not the strategy of first resort. For nearly 20 years, the owners have elected to lock-out the players in an effort to secure massive concessions. Nevertheless, the players remain committed to playing hockey while the parties work to reach a deal that is fair for both sides. We hope we will soon have a willing negotiating partner."
Players expected the cancellations when I spoke to them earlier this week.
"It's not like tomorrow I'm going to wake up and be shocked that we're not starting on time," said Vancouver Canucks defenseman Keith Ballard, a former Gopher who is skating and working out weekly in the Twin Cities.
