RIP NHL?

From the Chicago Tribune: Hopes for a quick end to the National Hockey League's labor dispute were dashed on Thursday when the latest round of talks broke down.

No further negotiations were scheduled as the two feuding sides pointed the finger of blame at each other after three days of negotiations that began positively ended on a sour note.
"I am disappointed beyond belief that we are where we are tonight," said NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. "We're going to have to take a deep breath and regroup."

With the sides no closer to finding an agreement, time is running out to salvage something from a season that was due to start in early October but is now in danger of being canceled altogether because of the labor dispute.
"It looks like this is not going to be resolved in the immediate future," said Donald Fehr, the Executive Director of the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA).
Fehr's bleak forecast came just moments after he had triumphantly announced that a resolution was imminent, telling reporters at a midtown Manhattan hotel that the sides were close to agreement on most of the major issues. 
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/sns-rt-us-nhl-laborbre8b50bi-20121206,0,254041.story
Stick a fork in it, the season is done.  And good luck trying to win the fans back next year.