NHL cancels first two weeks of regular season

Meetings fail to produce collective bargaining agreement

Author: By the CNN Wire Staff
Published On: Oct 04 2012 03:55:24 PM EDT   Updated On: Oct 04 2012 12:54:46 AM EDT
hockey sticks
(CNN) -

As a result of its ongoing player lockout, the National Hockey League is canceling regular-season games through Oct. 24, the league announced Thursday.

The season was scheduled to start Oct. 11, but recent meetings between representatives for the players union and the NHL have failed to produce a collective bargaining agreement.

"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," said Don Fehr, the executive director of the players' union. "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."

The cancellation wiped out 82 games from the schedule, and comes one week after the league called off preseason games.

NHL.com reported Tuesday that NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said the players and owners had lost $100 million due to the cancellation of the preseason.

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