With no surprise, the NHL announced today that all games schedule until December 30th have been canceled. It’s hard to believe, after 86 days of lockout, there are fans that still give a hoot.

We’ll be the first to admit; it has been very difficult to continue to show optimism amongst such disappointment. However, we understand our frustrations do not come from the franchises themselves, but from those who run the organization as a whole. If and/or when the season begins, we will return to the Bridgestone Arena to support the sport we have come to love.

We asked on our Facebook page yesterday if Season Ticket Holders have already or would be canceling their season tickets due to the dragging lockout. Most fans said they have already canceled them, unable to take the uncertainty of a possible season and the fact the money could go towards more important needs. Others said the thought has crossed their minds, but the perks that the Predators have offered for hanging on to the tickets have kept them for now. But a few hopefuls have made it known that they will hang on to their season tickets, not swayed by the unpredictable future that the lockout holds.

We can see the reasoning behind all of these fans and their opinions on their season tickets. You wouldn’t waste that much money on season tickets if you did not truly love the game, but that money, being unused, could go to so much more. Items that are needed, not so much wants.

But what about those who depend on the games being played for their livelihoods?

We aren’t talking about the players, the owners, or the hierarchy of the individual franchises. We’re talking about the concession stand workers, the ticket takers, the businesses surrounding the arenas, and so on? How are their lives being affected by this, the 86th day of the NHL Lockout?

Here’s a how they are being affected in a nutshell:

Tough nutshell, isn’t it?
It’s hard to believe, with Tweets like these and other stories floating about, how the NHL and NHLPA can go on with this drama. Surely, they have seen examples like this; someone has to have shown them, right?
It’s almost sickening to read, honestly.

The sad reality with all of this is as the old adage goes: It’s easy to overlook those who are not directly in your daily life. Gary Bettman, Don Fehr, and the like have seen the devastation the lockout has incurred, but similar to the children of third world countries commercials go, it’s easier to sleep at night if you just change the channel. That’s essentially what the NHL and NHLPA are doing.

So, what can be done now to get this show on the road to a season?

Reporters speculate that the NHLPA will extend a ‘Disclaimer of Interest’ within the next week or so, essentially kicking Don Fehr to the curb, not allowing him to speak for the players any longer. This is also the route the NBA took when they, too entered a lockout last year. You can read up on the details of a ‘Disclaimer of Interest’ here.

Wether a DofI happens or not, the NHL is slow dancing in a burning room. Fans are turning their backs and employees are finding other means of work; businesses are cutting hours and closing up shop. Those low on the totem pole hold you in the sky, and the pegs are being chopped off left and right. Again, the NHL is slow dancing in a burning room.

Twitter post courtesy of @PredsNBolts