The silence of the lambs on the NHL Board of Governors continues to reverberate even as they are led to metaphorical lockout slaughter by extremists including commissioner Gary Bettman, Boston chairman Jeremy Jacobs and counsel Bob Batterman.
The league that refused to meet with the players association last week in order to attempt to bridge an economic divide of approximately $100 million a year continued on its chosen self-destructive path to oblivion yesterday with cancelation of all games through Nov. 30.
Cancelation of the Detroit-Toronto Jan. 1 Winter Classic in Ann Arbor, a fait accompli, is expected to be announced next week, as is cancelation of the All-Star Game that was scheduled to be played in Columbus, Ohio, on Jan. 27.
Yesterday’s announcement — accompanied by a statement from the NHL in which hollow regrets were expressed — leaves a best-case scenario under which a schedule of 60-64 games could be played commencing Dec. 1 if a labor agreement is reached by Thanksgiving.
This means the players, who have been presented with an apparently non-negotiable demand calling for an immediate 12.3 percent reduction in hockey-related revenue share from 57 percent to 50 percent, stand to suffer a pro-rated cut in pay of approximately 25 percent for this season regardless of the terms of the collective bargaining agreement.
The league rejected the union’s requests to meet last week unless the NHLPA agreed to accept the NHL’s demands for widespread restrictions in systems issues including contract length and structure, free agency and arbitration.
Brad Richards and Brian Boyle of the Rangers told The Post they will likely begin to explore options in Europe over the next couple of weeks. … Michael Del Zotto, who is an unsigned restricted free agent, is talking with teams in the Swiss League. … Henrik Lundqvist, who has been visiting family in Sweden for the last two weeks, does not, as of now, plan on playing in Europe unless the NHL season is canceled, though the King’s agent, Don Meehan, yesterday accented the “as of now.”