|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
February 17, 2005Red Wings, Hockeytown fans lament loss of 2004-05 campaignDETROIT (AP) - There was no joy in Hockeytown.The NHL canceled what little was left of the season Wednesday after a series of last-minute offers were rejected on the final day of negotiations, meaning Detroit fans may have seen the last of older players like captain Steve Yzerman. Red Wings executives watched from Joe Louis Arena while commissioner Gary Bettman announced the season's end during an afternoon news conference in New York. Shortly after Bettman finished speaking, Red Wings general manager Ken Holland spoke to reporters in Detroit, saying: "It's a very, very disappointing day." Season ticket holders will be fully refunded in the next 10 business days, Holland said. "We've got a great fan base. They've got a great passion for our team and a great passion for our sport," Holland said. "I'd like to hope and think that the fans here in Detroit understand that it's about getting a healthy league, and they're going to have to have patience." A lockout over a salary cap shut down the game before it ever got a chance to start in October. Now the NHL, already low on the popularity scale in the United States, becomes the first major pro sports league in North America to lose an entire season to a labor dispute. "Eventually, when we get a deal and back on the ice, I think it's going to take a lot of work on our part to try to reconnect," Holland said. "There's going to have to be a healing process I think between everybody. ... I think it can be done. It just takes time." Two Zamboni machines sat motionless at Detroit's home arena, and the ice surface was in pristine condition. The future of Yzerman and other Wings are up in the air. Yzerman isn't expected to announce his plans any time soon, but has said he might not come back if the work stoppage drags longer than one year. "This is not the way we'd want Steve to go out," Holland said. "My hope is Steve would want to come back." Since the start of the 1994-95 season, Detroit won an NHL-high 464 games and is tied with Colorado with a league-best 89 playoff victories. The Red Wings and New Jersey each have won three Stanley Cups during that time, just ahead of the Avalanche's two titles. Red Wings star Nicklas Lidstrom was to make $10 million during the 2004-05 season, but he insisted the money he lost didn't bother him. "I really don't think about it that way," Lidstrom said recently. "I think more about missing a whole season of my career. It is a pretty short career, compared to other occupations." Lidstrom said if the work stoppage dragged into the fall, he would consider moving home to Sweden with his wife and their four boys. "It's something we're thinking about," Lidstrom said. "We'll have to make a decision about what to do, especially with the kids and their school. "You never know how long this is going to drag on. It's tough to predict." See related stories: NHL season iced; Dallas Drake: This falls entirely on owners Owners reject final proposal; Bettman cancels season Fans are 'upset, hurt' by news
|
|
