Turkey of the Year

One of the many traditions I've come to love surrounding the Thanksgiving holiday is reading the annual Turkey of the Year column in the Star Tribune written by Patrick Reusse. The eventual turkey isn't even the best part sometimes, it's reading about the other sports-related figures who've been invited to the table that year.

A couple years ago, I came up with a list of my turkeys, so I thought I'd try it again. Yes, I know I'm a little late because Thanksgiving was a few days ago. Oh well. Better late than never.

The winners are...
I'm really keeping it simple with a narrow focus for the turkey honors from this year: It's NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, the National Hockey League Players' Association Executive Director Donald Fehr and all the players and owners for this ridiculous lockout that has halted the 2012-13 season at least through Dec. 14.

A new collective bargaining agreement between the NHLPA and the league owners is what's on the table, and both sides can't seem to agree. Negotiations often seem like they're going in the right direction, then the next thing I hear, the two sides are even farther apart than before.

Perhaps the leader of this turkey feast is Commish Bettman. When you're at the top you get all the credit, and blame, for what goes down. This is the third lockout since he's been in this lead role, one during the 1994-95 season and another that wiped out the 2004-05 season. That doesn't exactly inspire confidence.

Killing it - and not in a good way
The bottom line for me in all this lockout business is that it's killing the NHL. Just killing it.

I don't care if you're an owner or a player, you're part of the problem. It's as bad as gridlocked politicians not being able to get anything accomplished because they don't want to give an inch for compromise. That's what ending this lockout is going to take. Compromise. Quit arguing over your millions of dollars and get a deal done.

It's not like hockey is a top sport in this country. You've got football, baseball, basketball and NASCAR most definitely above it in popularity. This lockout is only going to make the sport tumble down even more.

It's the fans who are losing out. And will all of them come back? No. It all depends on the market, of course. I think the state of hockey here in Minnesota will rebound alright. Detroit loves its Red Wings, Boston has the beloved Bruins and the Canadian teams still flock to hockey as well. But what about teams in Florida? Phoenix? Other markets with struggling teams? They might have a harder time bouncing back whenever it is that another NHL game gets played.

Too many problems
I've also heard that only short-term deals are being discussed between the two sides. Meaning, we'll probably be back in the same boat in a few years with another lockout on our hands. That's not a good idea either. Putting a bandage on the collective bargaining agreement every few years isn't the best solution.

The problem as the lockout drags out is who still cares to pay attention to the negotiations. I see bits and pieces through Twitter and news sources to keep up, but it's really kind of depressing. There's also nothing I can do about it, so I'm hoping they get a deal done, but I'm also at the point where I just want to know when the lockout's over.

I've heard and seen people, fans and sports writers indicate they don't care anymore about what's going on with the lockout. It seems people are losing interest in what's become a ridiculous soap opera of sports greed. I'm worried about the permanent damage this lockout will cause the league and the sport of hockey.

So, enjoy your prestigious turkey award Mr. Bettman, Mr. Fehr, owners and players. May the recognition knock some sense into you all, in hopes of reaching an agreement.