Current state of the NHL

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Current state of the NHL
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What is the current state of the NHL? Why is there a lockout?
Is it to do with revenues?
Salary Caps?
High player salaries?
Too many unprofitable teams?
Low ratings, low attendance?
Revenue Sharing?
The tv deals?

The latest news on NHL Lockout:
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As of Thursday, Nov. 4:

TOTAL DAYS OF LOCKOUT: 50.

TOTAL DAYS OF SEASON MISSED: 23.

GAMES LOST THURSDAY: 7.

TOTAL GAMES MISSED: 146.

With no end in sight to the current lockout, the National Hockey League(NHL) on Nov. 3 cancelled the 2005 all-star game. The all-star game was scheduled for Feb. 13, 2005 at Atlanta's Philips Arena.

The NHL and the players association(NHLPA) haven't held a negotiating session since Sept. 9 - one week before the lockout was imposed, but NHLPA senior director Ted Saskin met with Bill Daly, the NHL's chief legal officer on Oct. 26 in New York. Lockout issues weren't discussed and no talks are scheduled.

The root cause of this crisis
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Like most labour disputes, this is about money. NHL argues that its revenues aren't keeping up with increasing player salaries and that has to change if the league is to survive.

According to NHL, players' salaries have increased 240 per cent since 1995, while revenues have increased only 160 per cent. The average NHL salary in 1994-95 was $733,000 US. Coming into the 2002-03 season, it's just shy of $2 million per season.

Owners say that, mainly due to the rapid increase in player salaries, many of the NHL's teams are in financial trouble. A recent report in the Wall Street Journal claimed that more than two-thirds of the NHL's 30 franchises suffered losses last season.

The league says total losses amounted to ...