February 16, 2005, after several months of brutal, arduous, incendiary and ultimately, futile negations, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman officially announces the termination of the 2004-05 season. Bettman and his NHLPA counterpart Bob Goodenow, were not able to find enough common ground to agree on a collective bargaining agreement and end the owner’s enforced Lockout. Therefor, the NHL, for the first time in its history which dated back to 1917, would lose an entire season due to labor strife and no Stanley Cup champion would be awarded.
Coping with the Lockout of 2005
As a die hard New York Ranger fan, I was beyond devastated.