Voices of the NHL Lockout

The third prolonged work stoppage of the Commissioner's tenure has produced much sound and fury. Here are some of the most colorful and notable quotes and tweets from officials, players, media and fans: "We made a proposal to save an 82-game season and, quite frankly, we're all mystified as to why we're not playing in light of that offer and in light of the fact the players are losing between $8- to $10-million per day." -- at a Nov. 21 press conference after the NHL rejected a CBA offer from the NHLPA "By the way, I love the players. Nobody should think for a moment I don't." -- in a Nov. 18 interview with Gary Lawless of the Winnipeg Free Press

"It's a good thing Gary Bettman really loves the players, otherwise we'd all be screwed." -- Agent via Twitter (@walsha)

"The owners can basically be viewed as the Ranch, and the players, and me included, are the cattle. The owners own the Ranch and allow the players to eat there. That's the way its always been and that the way it will be forever. And the owners simply aren't going to let a union push them around. It's not going to happen." -- Red Wings Senior VP to Island Sports News. (The Wings were fined $250,000 by the NHL for his remark.)

"Just been reading some player tweets. And you thought YOU didn't like Gary Bettman..." -- Jesse Spector of The Sporting News via Twitter (@jessespector) "We're not shocked at being called 'cattle.' I can tell you the players have been called a lot worse by some of the guys on the other side." -- Sharks winger Martin Havlat via agent Allan Walsh's Twitter page "Intriguing that players can 'hate' Bettman so much when salaries and benefits have increased pretty much every year since he took over." -- Damien Cox of The Toronto Star via Twitter (@DamoSpin)

"The lockout is a procedure to take from the players to pay for the NHL mistakes. Let not allow the NHL to make any more mistakes." -- Newly-signed Devils winger during a 26-tweet rant on Sept. 29

Coyotes winger via Twitter (@BizNasty2point0): "Gary Bettman takes a lot of heat for doing his job. Question to you is would you do what he does for 8 million dollars a year?" "Because of the NHL lockout I will be pursuing my dream of Yoga instructing."

"I gotta be honest: I personally think he's an idiot. Since he's come in, I think he's done nothing but damage the game."-- Red Wings defenseman on Gary Bettman to USA Today

"Gary bettman's autobiography is in stores now. It's titled 'how I destroyed a sport and a nation'" -- Ex-Rangers winger Prust via Twitter (@BrandonPrust8) "'M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E' - The 3 other Major Sports" -- Rangers center Rupp via Twitter (@Rupper17) on what the other leagues think of the NHL now (a reference to Wayne Gretzky's famous remark about the then-hapless New Jersey Devils organization)

"I'm really frustrated. It's not good. You do try to look at the best-case scenarios moving forward once the CBA does get done, and you gotta look for the cancers and you gotta cut out the cancers and I think that when you look at Bill Daly and Bettman, they've been looting this game for far too long." -- Panthers winger to TSN 1050 Monday Afternoon with Bryan Hayes and Jamie McLennan

"I don't think either Gary or I take those personally." -- Deputy Commissioner on the nasty remarks by players, at Nov. 19 press conference "We were extremely disappointed to have to make today's announcement." -- after Oct. 4 cancellation of first two weeks of the regular season "We are profoundly disappointed that a new agreement has not been attained to this point." -- Oct. 26, on games cut through Nov. 30 "We are extremely disappointed, for our fans and for all those affected, to have to cancel the Winter Classic and Hockeytown Winter Festival events." -- Nov. 2 "We feel badly..." -- Nov. 23, upon cancellation of All-Star Weekend "We are disappointed that the mediation process was not successful." -- Nov. 29 "[Owners] went back to the players and said `We'll stay and we'll reengage if you agree to the three things that we say are important to us, which is the term of the CBA, term limits on player contracts, which is the hill we will die on, and the compliance issues." -- after the collapse of talks on Dec. 6

"If it comes to (a lockout), it's a choice which was made or is being made. It's not a requirement. It's not something anybody has to do. If that's the way it's going to be, then unfortunately that's the way it's going to be." -- NHLPA executive director at Sept. 13 news conference "They appreciated it, but reiterated that they can't move. (it was) 'thanks, but you have to agree to what we say.' ... I will tell you the single question players ask me, and that's, 'Where is their reciprocity in the bargaining process on the other side?' And it's pretty hard to find." -- after the NHL rejected an NHLPA proposal on Nov. 21

"The players remain ready to negotiate but we require a willing negotiating partner." -- Fehr in a Nov. 22 statement "They have utterly refused to negotiate for months. They have made essentially one proposal -- five times. They continue to request a "guaranteed" Players Share as part of the next agreement and we repeatedly tell them maybe they should get a reality check." -- Daly in a Nov. 15 email to the Minneapolis StarTribune

"So, posturing against posturing now, after a moratorium on a moratorium. We are through the looking glass." -- Jesse Spector of The Sporting News via Twitter (@jessespector) "Bettman says he hopes these talks create momentum. He might want to tell Fehr that." -- Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun via Twitter (@SunGarrioch) "Even after writing my column on the latest NHL-NHLPA breakdown, I cant get over what a fustercluck this is." -- Spector via Twitter

"I'd like to congratulate the NHL for a great leap in progress today. Last time, rejected players offer in 10 minutes. This time, it took 50." -- David Shoalts of The Globe and Mail via Twitter (@dshoalts) "Bettman also rejected PA offer to give NHL Boardwalk for Baltic Ave. League said it needs Park Place, too. -- Iain MacIntyre of the Vancouver Sun via Twitter (@imacVanSun) "NHL all-star game to be cancelled. See - who says nothing good can come from this lockout?"-- Damien Cox of the The Toronto Star via Twitter (@DamoSpin)

"Hahaha Whata clowns!!!....Don tell it all. Bla blah...make a deal instead of talk about Don!" -- Capitals star via Twitter (@ovi8) on the owners' assertion that a memo from Don Fehr to the players did not fairly reflect the NHL's CBA offer.

"They're like schoolyard bullies right now; they want everything. That's not negotiating." -- Dallas Stars forward on the NHL owners to ESPN's Pierre LeBrun

"And Bettman stop talking to the media. I wanna 'make whole' in your fkn head." -- former NHL forward via Twitter (@odognine2) referring to the CBA dispute regarding the Make Whole provision to honor existing player contracts

"The KHL can't feed all the players, but for some big players -- especially those with Russian passports -- it might be a threat." -- Flyers goalie, playing for CSKA Moscow, to Russian interviewer on why he thinks some NHL players will stay in Russia after the lockout ends

The three Capitals had a frank exchange of views: "I am disgusted. We have to push Fehr to the wall to get the deal. Time is against us. We lost one quarter season, it is $425 million. Will you give it back to us? Mr. Fehr?" -- Hamrlik to TV Nova Sport's Roman Jedlicka "I agree 100 percent with Hammer. This lockout is not about majority of players, I think. It is about several superstars with big contracts." -- Neuvirth to TV Nova Sport "These are two guys that have never been on a conference call, never been to a meeting, never paid attention." -- Brouwer, the Caps' player rep, to The Washington Post

Selected tweets from the Hockey Night in Canada icon (@CoachsCornerCBC): "When I am out, people always say, 'With the lockout you must have a lot of time on your hands.' But it's the opposite. Since I am not busy ... People call and ask me to do stuff. I'm busier than I ever was!" "I went to see Gordon Lightfoot on opening night at Massey Hall. I never go to shows but I just had to see Lightfoot. He was a beauty!" To which, Jesse Spector of The Sporting News responded via Twitter: "Don Cherry tweeting about Gordon Lightfoot is maple syrup, a beaver, and a French curse word away from being the most Canadian thing ever."

Chants heard at the Nov. 24 Operation Hat Trick game in Atlantic City to benefit Hurricane Sandy relief efforts: "We want hockey!" "Fire Bettman!"

"A mediator's not an arbitrator. There has to be a negotiation. There hasn't been. Them saying they came from 43 percent (in the league's initial offer) up to 50 is the biggest crock I've ever heard." -- Rangers center at Nov. 27 press conference, as arbitrators entered the CBA negotiations

"It's not looking great." -- Penguins captain at New York City press conference on Sept. 13, three days before the lockout began "There's no real timeline, I think it's just trying to get a pulse on what's going on (on the labor front), and that's been hard to do." -- on Nov. 28 to ESPN's Pierre LeBrun about leaving to play in Europe

"Trying to figure our what lunatic turn the NHL lockout will take today. We're overdue for fake vomit to be involved." -- Jesse Spector of The Sporting News via Twitter (@jessespector) "Today isn't the first time the union has come out of a session and talked about how wonderful their offer is, or how close we were, when in fact the reality was, they were misleading you. I think everyone needs to take a step back, and I think all of the PR spinning is not going to get this done. ... Don can say whatever he wants, I'm not going to negotiate publicly." -- Bettman to the media on Nov. 21 "The only Federal agency that might be able to get some traction is the Army. The two sides are so entrenched in their positions, heavy artillery might not even be able to dislodge them, but it might have the best shot." -- Luke DeCock writing in the The Raleigh News & Tribune on Nov. 29 "We're having a tough time understanding why what we have proposed and what we have proposed previously hasn't been accepted." -- Bettman at Nov. 21 press conference