NHL Lockout 2012: Why Owners Can't Afford to Miss Any Games in Dispute

The NHL owners need to stop and think about the ramifications of missing the beginning of the season due to a lockout.

In any labor dispute, it may feel like the owners have the leverage but the owners gain nothing from the situation if the NHL season doesn't start as scheduled. A lengthy dispute that causes the league to miss any games could be catastrophic. Here's why the owners and players must come to an agreement before the season gets under way or the dispute gets out of hand.

We've Been Here Before

The NHL missing games due to a lockout is nothing new. If this lockout does indeed cause the NHL to miss games it will be the fourth work stoppage the league has seen in the last twenty years.

The league's first work stoppage occurred in 1992 when players went on strike for one week and three days in a dispute initiated by the players' association against the owners. The owners were able to concede to some of the players' demands and hockey was resumed rather quickly, but the memory of the incident remains.

The second work stoppage came in the 1994-1995 season when the owners locked players out for a large part of the season. The season was eventually salvaged, but a 48-game schedule was utilized. In all, the NHL lost over 400 games due to the holdout.

The most recent lockout came in 2004-2005 when an entire season was lost while both sides attempted to iron out their differences.

To fans, it doesn't matter who was at fault in each of the prior instances, but the NHL cannot afford to alienate fans once more by arguing.

The Rising Popularity of the NBA

While some hockey diehards would never give up watching their favorite sport, there's no denying that hockey and basketball compete for fan attention because their seasons run along similar time frames.

With the NBA lockout now behind us, the Association is full-steam ahead and is entering a new era of heightened popularity. According to Forbes.com, the 2012 NBA Finals recorded the second-highest ratings for a five game series of all time and the highest rated since 2004.

By contrast, the 2012 Stanley Cup posted the fourth-lowest ratings the series has seen and was outdone by the NBA Draft lottery (h/t sportsmediawatch.com).

Hockey may never match the NBA in popularity in America, but a lockout would pretty much destroy any chance that they would compete with the Association anytime soon.

Players Have Other Options

Remember when the NBA had a lockout and a slew of players were ready to bolt from the NBA to play overseas? Of course you do, it happened a year ago.

The NHL will experience the same thing, but it would be more devastating to the NHL than it was to the NBA.

NBA players who signed to play with teams in Europe or Asia would need to uproot their entire families to move to a completely foreign country had they decided to go through with playing overseas. Even for millions of dollars, that's a big commitment and sacrifice to make.

In the NHL, only roughly 20 percent of the players are American-born (h/t USA Today). If these foreign born players can find work in their home countries for slightly less money, they will be more inclined to stay there.

While the NBA is an established entity in American culture with a vastly American player universe, the NHL is on shaky legs and absolutely cannot afford to miss any games if it wants to ensure its long-term future.