Fans Angry as NHL Lockout Becomes Nearly Definite, Fans and Charities Lose out

With mere hours until the NHL collective bargaining agreement deadline of 11:59PM ET, TSN is reporting that there are no plans for the two sides to meet today in order to avoid a lockout.

So, with just a few hours to go, fans are left wondering what will come of the season and how long, exactly, this lockout will last.

Both sides in this debate are arguing over percentage of league revenue. In a league that puts together around $3.28 billion in revenues, according to the Toronto Globe and Mail, it's hard to imagine why a 5% difference of opinion is basically going to ruin an entire season for the fans.

The owners and players aren't the ones taking the brunt of the blow.

The fans will be missing out on a season, or at least a portion of one. The people who pay their hard-earned money to allow this league to operate at all are the ones who lose out.

The ones missing out more than that are going to be the charities.

The amount of work these players do around the community is huge, and the income from things like 50/50 tickets usually goes towards a charitable cause.

The Calgary Flames, as an example, donated over $370,000 in the 2011-12 season, according to the Calgary Flames website.

Every team in the league has this sort of involvement in the community, and tens of millions of dollars will be missed by these charities. For many, it is a very large portion of their operating budgets for the year.  

When thinking about who's really missing out, think about the charities: children's hospitals, sport programs, food programs and school programs.

This isn't just owners and players. This isn't just fans missing on a season. This is people in need losing out on something more than just athletes playing a sport.