That one really hit home. In a country that struggles AT BEST to list the NHL in it’s Top 5 sporting attractions … this lockout is nothing short of self-inflicted murder.

I think a different, also somewhat passe, Political Science term that is more applicable is Gunboat Diplomacy. In short, this is “Diplomacy involving intimidation by threat or use of military force” and more specifically, from Wikipaedia, “The term comes from the period of colonial imperialism, where the European powers would intimidate other states into granting trade or other concessions (unequal treaties) through a demonstration of their superior military power.”

And that is what the LOCKOUT is for Bettman: a (threatened) means to obtain an unequal contract. I think people who write that the NHLPA was stupid to hire Fehr for he would ensure a difficult negotiation, they are stupid. The NHL has an established track record of using its power to extract more from the players. Why the heck should they just concede? But people write things like, The owners have all the leverage; the players should just cut their losses. Like the players should just say, “OHH look at those big warships, we’re fucked, we surrender.”

If you want to go with the Banana Republic analogy, then the elite deserve to get overthrown.

If Gunboat Diplomacy is the more appropriate analogy, then you gotta respect those who stand up for themselves. There’s a reason why France gets laughed at: they surrender too easily. Would you want the players to do the same?