The year is 2004. The NHL chatter is ramping up after another long summer, but an uncertainty looms. The NHLPA and the league have been in labor disputes for nearly two years — the writing was on the wall for the upcoming season. Gary Bettman and company were fighting for a more favorable salary structure for a league that reported only 11 profitable franchises in the previous season, but the Players’ Association wanted to ensure the contracts and the wallets of the athletes. We won’t get into which side was any more or less at fault, but rather we’ll take a look at what impact the first ever completely abandoned major sports season had on the future of hockey in Raleigh.
Canes Revisionist History: No 2004 Lockout or Rule Changes
