The Great One speaks about lockout

Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky waves before the start of game Game 3 of the NHL Stanley Cup hockey finals between the Los Angeles Kings and the New Jersey Devils at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, June 4, 2012.

Wednesday saw the 60^th day of the 2012 NHL lockout pass without any activity. Worse still is the fact that there have been no meetings scheduled for the near future either. After one week of serious bargaining and negotiating, many have found it surprising that the league and NHLPA have withdrawn from making any progress. Despite the negative energy this brings about, there are still some that are hopeful that it could be settled. One is hockey icon Wayne Gretzky.

The Great One stated during a radio appearance that, "My gut still tells me that over the next six weeks I think that they will get a deal done, and I think there's too many people that want to play, and I still see hockey being played come January for a 40- or 50-game schedule. Let's all try and stay positive."

However, Gretzky's optimism should not be taken as the final word. Back in October Gretzky stated that he believed the sides would make a deal and that the season would begin on January 1 with the Winter Classic. Unfortunately that was not the case and despite his best wishes, it is impossible to know if his current prediction of a 40 to 50 game slate is likely. NHLPA Donald Fehr recently showed some optimism and stated that he believed that when both sides were ready a deal would be struck quickly. Meanwhile, the entire NHL fanbase awaits.