Christmas Lockout roundup

CBA roundup
• As we march into the scary world of triple digits in terms of days being locked out, we spend today to wish you a Merry Christmas. Having no hockey certainly stinks, but it's pretty low on the list of real priorities. With that said, we still can hope the lockout ends really soon. We'll accept that as a belated Christmas present.
• To date, the NHL has wiped out 626 regular-season games, lost the Winter Classic in Ann Arbor, Mich., and the All-Star weekend in Columbus.
• In true Christmas style, Bruce Garrioch turned 'Twas the Night Before Christmas into a lockout poem instead and, well, it's funny and sad all at the same time. He didn't stop there, though. Santa Garrioch also handed out gifts to all the principal players in the lockout.

Gary Bettman, NHL commissioner
A Don Fehr dartboard in his office. The one he's using now is full of holes.

As for Fehr? He got a baseball bat, but hopefully he doesn't use that in the negotiations. (Toronto Sun)
• The NHL tried to wish fans a very Merry Christmas on its Facebook page and, well, fans didn't "like" the posting all that much. OK, they didn't like it at all. (Puck Daddy)
• Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban hosted an AMA (Ask Me Anything) session on Reddit and again opined on the NHL lockout. The problem with the league, as he sees it, is the Southern expansion.

"You can't have every team south of the Mason Dixon line going broke every year," Cuban wrote. (Sporting News)

• When the lockout ends we all know there will be a big job ahead of the people involved in this wonderful sport to make it right with the fans. We here at Eye on Hockey have discussed things they could try. Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik told Josh Yohe he isn't exactly sure what the NHL can do; he just knows it will be up to the NHL to do it.

"Obviously you think about that kind of stuff," said Orpik, who is going through his second lockout. "But the league, that's their side of things. They're the ones who need to worry about marketing. Our job is to play our best. We are the product. There is no league without us."

And there Orpik alludes to what will be the best cure for the NHL: the product on the ice. You can throw as many gimmicks against the wall to see what sticks, but nothing will work quite as well as great and compelling action on the ice. (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
• One assumption many people had at the beginning of this sordid mess was that the NHL's absence might mean a boon for the lower leagues in North America like the ECHL and AHL. Randy Miller found out that's not really happening.

"Some people think because there's a lockout, we can open the doors and (people) just show up," said Rich Lisk, President and CEO of the Titans, who play in a state-of-the-art, 13-year-old arena that holds 8,100 for hockey. "We're waiting to see if the lockout really is ending. That's going to be the tell-tale sign. I think when there's no NHL season, you might start seeing a difference."
Maybe, but few minor-league teams are benefiting from the lockout. ECHL attendance is up, but just 2%, and American Hockey League crowds are down 7%.

It's too bad, nothing beats live hockey, even if it's not the NHL. Hopefully the dip for the AHL isn't a carryover of fan discontent with the NHL. (USA Today)