The league obviously wants players playing by the time the outdoor classic takes place (much like the nba’s christmas games) this is seen as the crown jewel regular season game, although an interesting factor is that NBC are starting their coverage earlier this year, they’ve got games scheduled for the day after US Thanksgiving so no doubt the league will want to be playing for that day.

Last point, and. It’s fairly minor, but I think you’re referencing the 1994 baseball strike, it didn’t start in between the regular season and playoffs, it actually started in mid-August.

In no CBA is agreed to by September 15 (the day the current CBA expires, yes there still is a current CBA) nothing actually happens. Under the relevant labor laws, if a CBA expires and is not replaced both employers and employees are required to operate under the terms of the expired CBA until it is replaced. Literally what that means is that play will continue under the existing rules until either the owners lock players out or the players go on strike. Donald Fehr has pledged that the players are willing to start the season, if genuine (and not just a horrible media ploy) the owners and players are likely to agree to a no-stoppage clause and play this season under the expired CBA (as has happened multiple times in league history, albeit once without the no-stoppage clause which bit the owners).

If the owners lock players out (potentially could be a good short-term plan as revenues from October through December are markedly lower than revenues for the rest of the season) it starts costing them money in January. If they’re confident they can secure a favorable deal in that timeframe (that seems like a big no considering the factors involved) they might be willing to lockout players until December/January. I’d put this at a relatively low probability of occurring unless the players refuse to agree to a no-strike clause on the season.

If the players were to strike, they would be unable to seek replacement employment, so they’d be unable to play in the AHL, Europe, wherever. Because of that, and the seasonal nature of player compensation, it’s unlikely the players would strike prior to April. However, Fehr is most notable for engineering a player strike between the final game of the season and the playoffs in baseball. That’s the point where the players may have the most negotiating room. Considering the structure of the league’s deal with NBC, I’m not so certain the players would have that leverage there in this case.

The players need to understand that the owners won’t mind missing the first two months of hockey when average ticket sales are at there lowest….

I just hope both parties know there are no winners if this takes any games away from the fans.

Everyone should calm down, this is a regular part of the collective bargaining process.

The owners are business men, they will negotiate till their toes turn blue and try to get every penny they can.