Halischuk: “No one likes to miss paychecks”

We’re already in the third month of this lockout, but it could go much longer.

In an endurance battle, it’s easy to assume that the owners have the edge. Many of them made their wealth outside of hockey and can survive without the NHL. In addition, they are in a better position to think long-term while the players that can only survive in the NHL as long as their bodies will let them.

All the same, the players haven’t changed their tune even as the lockout costs them paycheck after paycheck.

“I think I feel more upset that we’re missing out on what we could be doing,” Nashville Predators defenseman Hal Gill said, according to the Tennessean. “Obviously you want to make a paycheck, but for the most part we want to be playing hockey. There’s no reason we shouldn’t be. That’s a frustrating thing. Not much we can do about it right now. We have to stand up for what we believe in and we have to stick it out and hopefully it doesn’t last too much longer.”

Gill is technically in the first season of his two-year, $4 million contract. He’ll turn 38 in April, so it’s not out of the realm of possibilities that this contract is his last.

His teammate Matt Halischuk is facing a very different situation. He was scheduled to make $825,000 this season, but at the age of 24 he’ll have to deal with the repercussions of the next CBA more than most.

“No one likes to miss paychecks,” Halischuk said, “but at the end of the day we’re looking to get a fair deal.”

Of course, it’s easy to voice a belief, but it’s harder to stick too it. We’ll see if the increasing threat of losing the season eventually causes the players — or the owners for that matter — to move from their current positions.

Related:

Report: Based on NHL charts, league thinks gap might be over $1 billion

Kaberle: Both sides need to smarten up

Why did Bettman suggest a two-week moratorium on talks?