NHL Cancels All-Star Game

The NHL canceled the 2004-05 All-Star game Wednesday, another indication that the 7-week-old lockout could last the entire season.

The All-Star game was scheduled for Feb. 13 in Atlanta, but any partial season would need all available dates for regular-season games.

NHL officials would not comment on the cancellation beyond a statement by Frank Supovitz, the league’s vice president for events and entertainment.

“We apologize to the fans, to the city of Atlanta, to the [Atlanta] Thrashers and to all those who already have devoted so much effort to planning this important hockey celebration,” Supovitz said.

The regular season is also in peril of being canceled. There is speculation that if negotiations are not underway by Dec. 1, the season will be lost.

Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a television interview this week that there may not be a “drop-dead date,” but that the season could just “slip away.” Bob Goodenow, the executive director of the NHL Players’ Assn., said Tuesday the players were prepared for that.

There have been 139 games canceled to date.

A lockout in 1994-95 reduced the season to 48 games, with play resuming Jan. 20. The All-Star game was canceled that season as well.

Talks for a new collective bargaining agreement ended Sept. 9. Bettman and the owners, who claimed $224 million in losses last season, are seeking “cost certainty” that would allot a set percentage of the league’s revenue for player salaries. The players view such a system as a salary cap. Bettman rejected the union’s last offer, which included a luxury tax.

“It’s funny, the owners want to cap player salaries, but they don’t want to cap ticket prices,” said Steve Rucchin, the Mighty Ducks’ player representative. “We want to negotiate, but the owners want us to assume all the burden of a new deal.”

The All-Star game was to have been used to bolster the Thrashers, one of the league’s struggling franchises. The league has not decided when the All-Star game might return to Atlanta.

“We’re sorry the realities of our situation have imposed themselves on what should be a special time for the city of Atlanta and our fans,” Thrasher General Manager Don Waddell said in a statement. “The NHL and this organization are committed to bringing the All-Star game to Atlanta within the next few years and presenting one of the best All-Star weekends in history.”