FILE - In this Sept. 13, 2012, file photo, NHL hockey commissioner Gary Bettman listens as he meets with reporters after a meeting with team owners, in New York. The NHL locked out its players at ... more 

FILE - In this Sept. 13, 2012, file photo, NHL hockey commissioner Gary Bettman listens as he meets with reporters after a meeting with team owners, in New York. The NHL locked out its players at midnight Saturday, becoming the third major sports league to impose a work stoppage in the last 18 months. The action also marks the fourth shutdown for the NHL since 1992, including a year-long dispute that forced the cancellation of the entire 2004-05 season when the league held out for a salary cap. The deal which ended that dispute expired at midnight, and Commissioner Gary Bettman followed through on his longstanding pledge to lock out the players with no new agreement in place. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File) less