[MisterJoji]

Flame away but I don't hate Don Fehr. Yes, it sucks there was a lockout but did anyone really expect the players to accept the 1st offer bend over and take it up the ###. He was brought in to get the best deal possible for his constituents and did just that. Gary repeated multiple times after exchanging offers that this "was as far as they were going to go," essentially saying take it or leave it. But Don called his bluff every time and the subsequent offers from the owners did improve. Don Fehr is a ruthless negotiator and I think Bettman was getting fed up with the fact that this wasn't like negotiating with that chump Goodenow. There was so much acid spewed towards Fehr that he was ruining hockey, but he was a professional, rose above the rhetoric and got the best deal possible for his employers. Do you think he cares that "Joe NHL fan" is pissed at him for the lockout? No way, there is only 1 group he has to impress and he did. The one thing he could've done is start negotiating earlier but you're usually never going to get the best deal possible until the 11th hour. Lockouts suck, but every sport has them from time as this is the nature of the business side of professional sports. But the lockout is over, and we will have at least 8 years of labour peace, so maybe it's time to let go of the hurt feelings and just enjoy hockey again. Don Fehr isn't the devil, Gary Bettman isn't the devil, they just had the thankless job of trying to get the best deal for their respective sides, and honestly I think they both did a pretty good job.