NHL Lockout: Bettman, Goodenow Have Nothing Left to Say

If you enjoy seeing frustrated hockey fans get white-washed by a pair of sharpies, check out the latest from Gary Bettman and Bob Goodenow.

Both men made lengthy appearances on Canadian television this week, as the CBC invited them to answer questions from unhappy punters. Bettman took the hot seat on Tuesday, in a segment carried on the national newscast. Goodenow had his turn on Wednesday. If you have no life outside of the NHL lockout, you might want to slog through the transcripts at CBC.ca.

The fans - there was something especially poignant about the ones wearing team jerseys - asked earnest, well-meaning questions. They weren't always as informed as one would like, or as articulate. But they were honest. They want their game back, and they are sure a solution is out there, if only both sides would commit themselves to finding it.

But the average Joe in a Canucks' jersey won't make much headway against a couple of carefully groomed evangelists determined to stay "on message," as the media-management types like to say.

If anything, the shows prove that, until one side or the other makes a move, there is almost nothing left to talk about. Its just the same old refrains and catchphrases, over and over.