NHL Wheels Continue to Spin

The NHL and the Players' Association held another useless meeting on Tuesday, then issued the usual boring press releases grumbling about "no progress" and promising to meet again soon.

How could this lockout get any worse? We might find out after today's gathering of the NHL Board of Governors. They'll discuss the possibility of opening next season with replacement players. The idea is a public relations horror, promising only shattered credibility, ugly picket line confrontations and endless late-night talk show jokes. But at least a few teams, like the Edmonton Oilers, seem to be all for it.