DARTMOUTH, N.S. -- Hockey legend Guy Lafleur believes the National Hockey League should declare bankruptcy and start over again.
The former Montreal Canadiens great says it doesn't look to him like either the players or the owners are trying to settle the NHL lockout.
"Hockey's sick and they have to solve the problem. They have to go back to basics," Lafleur said Wednesday during a promotional stop in Nova Scotia for a non-profit cellphone recycling company.
"I feel very sorry for the fans that there's no hockey today and that both sides are not talking to each other."
One of the problems, said Lafleur, is that there are too many teams in the league and that's complicating matters.
"I really believe they should cut back to 24 to make hockey better," he said of the current 30-team league structure.
Lafleur said consideration has to be given to the fate of teams in the smaller Canadian markets, noting that Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Ottawa and even Montreal are all struggling in his mind.
"It's private enterprise. The owners are there to make money," said Lafleur.
"Maybe in our day they made too much," he added with a laugh.
Lafleur said he can't understand why so many NHL players -- 231 as of Wednesday -- are skating in Europe for a couple of hundred thousand dollars and won't play at home for a couple of million dollars. Last year's league average salary in the NHL was $1.8 million US.
The NHLPA counters that the only reason many of its players are in Europe is because they've been locked out of their normal NHL jobs by the owners.
"They're taking a good run at the owners and they're making good money," Lafleur said. "I don't think even with a salary cap players would starve."
Centre Nik Antropov of the Toronto Maple Leafs was among three more NHLers agreeing to deals in Europe on Wednesday, and there's more to come.
Centre Michal Handzus of the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins tough guy Steve McKenna also signed Wednesday, according to the International Ice Hockey Federation.
The Czech league leads the way with 53 of the NHL's 750 players skating in its rinks. Sweden is next at 43 players and Russia is third at 42.
The NHL has cancelled games until at least early December.
Lafleur said if the impasse is not resolved by Christmas he doubts there will be a season left to salvage.
His big fear is that fans will walk away from the game just like a lot of baseball fans did after the last big labour dispute in the majors.
"You look at the (Montreal) Expos when they were on strike. The crowd was not the same anymore after that."
Attendance has also dropped dramatically at home games for the Toronto Blue Jays since the strike in 1994.
The former Montreal Canadiens great says it doesn't look to him like either the players or the owners are trying to settle the NHL lockout.
"Hockey's sick and they have to solve the problem. They have to go back to basics," Lafleur said Wednesday during a promotional stop in Nova Scotia for a non-profit cellphone recycling company.
"I feel very sorry for the fans that there's no hockey today and that both sides are not talking to each other."
One of the problems, said Lafleur, is that there are too many teams in the league and that's complicating matters.
"I really believe they should cut back to 24 to make hockey better," he said of the current 30-team league structure.
Lafleur said consideration has to be given to the fate of teams in the smaller Canadian markets, noting that Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Ottawa and even Montreal are all struggling in his mind.
"It's private enterprise. The owners are there to make money," said Lafleur.
"Maybe in our day they made too much," he added with a laugh.
Lafleur said he can't understand why so many NHL players -- 231 as of Wednesday -- are skating in Europe for a couple of hundred thousand dollars and won't play at home for a couple of million dollars. Last year's league average salary in the NHL was $1.8 million US.
The NHLPA counters that the only reason many of its players are in Europe is because they've been locked out of their normal NHL jobs by the owners.
"They're taking a good run at the owners and they're making good money," Lafleur said. "I don't think even with a salary cap players would starve."
Centre Nik Antropov of the Toronto Maple Leafs was among three more NHLers agreeing to deals in Europe on Wednesday, and there's more to come.
Centre Michal Handzus of the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins tough guy Steve McKenna also signed Wednesday, according to the International Ice Hockey Federation.
The Czech league leads the way with 53 of the NHL's 750 players skating in its rinks. Sweden is next at 43 players and Russia is third at 42.
The NHL has cancelled games until at least early December.
Lafleur said if the impasse is not resolved by Christmas he doubts there will be a season left to salvage.
His big fear is that fans will walk away from the game just like a lot of baseball fans did after the last big labour dispute in the majors.
"You look at the (Montreal) Expos when they were on strike. The crowd was not the same anymore after that."
Attendance has also dropped dramatically at home games for the Toronto Blue Jays since the strike in 1994.
