New Minnesota Wild star Zach Parise spoke to the St. Paul Pioneer Press on Tuesday about the possibility of a NHL lockout beginning when the current collective bargaining agreement ends on Sept. 15, 2012. Parise sounds rather unhappy with the looming work stoppage:
"I think the '04-'05 season is still pretty fresh in everyone's minds, and now we find ourselves in the same position," Parise said after a workout in St. Louis Park on Tuesday, Aug. 26. "It's not good for the game. It's not good for anyone. We're ready to play. We want to play. But (NHL commissioner) Gary (Bettman)'s pretty adamant about his third lockout of his tenure."
Parise, a former star with the New Jersey Devils, signed a 13-year, $98 million deal on July 4, the same day that the Wild also signed ex-Nashville Predators defenseman Ryan Suter to an identical contract. The Wild have sold more than 4,000 season tickets since signing the duo to long-term deals.
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