Exciting star showdowns such as Sidney Crosby and Henrik Lundqvist is what’s missing from our living rooms.

It’s 2013 and there’s still nothing new to report. If you were hoping for an NHL season, it’s status quo. The NHL and NHLPA continue to waste everyone’s time. It took the two sides over three months to start negotiating.

It’s like when you’re in school and you have a paper due but wait until the last freaking moment to start it. High school. That’s what the league and players have become. A bunch of teenagers who procrastinate until there’s no time left. Misguided NHL leader Gary Bettman wants a deal done by next week so there can be a 48-game season, which would begin on Jan.19. That means that Don Fehr better agree to a deal this week to save this waste of a season.

If they can’t come to an agreement on a new CBA, Bettman reportedly might cancel the ’12-13 season this Thursday. At least that’s what Winnipeg Free Press’s Gary Lawless reported a couple of days ago, claiming he was told by an NHL Board Of Governor. Puck Daddy’s Greg Wyshynski questions the validity due to Lawless’ tight relationship with the unpopular NHL commissioner. That included a rare interview he did with Bettman during the lockout.

All it would take for him to cancel the season is eight owner votes. The same minority that have caused nothing but heartache for hockey fans. What a fair process. What would you expect from the most dysfunctional professional sports league?

Wyshynski notes that big market clubs such as the Flyers, Rangers, Canadiens and Leafs probably want to play with even the Wild part of the group due to the signings of butt buddies Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. That helped create this mess. No wonder the league/owners are so hell bent on contract limits. It’s still as insane as the GMs who hand out these outrageous contracts like Halloween candy. The owners still must sign off on such deals. It’s why I can’t take them seriously. They don’t take any responsibility.

There’s also this from the Puck Daddy writer about the worst kept secret regarding the work stoppage:

Like many, I believed the two sides would take approximately two months to hammer out a new agreement. That would’ve allowed hockey to resume by Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, we were played for fools. Left in limbo waiting for the two sides to stop dilly dallying. It’s why I gave up on the NHL. They don’t care. Bettman’s early statement that fans would comeback set the tone. Using the cancellation of ’04-05, he’s been proven right. We returned in record numbers, boosting the NHL’s revenue.

Of course, the arrival of Sidney Crosby helped dramatically along with Alexander Ovechkin, Henrik Lundqvist and Evgeni Malkin. The new influx of talent gave the fans plenty of excitement. We wanted to see the New Era in person at our favorite arenas. Who wouldn’t? Hockey is the best live spectator sport. The camaraderie of fans returning to their sections along with the energy and electricity of warm ups, introductions and the drop of the puck is why we go. We have friends at these games who we reunite with. That’s the thing I miss most. It’s like your hockey family.

When I said that I wouldn’t watch if they returned, I was furious. But Hasan brought up a good point in his response. The season isn’t gone yet. And we have a blog. If they do comeback, I’ll follow it and do my part. I can’t just turn my back on the sport I love. I won’t go to any games. The NHL doesn’t deserve a penny, including Center Ice and NHL.com. It doesn’t mean stop rooting for my team. The Rangers will always be in my heart. Just as the Devils in Hasan’s and the Sabres for Brian.

It kills me how dumb the NHL and NHLPA are. Are they really willing to lose another whole season over petty nonsense? I still say no. Let’s hope I’m right.