Locked-out NHL players want you, the fans, to know something: they feel for you.
In a video posted by the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA), David Backes, Sidney Crosby, Gabriel Landeskog, James Reimer and Jonathan Toews speak about how fans are the real losers in this lockout. With a background of uplifting piano music, cheering fans and black and white photography, their message is that they wish they could start the season, too.
The lockout was made official when the clock struck midnight on Saturday. Both sides are looking for bigger shares of the pie, and with neither willing to concede, the collective bargaining agreement expired, prompting the lockout.
"Like any partnership you want both sides to benefit," says Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby in the NHLPA video. "As players we want to play but we also know what's right and what's fair."
"We know how much the fans love the game and they're the ones that really suffer," adds Toronto Maple Leafs goalie James Reimer.
The players put the blame on the NHL for calling a lockout, rather than letting the season start as negations continue.
Who do you think is really at fault? Vote below:
Upset fans and players alike took to Twitter to convey their dismay for a season of hockey potentially lost to the labour disagreement: