No NHL Game at Times Union Center

The NHL have announced that they have canceled all pre-season games in September, which means that the pre-season game between the New York Rangers and the New Jersey Devils at the Times Union Center will no longer take place.

“I ordered a Rick Nash jersey and got all my Rangers stuff ready and I was so excited. I’m really disappointed that it’s not happening,” said Broadcast Communications student Colby Ackley.

The Times Union Center released a statement last Tuesday that said that ticket sales for the pre-season were being suspended until an official announcement by the NHL on the status of the game. If a cancellation is announced on the day of the game, refunds will be made to ticket holders.

“I mean, getting my money back is a good thing, but I’d much rather go to the game,” said Ackley.

Ackley got tickets from his grandmother as an early birthday present and was looking forward to the experience. “I’ve never been to a Rangers game before and when I got the tickets, I was so happy,” he said.

This is not the first time the Capital Region has seen this sort of thing happen. Last year, the scheduled exhibition game between the New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics at the Times Union Center was canceled because of the NBA lockout.

“The same thing happened with the NBA and the NFL. These lockouts usually take a long time,” Ackley said.

A lockout is just a name for a work stoppage and the reason for these lockouts is usually a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). The CBA is a contract between the league’s Players Association and their employers.

“The reason they don’t agree is because of money, that’s it, and that sickens me that over-paid athletes can’t agree on money,” said Ackley.

The NBA lockout took 161 days and did not end until Christmas, although the season was supposed to start in November. Adrian Dater, SI.com writer, expects this lockout to compare to the 2004 NHL work stoppage, which canceled the whole season.

For local hockey fans, the Albany Devils season begins at home on Oct. 13, when they take on the Manchester Monarchs at 5:05 p.m.

For ticket refund information, contact the Times Union Center Box Office at (518) 487-2000.