Revisiting the 2004-05 NHL Lockout

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Aug 21, 2012

Revisiting the 2004-05 NHL Lockout

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced the cancellation of the 2004-05 season on Feb. 16, 2005, the first time a full season of one of the four U.S. pro sports leagues was washed out. Due to a labor dispute, no Stanley Cup would be awarded for the first year since 1919. The lockout began Sept. 16, 2004 and lasted until July 21, 2005.

Jaromir Jagr enjoyed his time off with some beach volleyball and then joined up with a Czech team and played in the Russian Super League, too.

The Lightning's reign as Stanley Cup champions lasted a lot longer than many expected.

A figure skater glides across the Tampa Bay Lightning logo at the Ice Sports Forum, the Lightning's training facility, in Brandon, Fla., on Sept. 16, 2004, the day owners locked out the players.

Captain Canuck Trevor Linden was the NHLPA president during the lockout.

Sergei Fedorov sits with Kid Rock during a Pistons game in November 2004. Fedorov, a longtime Red Wing, was a Mighty Duck during the lockout.

Oilers coach Craig MacTavish spent his newfound free time by coaching the 10- and 11-year-old Whitemud Atom AA hockey team.

Referee Don Van Massenhoven became a sales consultant at Dale Wurfel Pontiac/Buick/GMC Ltd. in Strathroy, Ontario. Fellow referee Bill McCreary installed kitchen cabinets, and Stephen Walkom coached girls hockey.

Sabres goalie Martin Biron stops a shot during a pickup game with other NHL players, in Amherst, N.Y., on Feb. 15, 2005.

Many stars went abroad to stay sharp. Joe Thornton and Rick Nash won the 2005 Swiss league championship with Davos, lifting the master cup.

Peter Forsberg, left, fights it out with Henrik Zetterberg in front of goalie Miika Kiprusoff during a Swedish national league match between Modo and Timra in Ornskoldsvik, northern Sweden on Sept. 27, 2004.

Martin St. Louis (red) also played in Switzerland, for Lausanne.

The Philadelphia Phantoms' Patrick Sharp scores past Hamilton Bulldogs goalie Dan Ellis as Chris Higgins defends during the third period of an AHL game, the first hockey game in Philadelphia under the lockout.

Kid Rock offers nachos to Hurricanes owner Peter Karmanos during a January 2005 game between the Pistons and Knicks. The Pistons won 91-61.

Dany Heatley, left, played for colorful Bern of the Swiss league.

On Dec. 2, 2004, an NHL Pro team faced the under-18 USA team at the University of Michigan. Fedorov (left) signs autographs. Chris Chelios (right) brings the puck up the ice.

Predators coach Barry Trotz coached a high school hockey team in Franklin, Tenn.

Predators Jim McKenzie, left, and Scott Hartnell chase a football on the ice at the end of a workout at the team's practice facility on Sept. 15, 2004, the last day players were able to use team facilities before the league locked out the players.

Goalies Rick DiPietro (left) of the Islanders and Robert Esche of the Flyers shake hands as they leave a meeting with other locked-out players and the NHL Players Association on March 1, 2005.

A young lacrosse fan gives his opinion on the NHL lockout during the National Lacrosse League All-Star game at the Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, usually the home of the Flames.

An NHL World Stars team played an exhibition with Polish All-Stars on Dec. 22, 2004 in Katowice, Poland. Fedorov was among the star skaters with Dominik Hasek in net and Tony Amonte enjoying some time on the bench with a young fan.

World Stars Rhett Warrener, left, and Ray Whitney peer through the fence as they visit the Auschwitz-Birkenau World War II concentration camp.

Bettman, left, shakes hands with NHLPA Executive Director Bob Goodenow after the players agreed to a labor settlement on July 21, 2005.