A day before re-opening collective bargaining talks with the NHL Players Association, the National Hockey League told more than half it's employees in Toronto, Montreal and New York that they'll be out of work as of September 20.
"He (NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman) told us that the lockout could last 18-24 months," said one employee who was given a termination notice on Tuesday. Other employees who listened to Bettman via conference call say the league was preparing for a long shutdown.
An NHL spokesman contacted by TSN denied that the Commissioner put a timetable on a potential lockout.
Dozens of employees in Toronto and New York were told that they would be out of work as of September 20, and NHL Group Communications Vice President Bernadette Mansur confirmed that there is no guarantee that employees will be re-hired once the league and the union reach an agreement on a new CBA.
The current agreement between the league and the players expires Sept. 15.