Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby vented some of his frustration with the ongoing NHL lockout and labour negotiations with a local newspaperon Monday.
Speaking to Shelly Anderson of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Penguins' captain reflected on the marathon talks that took place last week. Crosby himself attended some of the meetings in New York.
"It's pretty one-sided. I don't really know what (the owners) have given up to this point," said Crosby. "They're trying to take away all the contracting rights.
"The question I'd ask is why would we change that? I think we all think it's the most competitive league in the world so why would you go and change that - the way contracts go and the way teams can operate? If it's not broke, don't fix it."
In a lockout that is mainly centred around the division of league revenue and the value of player contracts, Crosby tried to see things from the owners' perspective.
"I understand their point. At the end of the day it's dollars, but at the end of the day you want to get a deal done," explained Crosby. "I don't think they're going to get a deal done if they're trying to take away guys' contracting rights. It's just frustrating."
In terms of considering the prospects of reaching an agreement and getting a shortened season underway, the 25-year-old superstar is cautious.
"You kind of hear the same things coming out of the meetings all the time. Just waiting to hear something new from their side. It's almost to the point where you don't want to ask because you know you're going to get the same answer you got a week before."
Crosby is trying to stay positive as the lockout approaches the 60-day mark this week.
"There's no reason we can't figure something out," he said. "I really want to be optimistic. It's not easy right now. It's just a roller coaster. I don't know what's going to happen."
