This is not a good time for hockey fans. When the collective bargaining agreement between the NHL owners the the NHL Players' Association expired and no new agreement had been reached, the owners decided to lockout the NHLPA. This has resulted in a delayed start to the season and a possible repeat of the 2004-2005 season when the entire season was scrapped.
As the lockout became more and more certain, NHL players who were originally from Europe started to head back home and sign contracts to play with teams back in their home countries. As the exodus of players continued, lists started to be compiled to allow fans to keep track of which players were playing for which teams. However, most of these lists have been unable to tell the complete story of how many players are playing for which leagues and teams and in which cities and countries.
