The Canadian franchises and Canada as a market for NHL hockey has always been a priority for us.

We profoundly regret the suffering this has caused our fans, our business partners and the thousands of people who depend on our industry for their livelihoods.

When you take off that sweater, your jersey, after today's game, you will be the last player in the NHL to ever wear 99. You have always been and you will always be 'The Great One,' and there will never be another.

This is a sad, regrettable day that all of us wish could have been avoided.

My feeling is that contracts should always be honored. ... This is a situation where a legally binding contract is not being honored and that's not right.

My message to the kids and our fans is hockey's a great game. There's a lot of hockey being played at all levels. Get involved, do it. We will be back and we will be back better than ever and hopefully as soon as possible. Don't give up on the game. It's too good.

It takes two sides to make a deal, two sides to negotiate and two sides to make it go bad.