San Jose Sharks
It's hard for NHL players not to sound defensive when talking about the lockout. They know that fans, as Sharks forward Wayne Primeau put it, "are jabbing us, ripping on everybody."
But players say they're fighting the salary cap that owners are demanding for reasons that go beyond limits on their own paychecks.Sharks coach Ron Wilson is trying to stay on an even keel these days.
So when he paid a rare visit to his office Monday, logged on to his laptop and discovered that the NHL and its players were returning to the bargaining table this week, he tried not to get too optimistic about a possible end to the 131-day lockout.
Similarly, last week he tried not to get too pessimistic over reports that talks were going nowhere.