That is according to Wayne Gretzky, hockey's greatest player and now part owner of the Phoenix Coyotes.
He told ESPN.com: "If we don't figure out a way to make everyone who's part of this sort of happy, we could be looking at a long, long time before hockey's played in the NHL again. We're looking at one or maybe even two years."
The players were locked out by owners when the Collective Bargaining Agreement expired on September 15. While no meetings are scheduled between the NHL and the NHL Players Association, the NHL's board of governors is scheduled to meet in New York on January 14.
If there is no agreement in place by then, it's believed the season will be cancelled, marking the first time a professional sports league lost an entire season because of a labour dispute.
Although Gretzky said the Coyotes are losing less money by not playing than if they were under terms of the old CBA, he said not playing is hurting the team's credibility in Phoenix and is eroding both its fan base and corporate sponsorship.
"To wipe out or lose an entire season would definitely not be good for anyone," he said.
