The showdown between the NHL team owners and the players has been brewing for years. The owners claim they lose millions of dollars annually due to escalating player salaries courtesy of free agency, and threaten to lock the players out of NHL arenas for the entire 2004?2005 season if they don't accept a salary cap. For their part, the players are dubious about the owners' claims of financial ruin. They' ve heard that song before. They believed it...