NHL lockout: Blackhawks' Steve Montador worries season could be in jeopardy

The National Hockey League officially cancelled regular season games through Oct. 24 on Tuesday afternoon, in a predictable but upsetting move that prompted Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Steve Montador to express his displeasure to Chicago Tribune reporter Chris Kuc.

"It's something you could have anticipated given the nature of the negotiations lately," Montador said Thursday. "But when it actually happens you just have a sigh and realize if it wasn't real before it's definitely real now. It's disappointing and unfortunate."

While some of his teammates and peers around the league have opted to head overseas with the chance for an agreement looking slimmer by the day, Montador is one of many North American players who continues to grow frustrated by the lack of progress.

"I wish I had a crystal ball but it doesn't look like anything is going to happen this week and you can assume going into next week -- or perhaps the week after -- that there are more games potentially lost," Montador said. "There is some frustration. That's a motivating factor for us to work to get a deal that's fair for everybody."

Among the 82 total games cancelled by the league on Thursday were five Blackhawks games, including three set to be played at home. While it's unknown if the league would plan on making up any dropped games if the dispute somehow comes to an end in the near future, it's clear that Montador and many of his peers around the league are starting to get fed up.