I can't believe we're even having a conversation about this.
Did the NHL learn nothing from the MLB lockout in the mid 90's, their own lockout that cost them an entire season, or the NBA's lockout that cost them nearly half a season, or the NFL lockout that nearly led to missed games?
Hockey is a tough sell in the US anyway, outside of the Northeast and the states that border Canada. Doing this does nothing but alienate fans.
And the worst part is that most of us saw this coming a few years back. Within a year or two after the lockout, the huge guaranteed contracts started coming back, and the league just doesn't have the kind of money that the NFL has (partly due to Bettman's incompetence in getting decent TV deals- going with OLN/VS was stupid as hell).
I honestly haven't read much about this situation yet, so I don't know if I should be blaming the owners or the players, but the reality is that a lockout/strike isn't good for either side, and it will just further harm the image of the NHL in the minds of the fans, particularly the American ones.