Joffrey Lupul has a warning for NHL commissioner Gary Bettman: don't take hockey fans for granted.

"I think it's important that we realize this effects a lot of people besides us," the Toronto Maple Leafs left winger said on Thursday after skating with some teammates at the club's practice facility. "I'm a hockey fan myself and this is the second time in 10 years we've been in this situation and so that's pretty disappointing.

"We know hockey has a lot of great fans but, with that being said, at some point there is a time when fans will get fed up and hopefully these negotiations can start getting a little more serious. I know our side definitely has the fans in mind."

Bettman ruffled some feathers last month when he told reporters his league was able to recover from the last work stoppage, which wiped out the 2004-05 season, because "we have the world's greatest fans."

But Lupul believes even the most loyal fans have a breaking point.

"I've been a hockey fan since I was four-years-old and it's frustrating to see stuff like this so I can only imagine what someone else thinks, [someone] that doesn't play in the NHL. We're definitely worried about fans and both sides probably want to apologize to them right now."


:ujjfel: