NHL commissioner Bettman cancels exhibition games

The National Hockey League has canceled its pre-season games slated for the month of September, it announced. The cancelations result from a lockout after the players union and the owners failed to come to terms on a new collective-bargaining agreement. The pre-season was scheduled to begin September 23 with the regular season starting on October 11. In addition, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said Wednesday the 2012 Kraft Hockeyville pre-season game scheduled for October 3 in Toronto has been postponed until 2013. The NHL is in its third work stoppage in less than 20 years.