Obama urges resolution to NHL lockout

President Obama is urging the NHL players and owners to "do right by your fans" and come to a resolution in the league's prolonged lockout.

The president said both sides "make a lot of money, and you make a lot of money on the backs of the fans, so do right by your fans" in an interview with WCCO-TV in Minneapolis.

The league announced last week that games through Dec. 30 would be canceled because talks between the players and owners seem to have stalled. The NHL has also canceled the annual Winter Classic game on New Year's Day and the All-Star Game slated for January.

Obama said owners and players "can figure out how to spread out a bunch of revenue" and get back to playing games.

Owners are demanding that players take a smaller percentage of revenue and want new restrictions on free agency and contract length. The lockout is the sport's third in the past decade, and if the season is canceled, it would be the second time hockey lost a full slate of games in less than 10 years.

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