NHL Lockout 2012: Tensions Rise within Washington Capitals After Brouwer Attacks Hamrlik and Neuvirth over NHLPA Comments

The NHL lockout is closing in Day 70 and with December right around the corner, the 2012-13 season is slowly dying away.

With the latest fallout, questions about what can be done are starting to be reduced and tensions have begun to increase from within each camp.

Defenseman Roman Hamrlik attacked the player's union and stated that he was frustrated because as a 38 year old, time was running out for him to play in the NHL. He also added that he had suffered through three lockouts now, including the 2004-05 one which saw over 200 older players retire in the ensuing season. Many players lambasted his comments as selfish, but Washington Capitals teammate Michael Neuvirth came to the Hamrlik's aid when he stated that "I agree 100 percent with Hammer. This lockout is not about majority of players, I think. It is about several superstars with big contracts."

Capitals teammate Troy Brouwer took exception to those comment and expressed his discontent with their two teammate's betrayal. "Those are two guys that have never been on a conference call, never been to a meeting, never paid attention," Brouwer told The Washington Post. "People are going to have their own opinions but when you're fighting for something with 700 other guys, all you're doing is just making it harder to make a deal and making it harder to accomplish the things we're fighting for.'

Regarding playing with them in the future, Brouwer added that "Me being on their team, how am I going to trust them as a teammate from now on? Because you know they're not going to support players in the big scheme of things when you go and you play on the team with them; it's going to be tough to want to back those guys from now on."

Brouwer and teammate Jason Chimera serve as the Capitals' representatives in the negotiations. Apparently, the Lockout has not only started a splintering between the NHLPA and NHL, but also within team players. This could ultimately have a major snowball effect on eroding the two sides from within.