Each week, Sports Online will turn the tables on Scott Oake, who's used to peppering others with questions. This week it's all about the NHL lockout.

Should a deadline be set for the NHL lockout?

Yes, I think I made that point last week. There should be a deadline and we should all be put out of our misery.

All of those who have even a glimmer of hope, every time another meeting is called they think, "Maybe they are going to get a deal."

I can't conceive of anything that will bridge the great divide in time for them to get any games in this season. When a meeting is called, people think, "As long as they are talking, there's hope."

So let's stop the insanity here and know that, by the end of this week or early next, whenever the deadline might be, it's over with.

Each week for the last four has started the same. They are going to meet, people start scurrying around thinking there's going to be a deal, by Thursday talks have fallen off and by Friday everybody is crestfallen again.

To a certain extent, they are holding the few friends that still harbour hope hostage and they should be freed from their misery.

Concern has really reached an all-time low, but that's what you expect to happen now that we're talking about spring now and they're not playing.

Weighted against the prospect of no hockey at all this season, I do believe some hockey is better than none.

What are your thoughts on CTV/Rogers outbidding CBC for the broadcasting rights for the 2010 and 2012 Olympic Games?

I don't think the CBC should feel badly about its bid.

We obviously lament the loss of the Olympics because we've been the Olympic network of record for a long time. But, at the same time, when a huge conglomerate – which is Bell Globemedia – wants something, they can get it because they have the money and resources that we don't necessarily have at our disposal. We've got to be responsible to the bottom line.

The CBC could not head into the Olympic bidding at any price because that's not the way things are done when you're talking about the public purse.

How big is this for CTV/Rogers?

It's huge to have Olympics in our own country. They wanted them, they got them. We knew for a long time that they were going to be very tough to beat. They will do a good job.

What do you think of Damon Allen re-signing this week with the Toronto Argonauts?

The guy is a study in animal science. I remember when I started hosting the CFL games in the 1980s, he was just starting in the league. Everybody thought the guy was going to be good, but you never think someone is going to last as long as he has in the CFL or any professional sport.

But he still plays the game at a high level. In many ways, although they play different games, his longevity certainly is similar to that of Doug Flutie's. [The Toronto Argonauts] are Grey Cup champions. They wouldn't have signed him just for the sake of signing him. They did it because they thought he can still contribute and I think he still can.

Have you heard anything about the new Jose Canseco book?

I'll read it because I'm interested in what he says and how he explains the actual tutoring of his teammates. They are all running for cover now and the person who has most to lose is Mark McGwire.

There have long been question marks about [Canseco] and everyone else. It's going to be up to people to decide how much credibility he should be given when they read that book.

Do the accusations he makes surprise you?

Yes, they do, to a large extent. We all want to know the truth, but coming from someone like that – with his track record – is the truth suspect? That's the decision people have to make.

Baseball has acted to try to police itself from the scourge that is the use of steroids. That part of it is history. I hope it’s not going to become a regrettable chapter in baseball history but it stands at risk.

You're known for your lightning-round questions during After Hours, a half-hour show immediately following the last game of Hockey Night in Canada's doubleheader.
Here are some lightning-round questions for you:

Finish this sentence: the best hockey today can be found…
In the CHL

Canada's most underrated/neglected athlete?
Pierre Lueders

Gretzky or Lemieux? Who would be the best person to bring into negotiations?
Lemieux. Because, as owner of the most financially-troubled franchise in the NHL, he has the most to lose.