So finally, after a painfully long 113 day NHL lockout, it appears that we will after all have a 2013/14 NHL season after all!
Through all the hooplah, media antics, posturing (by both players and owners), and such it was hard as a fan to find any sympathy for either side when it really comes down to millionaires vs billionaires fighting over the almighty buck. Quite often I found myself (as I know did many other hockey fans) questioning whether or not I really give a damn if the puck ever drops this season or not! And now that a deal has finally been made, I find the whole ordeal has just left a bad taste and the feeling maybe us as fans should take some form of action such as boycotting our beloved teams to get back at them for the pain and suffering they have caused us throughout this lockout process!
But the reality is, after the teams already losing 113 games worth of revenue, whatever minor impact these actions had would barely be felt by these teams and the truth is..I really want hockey back!
I have to admit, the idea of a shortened 48 game schedule compressed over a 3 month period kind of excites me! That means, your favorite team will be playing approximately every second day as they sprint from the starting line to the end of the season. Each game is that much more critical, than say Major League Baseball who carry a 162 game season. In baseball, if a team goes into a slump early in the season, theres still alot more games to play..but if a team goes into a slump in this shortened NHL season, then you might have well not have put your golf clubs in storage, cuz your going to back out there again before you know it!
So although I am still angry with the league and the players for making us endure this painful NHL lockout, chances are when the puck drops to open this season, I’ll be parked on the sofa with the game on, beer in hand!