They don’t much deserve my space (and they won’t get much of it), but the NHL got what it had coming. As if the league didn’t have enough challenges already:
– a dreadfully boring game
– too many teams
– sagging attendance in previously strong markets
– a laughable TV contract
Now it’s “chairs-on-your-desks” for the season, amidst many shoulder shrugs and a big “whoop-dee-doo” from the majority of people. Even my dad, a hockey fanatic in his own right, could care less. “I see enough hockey. I don’t care,” he told me the other day. Of course, he runs an arena, so maybe that’s a bad example. But you get the point.
I find it hard to take sides with the owners or the players. They’re all a bunch of foolish swine, really. You can’t even tip the scales one way or another in terms of blame. The owners were the ones who doled out the cash in the first place, but at least they admitted their mistake and are now intent on cleaning it up. The players. Hmmm. Well, how would you feel yesterday morning if you were a rank-and-filer in the NHL, making at or near the league minimum, knowing that a) your union essentially admitted on the last day of negotiations that it’s been wrong the last 3 years and b) the average career-span of an NHL’er is four years? Well, you’d feel like this could have been wrapped up last summer and more importantly, you’ve lost 25% of your career earning potential, maybe 50% if they don’t clean it up next season. Top of the morning to ya, rank-and-file. Fresh squeezed OJ?
To hell with it all, I say. I haven’t missed it since they flipped the lights off back in September and I’m sure as hell not going to jump for joy when it’s back. Unless, of course, there’s 10 less teams, 15 skaters per roster and goaltenders who don’t look like New England snow-plows. Too much other stuff for me to do. Bye.