We shall wait and see...

NHL hockey may not be back yet, but I am. I decided not to blog because I was attempting to avoid talking or thinking about the lockout. Well, for a hockey fan, that is nearly impossible. I can't say that I absolutely NEED NHL hockey; I have been reading about hockey and watching clips from various leagues to get my hockey fix and it has been enough to get me through. Frankly, it's because this lockout just makes me a little upset.
I have not picked a side and I will not. Well, perhaps that is not true. I am on the side of the fans who want to see the best talent in hockey playing in the NHL right now and I am on the side of those who need jobs in hockey to make a living; those who need the paychecks right now. That's the side of the lockout that has been affected the most.

Hockey fans had to hear the latest bad news in this lockout last week.
The cancellation of the Winter Classic was no surprise, we knew it was coming. It is a shame though because the Winter Classic generally has high ratings and receives a lot of attention. Also, the Winter Classic goes along with HBO's series, 24/7 which has brought more attention to the league and has been popular. This year's Winter Classic was expected to be the biggest yet between two original six teams in Michigan Stadium, filled with 100,000 fans. It's terrible that a league trying to gain recognition and popularity in many areas had to cancel an event that would surely help to do those exact things because they can't agree on how to split money. Adam Proteau, of The Hockey News wrote an article about how the cancellation of the Winter Classic is a new low for the NHL:
With this lockout, you better believe some fans won't return to the NHL so excitedly and some won't return at all.
In his article, Proteau wrote, "The NHL can pretend all it wants there will be no blowback for its actions, but I’ve got a sneaking suspicion you easily could fill Michigan Stadium with 100,000 people who swear off the product forever.
Just as the Winter Classic can create a lifetime of positive memories for hockey fans, so too can its cancellation leave an odor that curls people’s noses for the rest of their days."



We, as fans, don't watch hockey for the owners. We don't watch hockey for the sole purpose of players getting paid. We watch hockey because we have a love for the game. The NHL may not be in action but there is certainly hockey out there. It may take a little more work following other leagues. It may take a longer drive to watch some hockey and it may not be the same caliber of NHL hockey some of you are watching, but it is hockey- the game we love. If the NHL lockout and those involved continue to argue over a large amount of money and how to split it, we will get our hockey fix elsewhere because one thing this NHL lockout is not doing is wiping hockey out everywhere.

A part of me wishes that when the NHL lockout ends, I could boycott the league and show how important and vital the fans are, but I know I will watch and attend games and not for the owners or the league or even for the players' paychecks, but because I love the game and the talent. However, it is this fact that makes both sides of this lockout confident that fans will come back to the game. Though, this lockout will have its casualties, just like Proteau said. Some fans will not return and even some players will not return. It is a shame such a great game can not function more properly as a league.

News coming out of CBA talks that occurred this past weekend tell us that the talks were productive and that we have a reason to be hopeful and optimistic. Well, we have heard that before and I didn't believe it then. I will be optimistic when I hear an announcement ending the lockout and when games are starting to be played. Until then, if you'll excuse me, I have other hockey to follow.