My CBA rant
Posted 2:16 PM ET | Comments 0
Man, I got to say this NHL lockout really does suck. The more time that passes the more I realize how much I am starting to miss that routine of getting back into a new hockey season. You know what I mean; September roles around and your thoughts begin to drift further and further into that beautiful abyss that is the NHL season. Your thinking about how trades and signings over the summer will effect this new year. Wondering about players injuries and maybe the most important part of it all is trying to figure out who in the world your going to draft first in your hockey pool. Alas, myself and countless others are missing all this. I mean opening twitter and reading basically the same report about how there has been no progress in CBA talks over and over again is already getting old. Where are the training camp updates? Where’s the report of some third liner coming to camp 3 pounds overweight and the jokes that accompany this? Or how about talks and texts with your pool buddies trying to get an inside edge on who they like as their sleeper pick? The whole thing can really become quite depressing when you start to look at the big picture.
To be fair, I know as a hockey fan I shouldn’t be this upset with all the other quality hockey that’s out there. I mean I live in a city with the AHL which is excellent hockey with some great current and future NHLers playing down there while this situation in the big times gets figured out. This is all great, but in the end it’s not the NHL. There is no coaches corner in the AHL, no Saturday night double headers or Wednesday night prime time match ups. Its taken me my entire life to understand and build the knowledge base that I have of the NHL; something thats taken a lot of work and time. I won’t be able to do that for the other hockey leagues out there. Sure, its a great opportunity to learn about the rest of the hockey world more and I will take all the chances I get to do that. No matter how hard I try to love other leagues, they’re not the NHL and it’s still playing second fiddle to the best of the best.
I just wish they would get it over with. In the end it doesn't matter who you disagree with or hate. It doesn’t matter if you think everyone is just being too greedy, (which they are, but I certainly understand the players point of view much more) we are still without our beloved NHL.
Regardless of what we think, there are deeper issues holding this thing back than what gets discussed in the media. This whole thing sucks no matter who we hate. I'm still hoping they just get this thing figured out sooner rather than later. If you ask me, even with the way things have been going lately, this thing gets figured out before Christmas. I'd say more so this time than with the last lockout simply because the NHL stands to lose more. For one, I think their reputation is taking an even more of a beating than last time due to the fact that this whole thing was very avoidable. Another factor is how much more prepared the players are now compared to last lockout. They have a stronger voice which I think in the end puts more pressure on the NHL to make this all go away. Perhaps even bigger than all the other stuff, you have the birth of the Winter Classic which has been a treasure trove for the NHL in recent memory. I think the thought of losing the Winter Classic and the revenues it brings (considering its the LEAFS vs Detroit), will have a big effect on getting the league up and running. I'm no insider. I just have a feeling the whole HBO/nostalgia thing that the Classic has going for it will make a difference when the NHL is looking at what it’s losing.
I have got to say, the more highlights I see and the closer my draft gets, the more I really miss the game. It is a beautiful game. There is so much passion for the game that not having it around at this time of year is a big disappointment. Hockey is the best game in the world regardless of the politics behind it and I for one just want it back on the air. As a fan I'm worried that the longer Bettman sticks around, the more often we are going to see lockouts like this. I hope the league will see that and take a look at who they have in power and whether its the best thing for the game. I mean for the love of the game let the boys play, Gary! The great game that is Hockey needs someone who doesn’t always look to a lockout as the first option in trying to get the owners what they want. The league commissioner should be the one that uses a work stoppage as the last resort. I think he should love the game as much as the fans love the game.
In the end both sides need to have a lot more appreciation for what they have. They really should care far less about their pocket books and realize every one of them (even the entry level players) are making amazing money. Lets not kid our selves here, both sides will, regardless of how this CBA goes, make a TON of money to play a game. A game that does bring a lot of enjoyment to many people including myself. It’s too bad greed has become the real game we have to watch. And in this game both sides have teams filled with All-stars. I think its fair to say that this ones gonna be a barn burner.
To be fair, I know as a hockey fan I shouldn’t be this upset with all the other quality hockey that’s out there. I mean I live in a city with the AHL which is excellent hockey with some great current and future NHLers playing down there while this situation in the big times gets figured out. This is all great, but in the end it’s not the NHL. There is no coaches corner in the AHL, no Saturday night double headers or Wednesday night prime time match ups. Its taken me my entire life to understand and build the knowledge base that I have of the NHL; something thats taken a lot of work and time. I won’t be able to do that for the other hockey leagues out there. Sure, its a great opportunity to learn about the rest of the hockey world more and I will take all the chances I get to do that. No matter how hard I try to love other leagues, they’re not the NHL and it’s still playing second fiddle to the best of the best.
I just wish they would get it over with. In the end it doesn't matter who you disagree with or hate. It doesn’t matter if you think everyone is just being too greedy, (which they are, but I certainly understand the players point of view much more) we are still without our beloved NHL.
Regardless of what we think, there are deeper issues holding this thing back than what gets discussed in the media. This whole thing sucks no matter who we hate. I'm still hoping they just get this thing figured out sooner rather than later. If you ask me, even with the way things have been going lately, this thing gets figured out before Christmas. I'd say more so this time than with the last lockout simply because the NHL stands to lose more. For one, I think their reputation is taking an even more of a beating than last time due to the fact that this whole thing was very avoidable. Another factor is how much more prepared the players are now compared to last lockout. They have a stronger voice which I think in the end puts more pressure on the NHL to make this all go away. Perhaps even bigger than all the other stuff, you have the birth of the Winter Classic which has been a treasure trove for the NHL in recent memory. I think the thought of losing the Winter Classic and the revenues it brings (considering its the LEAFS vs Detroit), will have a big effect on getting the league up and running. I'm no insider. I just have a feeling the whole HBO/nostalgia thing that the Classic has going for it will make a difference when the NHL is looking at what it’s losing.
I have got to say, the more highlights I see and the closer my draft gets, the more I really miss the game. It is a beautiful game. There is so much passion for the game that not having it around at this time of year is a big disappointment. Hockey is the best game in the world regardless of the politics behind it and I for one just want it back on the air. As a fan I'm worried that the longer Bettman sticks around, the more often we are going to see lockouts like this. I hope the league will see that and take a look at who they have in power and whether its the best thing for the game. I mean for the love of the game let the boys play, Gary! The great game that is Hockey needs someone who doesn’t always look to a lockout as the first option in trying to get the owners what they want. The league commissioner should be the one that uses a work stoppage as the last resort. I think he should love the game as much as the fans love the game.
In the end both sides need to have a lot more appreciation for what they have. They really should care far less about their pocket books and realize every one of them (even the entry level players) are making amazing money. Lets not kid our selves here, both sides will, regardless of how this CBA goes, make a TON of money to play a game. A game that does bring a lot of enjoyment to many people including myself. It’s too bad greed has become the real game we have to watch. And in this game both sides have teams filled with All-stars. I think its fair to say that this ones gonna be a barn burner.