NHL Taken Off The Ice for Another Season
The sport
that claims its fans are the best in the world, closes its doors to those fans…
again.
Sorry,
Canada, but it looks like you’re going to have to survive winter without
watching your favourite players.
This past
weekend, the hockey season was in jeopardy. The NHL and the NHLPA were in a
dispute over a new Collective Bargaining Agreement that recently ended when
last season was played. When no motive was given as to an agreement or a negotiation,
the NHL decided to lock out its players (NHLPA), given they had a deadline of
midnight Saturday night to reach a deal.
After
refusing to renegotiate for the majority of Saturday, no deal was made. Maybe
it has to do with the Leafs being in the Winter Classic this year?
But
honestly, this is not what the fans wanted. This is not what the players
wanted, and I’m sure this isn’t what the owners wanted.
So, who’s
to blame for the lockout? The fans, despite record revenues of $3.3 billion
last season – up more than $1 billion since the last lockout; the players, who
take every advantage of the system and act offended when the owners want to
adjust it; or the super greedy Gary Bettman?
No, this
isn’t about blame. Thousands of people depend on the NHL for their livelihood.
For them, it doesn’t matter whose fault this lockout is. It matters that the
lockout ends. Whether you want to blame the owners or players for the position
we sit in yet again, one thing is certain: The people making all the decisions
don’t run the teams, and they don’t skate, pass, hit, or shoot. They’re just
after their paycheck.
Without
the NHL, what country would we be?
Think
about it. The NHL is a pretty big deal here in Canada. After all, it is
Canada’s national sport. Numbers show that over 25K was spent on ticket sales
and merchandise for the past 8 seasons, and the fan base was growing each year;
TV ratings were through the roof. Let the record of the Canadian National
Hockey team prove you otherwise.
Young
kids grow up watching the game, realizing that it could, one day, become a
dream to play in the NHL. Kids take to the streets or the pond when it freezes
over to play the game. In the winter, especially up here, rinks are filled with
skaters. And every Saturday night, kids turn on CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada
and watch their favourite teams play. I know, because I was one of those kids.
Growing
up in a small neighbourhood in Toronto (not a huge fan of the Leafs, thank you
very much), I would take my goalie net on to the street and wait for others to
show up. There were only about 5 who would show, and out of those 6, only 1
really knew how to play. We were just like the Leafs! And if it wasn’t with the
neighbours, it was with my dad and my brother in our driveway.
For a
league that struggles with fan support in the United States, this is probably
not what they needed, given that two years ago Atlanta hardly had anybody show
up to their games.
They were
lucky if they got their home team on the ice, but they were turning it around. The
game changed after the 2004-2005 lockout. They introduced new rules, new
players, etc. Let the history show that a Canadian team hasn’t won the cup
since 1993. That’s a little disappointing.
And with
signs pointing to yet another franchise on the move (yes Quebec, maybe second
time’s the charm?), Canada should be prepared for whatever measures the NHL
decide to take, no matter the outcome. That means that if you are a hockey fan,
and a die-hard one at that, yell, scream, hold up signs, and show your support.
P.S. don’t do what Vancouver did after they lost a single hockey game. Okay,
sorry hockey fans, I meant a Stanley Cup game. Happy?
In 2004,
the lockout began on September 14, and both sides didn’t meet again until
October 26. So don’t bow your head and look down at your feet as if we’re not
going to get another season. It may just take a little time to negotiate the
right deal for the NHL and the players association. Maybe a little time to get
into Honey Boo Boo.
Maybe for
a nation who watches hockey all winter, this would mean more social time, some
face to face time with family. If you’re not a fan of that, take to the ice,
skate, go to your local arena and play hockey. Instead of opening a beer, give
your hand something else to open, like a woman’s heart.
There is
still going to be hockey in Canada, no matter what the NHL says or does. They
can’t take it away from us. Hockey is just as Canadian as Justin Bieber, sorry.
For once,
maybe the Leafs will remain undefeated.
-Drew
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