My Corner of the Interweb

Listen...

Mood: Bit Ticked, Really.
Music: None.

Is there anyone on this planet who thinks that there's going to be a hockey season this year?

I am simply dumbfounded. These people, who cannot manage their own checkbooks, will decide in a few weeks to cancel the 2004-2005 NHL season once and for all.

Their timing is not at all surprising. They knew months ago that they were going to do this, and they knew months ago that regardless of what the players offered, they were going to refuse. They are doing this so that the owners and NHL can declare an impasse under US and Canadian labor law. This will unilaterally enable them to dictate the terms of their next labor contract, under which the players can sign, or not play in the NHL. All while earning interest on season ticket holders' money.

You might be thinking that the NHL has the right to do what they want in regards to their employees. And largely, I agree. The NHL is under no obligation to hire any of these players. They are under no obligation to pay them what they demand. They are under no obligation to offer admission to their games, sell tickets, or even play the games.

On the flipside, I'm under no obligation to pay money to watch what they call hockey.

The NHL is counting on me to pay money to watch replacement players, or players that have been bullied into playing through questionable tactics. Newsflash: I ain't biting. I will not pay to watch replacement players. I will not pay to watch players who have been bullied into submission.

I am a die-hard Rangers fan. I have been going to games for over 35 years. My father took me, then I took myself. I spent my then-life savings on a ticket to see the Rangers win the Stanley Cup in 1994. I was working in a copy shop, but there was no way I was missing that. I watched Stephane Matteau score on Martin Brodeur in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals in double overtime to move on to the Stanley Cup Finals. I was there.

If the New York Rangers never play another game of hockey again, I saw them win a Stanley Cup. And my life will go on just fine.

I will say this: All that the owners and NHL are doing are preventing a new generation of fans from loving this sport as much as I do. They will NOT recover from this. They won't. They still haven't fully recovered from the last shortened season. That was 10 years ago. They won't recover from this in my lifetime. And they certainly won't recover from it with my money.

Speaking of which, they still have my money for my season tickets. Does anyone else think that this is complete and utter bullshit?

I guess I knew that this could happen...because I still have a picture of Messier scoring his last goal of the season on my computer, and I have saved the SMS message indicating the goal via TMobile.

I will honestly and truly miss the sport. I wanted to see Messier on skates once more. I really did.

Posted by Glenn at December 28, 2004 11:22 AM