As far as hockey players go, they don't get much more outspoken passionate than Sharks blueliner Dan Boyle. Let's face reality: The Sharks, whether there's a hockey season or not, have some major question marks when/if the season begins. Dan Boyle is not one of them. Sure, he's scored an playoff OT winner.... for the wrong team and he's susceptible to some other giveaways in his own zone. But the Sharks will desperately need not just his ability to shoot from the point and score on the power play, but a team that fairly or unfairly gets questioned for a lack of heart gets plenty of inspiration from Boyle.
He's also reaching that point in his career where another possibility of a canceled season is just too much for a 36-year-old to accept. Perhaps Detroit defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom knew what was coming when he hung up his skates at the end of last season. At 42 and despite 20 years of NHL wear and tear on the Swede's body, Lidstrom was still playing at a high level when the future Hall of Famer said no to extending his great career. It's possible Lidstrom didn't want to risk committing to play another season and then have to wait for his fellow greedy players and greedy owners to iron out their vast differences. Lidstrom seems content, lockout or not, which brings us back to the not so content Boyle.
Say what you want about Boyle losing a step, and perhaps losing his role as the team's No. 1 offensive defenseman (it could be you, Brent Burns). But the guy's a winner, a previous Stanley Cup hoister in Tampa and an Olympic Gold Medalist for Team Canada along with Sharks' current and previous teammates Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Dany Heatley. But Boyle seems to understand that the longer this latest lockout drags on, the more difficult it will be for a player of his age to win another Cup.
That's where the lockout and the possibility the NHL will somehow bang another entire season is devastating for players getting up there in age. Imagine how Shane Doan, like Boyle 36 now, is feeling about losing games and maybe another season after he finally agreed to stay in Phoenix as the Coyotes finally looked like a team capable of serious contention after reaching the Western Conference Finals. Unlike Boyle, Doan's never reached the pinnacle of hockey glory, neither has 35-year-old Jarome Iginla or 39-year-old Daniel Alfredsson, like Doan among the classiest and most respected players in the NHL.
So they must have even more of a sense of urgency to say "Game On" than even the emotion Boyle is clearly letting out right now as the lockout drags toward Halloween.
He's also reaching that point in his career where another possibility of a canceled season is just too much for a 36-year-old to accept. Perhaps Detroit defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom knew what was coming when he hung up his skates at the end of last season. At 42 and despite 20 years of NHL wear and tear on the Swede's body, Lidstrom was still playing at a high level when the future Hall of Famer said no to extending his great career. It's possible Lidstrom didn't want to risk committing to play another season and then have to wait for his fellow greedy players and greedy owners to iron out their vast differences. Lidstrom seems content, lockout or not, which brings us back to the not so content Boyle.
Say what you want about Boyle losing a step, and perhaps losing his role as the team's No. 1 offensive defenseman (it could be you, Brent Burns). But the guy's a winner, a previous Stanley Cup hoister in Tampa and an Olympic Gold Medalist for Team Canada along with Sharks' current and previous teammates Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Dany Heatley. But Boyle seems to understand that the longer this latest lockout drags on, the more difficult it will be for a player of his age to win another Cup.
That's where the lockout and the possibility the NHL will somehow bang another entire season is devastating for players getting up there in age. Imagine how Shane Doan, like Boyle 36 now, is feeling about losing games and maybe another season after he finally agreed to stay in Phoenix as the Coyotes finally looked like a team capable of serious contention after reaching the Western Conference Finals. Unlike Boyle, Doan's never reached the pinnacle of hockey glory, neither has 35-year-old Jarome Iginla or 39-year-old Daniel Alfredsson, like Doan among the classiest and most respected players in the NHL.
So they must have even more of a sense of urgency to say "Game On" than even the emotion Boyle is clearly letting out right now as the lockout drags toward Halloween.
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