Game on? Or fans turned off?
That's going to be the next issue to skate past as news broke early today of a pending NHL lockout-ending deal struck between two selfish opponents. This particular story by TSN, Canada's version of ESPN, was headlined with all caps screaming "LOCKOUT IS OVER!" Hey, it's Canada, and I respect the Canucks' -not just those in Vancouver- passion for the game and the desperate need to play NHL hockey in the country. But due south of Edmonton, Calgary, Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal, I don't expect church bells to be ringing and street corners to be danced on (except maybe from Minnesotans who can now wear their shiny new Zach Parise and Ryan Suter jerseys and not feel so guilty about it anymore).
For me, I am pleased but hardly elated the lockout handcuffs are about to be removed from behind our backs. It was inevitable this blog would feel a sense of relief and sighs of "Why did it take this long?", not joy and elation that one of my favorite teams was back in business. I'm not excited but rather indifferent that HP Pavilion will again be filled -perhaps not 100 percent full- for ice shows that don't involve Disney characters.
There's going to be a season, and that's fine. But the Bay Area is thinking 49ers and -I kid you not-Warriors right now. The Bay Area turned out to be America's hotbed for baseball this fall. Hockey is going to be even more of an afterthought than usual unless the Sharks make a deep playoff run, and who knows what kind of impact San Jose will make in what looks like an uber-competitive Western Conference over this 50-game sprint that will be over in a blur.
ESPN's Scott Burnside summed up the end of the nonsense very well:
That's going to be the next issue to skate past as news broke early today of a pending NHL lockout-ending deal struck between two selfish opponents. This particular story by TSN, Canada's version of ESPN, was headlined with all caps screaming "LOCKOUT IS OVER!" Hey, it's Canada, and I respect the Canucks' -not just those in Vancouver- passion for the game and the desperate need to play NHL hockey in the country. But due south of Edmonton, Calgary, Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal, I don't expect church bells to be ringing and street corners to be danced on (except maybe from Minnesotans who can now wear their shiny new Zach Parise and Ryan Suter jerseys and not feel so guilty about it anymore).
For me, I am pleased but hardly elated the lockout handcuffs are about to be removed from behind our backs. It was inevitable this blog would feel a sense of relief and sighs of "Why did it take this long?", not joy and elation that one of my favorite teams was back in business. I'm not excited but rather indifferent that HP Pavilion will again be filled -perhaps not 100 percent full- for ice shows that don't involve Disney characters.
There's going to be a season, and that's fine. But the Bay Area is thinking 49ers and -I kid you not-Warriors right now. The Bay Area turned out to be America's hotbed for baseball this fall. Hockey is going to be even more of an afterthought than usual unless the Sharks make a deep playoff run, and who knows what kind of impact San Jose will make in what looks like an uber-competitive Western Conference over this 50-game sprint that will be over in a blur.
ESPN's Scott Burnside summed up the end of the nonsense very well:
Hockey is coming back, but you sure hope most fans in and out of Sharks' Nation will not only be reluctant to forget but shouldn't be prepared to forgive until someone can figure out why and how the sport got back here. Again.
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