The Return of the Puck

And while I am very much excited, some part of me thinks that the players are going to be out of shape and give a half-hearted performance. That isn’t even taking into consideration that we won’t know exactly how many players have opted for contracts in Europe and thus won’t be playing in the NHL until games start. The season is considerably truncated. And logic would dictate that that fact would make for a more intense, more competitive regular season. However, the lockout has left me jaded and skeptical that is how it will play out.

At the end of the day, yes, I am a fan. Yes, I am going to watch the games, and I know that is all the GMs and players care about. But how much abuse will the hockey-viewing public endure? I was all but ready to swear off my beloved sport and quit following all the details of the negotiations because I felt we had all but reached the event horizon.

Perhaps I would do well to reserve judgment. The players and GMs did reach an agreement despite my curmudgeonly attitude. And who knows, maybe the 20-year veterans like my heroes Jaromir Jagr and Teemu Selanne still have something to prove and want to end their career with a bang. Maybe prime-aged players like Sidney Crosby and Ilya Kolvachuk are irked that they lost some of their best playing years to a half-season lockout. Maybe upstarts like Taylor Hall and Gabriel Landeskog are fuming that they missed out on 34 games worth of stats to solidify their salaries when they are able to make more than $1 million.

Maybe …