Here are a few words hockey fans thankfully won’t have to hear for another eight to 10 years: collective bargaining, hockey-related revenue, memorandum of understanding and, most importantly, lockout.
It was a Sunday morning that resurrected our Saturday evenings from the depths of a cold, lonely winter. I’m usually against being woken up before noon on a weekend, but a 9 a.m. text saying the NHL is back makes for a welcome alarm clock.
Fans are now digging their jerseys out of the closet, raiding Ticketmaster and gearing up for what is essentially a 48-game playoff run. If there was ever a year for a dark horse Cup winner to come through, this would be it. Keep the faith, Oilers fans.
Many fans and figures in the hockey industry were convinced a deal wasn’t going to come in time and that the season would be cancelled. Some hoped the season would be cancelled altogether just so they wouldn’t have to listen about billionaires fighting millionaires, which is kind of rude.
Wishing unemployment on a guy who makes seven figures a year for playing a game is understandable, but there were hundreds of others in the industry who make a modest salary that lost their source of income.
Restaurants and bars and memorabilia stores that depend on the NHL for profits were forced to lay off staff. The lockout hit them the hardest and for their sake, I’m glad the NHL is back.
I was in Jersey City purchasing a belated Christmas present the day the lockout ended. As I was waiting for my transaction to be processed, the man behind me in line bought a Cammalleri jersey. To quote the Jersey City employee I was chatting with: “We’ve sold more jerseys today than we did over Christmas.” It was a small glance into how embedded hockey is in Canadian culture.
While the pessimists were in the majority, some believed the season would be saved. They refused to give up hope until the fat lady sang or the official cancellation notice was given. Then, Teemu Selanne shamed all of the other optimists by doing his best Nostradamus impression, predicting that the lockout would end Jan. 7 and that the first game of the season would be played Jan. 19. It ended in the wee hours of Jan. 6 and the puck was, indeed, officially dropped on the 19th.
Add it to the ever-growing list of “Things the World Loves About Teemu.”
Social media has changed how the world communicates with each other and it’s no different in the hockey industry. Twitter, specifically, has given hockey fans the opportunity to interact with their favourite players and teams and with the hockey media.
Twitter became a sight to behold during the four months the NHL was locked out: a very angry and impassioned sight.
Twitter ingrained the fans as the third party in the battle between the NHL and the NHLPA like a child stuck in a messy and very public divorce.
Every average Joe was able to voice its discontent and frustration and direct it right at the NHL and the players.
The resentment was palpable as longtime fans threatened to cancel season tickets, get rid of their memorabilia and turn their back on a sport that had betrayed them.
Then, a deal was struck and the word “lockout” was replaced by the word “boycott” as many fans vowed to watch the home openers from the comfort of their homes or local watering holes and leave the arena seats empty in order to punish the NHL.
As I write this, we’re less than 48 hours from puck drop and it looks like the Empty Rink campaign will be a bust. The training camp practices and intra squad games have been packed with fans that have been desperately waiting for hockey.
Sometimes passion trumps politics.
