Thank Goodness....

After 5 months of hope, despair, and then hope again, the NHL has finally decided to put itself, and its fans, out of their misery. Yes, I am one of the apparently few remaining hockey fans in the United States, and yes I am beyond disappointed with the league. Obviously, the fans were not taken into account by either side, or else this season would've already been underway. I know that hockey is not as big of a sport as baseball (in fact, arena football might overtake it shortly), but when baseball decided to cancel the season midway through 1994, many fans gave up watching the sport for a very long time. Hockey doesn't have nearly as large of a fan base, and if there is an exodus of fans, this sport will be about as profitable as stock in Enron.

I will probably continue to watch, because I am a hockey tool. I love the sport, and watch games whenever they are on t.v., which is about 0 times right now. But, other fans, especially fans in areas like Carolina and Atlanta, may easily lose their interest, and go back to watching NASCAR and drinking moonshine (just kidding, my fellow southerners). I have already felt the "pinch" of no hockey, as I currently watch shows like the O.C. and The North Shore with my wife - something I would never have done in the past (I swear). I even have to confess to watching arena football, and (gulp) pro basketball to get me through some of those long, cold nights. But, I digress.

The game is broken....at least in North America, it is. Clutching and grabbing, and goaltender puck play have made the game slow and it currently lacks excitement. The league doesn't know whether it wants a European style game, or a fighter's game. I prefer both, and the NHL, by the steps it has taken, prefers neither. They have allowed the clutching and grabbing, which slows the game down immensley, and they've decided they don't like the fighting aspect of the game. Well, what happens? Fans leave because of the increasing boredom associated with the game, and players get hurt, because enforcers aren't allowed to protect their players from cheap shots. Great move, NHL. Maybe you should make the nets smaller, so that there can be even more shutouts. How's about replacing the seats in the arenas with recliners and pillows, so that the fans can at least put the time they spend watching this crap to good use. How's about some soft-pop music - Michael Bolton, Elton John, and Kenny G., so that fans can fall asleep easier.

Ah, but the NHL spared us all of this by canceling an entire season. Thanks, guys. Now, I have to go and start following my sorry baseball team, the Philadelphia Phillies, even though I swore not to after the "fantastic" moves they made offseason. On a side note, I wonder if the O.C. will be good tonight.