The players got shafted, yes, but it wasn\'t entirely their fault. The head of the Union (name slips me) declined the offer in February which turned out to blow the one they settled out the window. If anyone has been following the shenanagins people like to label as "meetings" (as I have, sort of), and read Jeremy Roenick\'s interviews, he plainly states that the players union should have signed in February, and thus have been screwed. The new agreement hurts high-revenue/high-profile teams like the Flyers, Red Wings, and Rangers. Growing up playing hockey and being a huge fan since I was tiny, I must stress that I feel this is actually a GOOD thing for hockey. While it may hurt certain big market clubs, it does nothing but create better competition among every team in the league. And since hockey is, in my opinion, a sport where money definitely CANNOT buy you championships (see: NY Rangers), I think we are in for a great season.
The NHL has alot of work to do to gain its decreasing fanbase back though, and I think for a small reason it will return more popular than ever, kinda like the home run chase repopularizing baseball. Hockey has become less popular, even before this debacle, than women\'s tennis (not that I have anything against watching women in skimpy outfits run around). Enourmous amounts of people say its to hard to follow on TV, so NHL ratings are lower than say bowling. I disagree. Maybe because I know the game, but I find it very easy to follow the action on television. I can understand trying to follow a tiny puck around when you are there sitting 20 rows from the ice, but the cameras on TV do the work for you. Ticket prices are without a doubt the biggest issue with the NHL. You ain\'t gonna put people in the seats charging in excess of $75 for a two hour game.
Anyways, enough of my bitching, heh. The only thing that I am confused about is the draft. Sidney Crosby is the next Gretzky (so it is said, by the great one himself) and without a doubt the #1 pick. How do the decide who gets the pick though!?
Oh, and. . . . . GO BRUINS!!!!