Didn´t know where to place this, but it doesn´t matter anyway
To everyone out there. May I introduce me? I am 23 years old an from Germany. Since I am 5 years old, I fell in love with the game of hockey. I never knew why, because hockey isn´t that popular here in Germany. There isn´t a serious hockey club within 100 miles of my hometown and even my father who, (just like every father) is interested in about every sport, isn´t interested in hockey.
Nevertheless I started to follow hockey very, very early in my life. When I was about ten, I found out that there was a league named NHL. From that day on, I was fascinated by that league and I fell in love with the San Jose Sharks since day one of their existence.
Since I am 13 and have internet-access at home, I made it a habit to get up at night to listen to nearly every online-radio-feed of Sharks-Games and in the playoffs I even got up to listen to other games as well. There are not a lot of feelings that are more thrilling and exciting than hearing Dan Rusanowsky (Sharks-Radio-Play-By-Play) or Randy Hahn call a Sharks goal, i can tell you. Since I am old enough to afford it, I pay to see the NHL on TV and in March of 2004 a lifelong dream of me came true, when I made a trip to the United States to watch some Sharks-Games. I was treated in a fantastic way by the San Jose Sharks organization and that was a trip I will probably never ever forget in my live. It is – until now – the best thing that ever happened to me.
Why am I writing that? I am writing that, to show you, that I live and breathe hockey. I miss it every day and every night and I just can´t believe the Stanley-Cup will not be awarded for the first time since 1919. During the first few month of the lockout, I didn´t feel that bad, as it gave me a chance to get more knowledge about our prospects: I had time to listen to and watch live streams of the QMJHL, college-hockey and the AHL. I was sure, that both negotiating parties would not be stupid enough to blow it all up and that hockey would return at some point during the 2004-05 season. And although it took some time, it looked to me, like the ice was broken and the chances of a deal to be struck were very realistic just about 48 hours ago. It all turned out to be wrong. And now, now what? Where do we go from here?
To quote Rod Brind´Amour: “The game's just suffered an absolute blow it'll never recover from, they're totally underestimating the damage that's being done.'' The NHL as we now it may need a decade, probably a lot longer to get back to where it was in the mid 90s, when the game really seemed to pick up some steam. I remember a sports-magazine cover at that time titled: “Why is hockey so hot and basketball not”. Funny thing, isn´t it? Right now, the NHL is the coolest game on earth. Unfortunately in more ways than one.
The question that keeps popping up in my mind is, how the NHLPA can be so stupid to not get a deal done before the drop-dead-date. They know, that the game will take a big hit because of the lost season. The owners know it too. In my view, the PA has seen the best offer possible from the NHL. Bettman has stated that linkage is back on the table and with good reason. The last 5 years or so of the old CBA the players took everything they could get and it wasn´t healthy for the sport. It was their right to do so and I won´t blame them for doing that. But they have to realize that this is a business and that every owner who is and has been loosing money for some years, is not ready to commit to a CBA that may cause him to loose a lot of money again sooner or later. It´s totally understandable that linkage is back on the table because the owners have no idea how damaging the effect of the lost season may be and are not ready to shoulder the risk of that.
The PA knew it would come that way. If they didn´t see linkage back on the table after a lost season, they are even dumber than they looked when playing the blame-game at yesterdays press-conference.
If this all ends in an impasse, the game may take longer than a decade, to even accumulate the best players from all of the world again, let alone recover. A lot of the current European stars, that have earned enough for a living, will go back to Europe and will not break the Union in case of an impasse. I am sure there are some current NHLers, who will play in the new, “union-free” NHL, but not nearly all players are ready for that. We may look at totally different teams once hockey starts again, the balance of power may shift one way or another and I as a real die-hard NHL-fan do not know, if I am ready to accept that new product, if I will ever be that thrilled and fascinated by a hockey game again and if I will be ready to set my alarm-clock at night to get up and watch or listen to hockey.
To top all of that, Bob Goodenow in his last press-conference goes out there and tries to paint an absolute ridiculous picture of the whole process. He describes how far the NHLPA has come and how generous it was from them to not even try to keep the old CBA going. Should I laugh or should I cry? He has nothing more to do than putting blame on the NHL. Why I do not appreciate some of the negotiating tactics by Gary Bettman and the league, I still won´t put any blame on them. They had to and have to go to this process to make sure hockey will have 30 working franchises for now and in the future, for hockey to have 30 competitive teams. Fixing the on-ice product starts right here, off the ice. I can´t see it happening, but I just hope impasse is not in the cards in the near future and I sincerely hope from the bottom of my heart, that both parties will-strike a deal before the 05-06 season starts. As I do not see that happening, here are my words for Bob Goodenow, one of sports most hated people right now: “Thanks Bob for killing the game that we all love. R.I.P. NHL”.
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