Hockey is Back! I Should Be Happy, Right?

Well holy crap on a cracker, it's been a long time since I last set foot in here.  It's not that there weren't things to write about during the lockout, it's that they were few and far between and covered to death. Why kick a dead and depressingly fly filled horse? I had little interest in writing about something that existed, until early this morning, in theoretical space only. My muse was gone.

But now it's back, from outer space the great beyond to dazzle us once again with checks and goals and the occasional errant elbow. I should be jumping up and down with glee right?

Well, I'm not. Don't get me wrong, I am sure the passion will return once I sit down in my seats and watch the Sharks play a real live game on real ice, but I'm not overjoyed. I still see this whole mess as having been completely unnecessary. The PA could have started negotiating before the eleventh hour and the league could have been honorable and allowed the game to be played while a new CBA was worked out. There was no need for a lockout to begin with. It's damaged the lively hoods on shop and restaurant wieners, arena workers, and other seasonal employees who depend on the NHL to make ends meet. It damaged the image of the sport, and it tempered my love for it, at least for the immediate future. I learned how to get by without the NHL and it will be a hard sell to get me to go back to watch every game.

Not that the opinion on of one, fairly washed up, blogger matters. The NHL knows I'll be watching. Maybe not as much or as fervently as before, but I'll still be back. Just with a bit more reservations than before. You're going to need to work hard to impress me after this, NHL. I do hope you're up to the challenge.