Its Back

In most cases, a strike in sports detracts from the game for an extended period of time, only now is baseball getting back on the pace it left itself at in 1994. But tonight marks the opening of the NHL following their 2004/2005 strike, and, at least among Canadians, there seems to be nothing but excitement, and relief to have professional puck back on the ice.

TV broadcasters are giddy, and smiling like a schoolboy who just found his dad's Playboy stash. There were jerseys of the favourite teams all over campus and the city today...obviously with more Leafs jerseys than I'd care to see.

This strike had a reverse effect. Instead of losing fans who felt players were getting too much compensation for having fun, and entertaining us, the players of the NHL took some large paycuts just to come back and play hockey. In the end they ended up settling for little more than they could have had to save the last season, but they still took a huge hit...and people like me missed the excitement in the meantime. So they held out for a year, and teased us, and played in Europe, and made us get reacquainted with junior hockey, and brought on a lot more soccer coverage.

I can't complain about any of the outcomes. Players needed to go to Europe and learn the skill game again, not the grind and grab that the NHL had turned into. The kids in Junior hockey needed some attention, and viewership, and money to keep goin, and they got it. And who can complain about better soccer coverage.

The only complaint I can really voice, is that of all the goddamn Texas Hold'Em I had to sift through for the past year and a bit. Its a game, mental strategy, playing odds, for the love of all that is physical and athletic, please can we now see the end of the explanations of what the 'River Card' is.

On behalf of Canada, I welcome you back NHL, and with any luck, those Americans will start to show you some love too.