Wednesday, February 16, 2005

Good Ol Hockey Game

So, the NHL has become the first professional sports league to ever cancel an entire season.

Stupid.

It was 10 years ago when the NHL last had a lockout. I remember it well because I worked in a sportcard shop at the time and I remember how slow business had gotten, especially over a dreadful Christmas seaosn where people just no longer cared about spending money on anything hockey-related.

I was a marketing genius when I worked there. I kept a whiteboard with the rookie scoring leaders listed and had a display case with their various cards for sale. Whenever there was a player who had a great game, then people could come in and find their cards on display the very next day. People would psned the extra money --even 25 or 50 cents-- just to have a card of another "hockey hero."

The day after the lockout was over, I was laid off because business had dropped too much and even though it was recovery time, it never recovered enough to make up for the 3 months lost.

10 years later we lost an entire season and this should do the entire league in. Say goodbye to the 87-year history of the NHL. It's time for a different league to start up.

Gretzky needs to come back to Canada and start a new team in Alberta. The Courtnall brothers (both former Vancouver Canucks) could easily start one up in Vancouver. Don Cherry, Bobby Orr and others could easily start a team in the Toronto area. Mario Lemieux could take his multi-millions and build a franchise in Quebec. By Fall, we could have a 6-team league running in Canada and who's to stop some of the better American markets from joining in? Messier & Leetch in New York? Yzerman and friends in Detroit? Chicago? Buffalo? Seattle? Winnipeg even?

I think it's time something started from scratch and let the NHL die.

1 comment:

Dreama said...

I can honestly say that I won't miss it...see where greed gets you? They were too greedy for more millions and in the end, everyone lost, including all those who depend on jobs related to hockey such as people who maintain and operate rinks, vendors, and the poor old zamboni driver. Just desserts, I reckon, for a bunch of greedy men who chase rubber around half the year and expect to get paid millions for it.