The NHL is back!

So the lock-out is all but over and training camps are set to open in the next few days. Depending on when the deal is ratified, it could be a 50 or 48 games season. Part of me wants to say screw both sides and not watch but who am I kidding, I happy it's back. I have a feeling most fans who said that they'll boycott will be back. The question is how much damage as been done to some of the small market US teams.

 

There was a lock-out?:evillaugh

 

Watching HBO's "Broad Street Bullies" right now, brought back a ton of memories. I forgot how much the Flyers were hated back then by the rest of the league. Dave Shultz with 487 penalty minutes and the team had over 1700 penalty minutes in 1976. Great stuff, back to back Cups for the Flyers, then the Habs winning 4 straight.

Good to see hockey again, the league and players association screwed the pooch too long this season.

 

Thank God Canadians can go back to ignoring junior hockey like they do the other 50 weeks of the year.

 

Huge hockey family here! Not sure how we feel. We have a half season ticket so will get 12-13 games.............I am sure once it starts we will get into it. Sheesh, we just got our Jets back last season so we weren't quite used to it yet! At least the male half our couples trip in March will have something to bet on............

 

I came back after the last lockout/strike. I won't be back this time!

Tim

 

I can say I am glad they finally worked out a deal and looking forward to the season starting.

Throughout the lockout they've been asking almost daily on TSN and SportsNet about how much damage this has done... not just small teams, but also to the big clubs.

I actually think the answer is "it doesn't really matter"

First, all teams have die-hard fans, and those fans will always be there. And same with the band-wagon jumpers: if your team wins a few games or looks like its going to the playoffs there'll always be plenty of people ready to hop aboard.

Then for the big market teams like Canadiens, Maple Laffs, Rangers, Flyers, Bruins, etc - they are big enough that they can afford to lose a few fans where its not going to have any real impact on their bottom line.

And when it comes to small market teams: its often a case of "how much worse could it really get?" where if they lose a few fans, yes it can add up to a significant loss, percentage-wise, of their fan base... but thats a two-way street where picking up a few new fans through marketing, a good promotion or putting a couple of wins together is also a significant gain, percentage-wise, to their fan base... basically, when you are a small market team any loss or gain to your fan base is always going to feel a lot stronger than it really is, but when you can only lose so many fans its not that hard to offset lost fans through a few new ones.

 

Well, I guess that means Jimmy Buffet's "Boat Drinks" will be relevant again soon. "Twenty degrees and the hockey game's on,
Nobody cares they are way too far gone, Screamin' boat drinks, something to keep 'em all warm..."

 

I hate to say it but after this years WJHC I've had enough junior hockey for the year, now I'm ready to be disappointed by the big boys.

 

I am so happy that things will be back to normal soon. Winter sucks even more without hockey to heat up the cold nights. It looks like they might start playing while I am in Vegas, and one of my favorite things is to hunker down at a VP bar with a few beers and my Bruins to keep me company

 

In the best of times it was hard selling tickets in long island, florida, nashville, columbus, phoenix, dallas and now this is the worst of times

 

Huge Rangers fan here. Part of me is thrilled the season is back b/c the Rangers are built to win soon and they can't keep all their young-ish guys under contract after 2013/2014.

But I'm also disgusted. Throughout the last few weeks, when there were tons of leaks and statements from both sides, not once did they mention the fans.

Habs0nut, enjoy Prusty -- he's an easy guy to root for and works his ass off.

 

Let's! Play! Hockey!!

 

I'm upset that this took so long, or that it even had to happen. I can't believe Bettman still is commish, although I also blame these greedy player reps and agents to demand so much, when the owners assume all the financial risks.

But I'm glad that I will get to see hockey. Unlike most of you, I'm an Islanders fan from eastern LI, and I only have 3 seasons to catch a game before they move 100 miles from me to Brooklyn And now these selfish bastids have robbed me of 1/2 of one of those precious seasons of watching John Tavares.

 

Some of us still hate the Flyers, and always will.

 

The NHL should move some of these teams to Quebec or Hamilton.

35+ years later, how awesome is that!

 

I will be saying screw it and not watching games, but I don't watch many to start with.

What ought to happen is fans do a partial boycott. Of course they won't stay away. The reason they are mad is because they couldn't watch hockey. Its the casual fans who lose interest who will be gone for good.

The die hards should just do what they can to hit the teams in the wallet. Sure, you're going to a game, but don't buy concessions. Sure, you're watching on TV, but PVR it and start watching 45 minutes in with no ads. And make do without new NHL merchandise for awhile.

 

Oops slow computer, dual post.

 

Bettman is still commish because he works for the owners and if they were losing that much money they would have kicked him to the curb long ago. The owners are half to blame in this as well. Signing outrageous contracts while crying poor doesn't make me feel bad for them one bit. See, Crosby 12yrs, 104.4mil, Quick 10yrs, 58mil, Staal 10yrs, 60mil...for example.

The other reason I don't feel bad for the owners is this, owning any professional franchise is an investment, not a career. They know this going in. While they want to make money on their investment just like anyone who invests money, they also know the risks. The players and the union share the blame but to put it all on the players isn't right. By the way, who do you blame for the Isles skipping out of that dump they play in to play in Barclay's? Tavares? Okposo?

I am a slappy and will be back as far as watching on tv. I needs my NHL.

 

That he works for the owners is important: When Bettman came to the NHL it was a $400M per year business... its now a $3.3B per year business.

I know people don't like the lockouts, but it was getting to the point where the players were taking home almost 80 cents of every dollar the NHL brought in... so something had to be done.

And you could say it was the owners fault for letting it get to that, but it was more the fault of the system and the difference in revenue between the markets: when you have big market teams that make money by the baleful and then spending extra to entice a player to come play on their crappy team it has a ripple effect because if you play a so-so player more than he is worth, everybody else who is better than he is will use his salary as a measuring stick and say something along the lines of "Hey he is making $8M per year and I am a better player than he is... I should be making at least that much, if not more!"