Game On!

   NHL Hockey's back. The league and players reached a tentative deal about 5:00 Eastern Sunday morning after some 16 hours of talks. That means a season will start no later than January 19th, and possibly as early as the 15th after a 113 day lockout that wiped more than half of the season out. The deal, among other things, increases the salary cap to some 64 million per team. The league was after 60 mil.
   And it's interesting what a little pressure can do. The league had set a "drop dead" date of January 11th to scrap the entire season, while the players were moving toward a disclaimer of interest which would disband the union and set up possible legal battles.
   There were opportunities to save more of a season, but both sides were so entrenched, those opportunities went begging.
   The interesting thing to watch for now is fan reaction. Die-hard supporters will be in their seats for the shortened season, no doubt. But it's the walk-up fans that make up a good chunk of the revenue for all the teams. Will they be willing to shell out anywhere from $165 to $235 bucks to see Montreal play? Or $75 to $175 in Edmonton? Or $160 to $185 for a seat in the Gardens for the Rangers? Some will, I'm sure. But I'd also put money on quite a few saying "fuck it" after having waited so long for a season and simply getting to the point where they've lost interest.
   And what is going to happen to ticket prices next season anyway? Are they going to be jacked up so teams can cover the increased cost?
   Hockey is a big business, I know that. But it seems to me that during this latest dispute between the 2 sides, the fans simply didn't count. On one hand, you have the league saying they need increased revenue etc, and the players saying they need more money etc. I think both sides need to come to terms with the fact that while it is a huge business, they'd better be aware that fan dollars can only stretch so far. And if fans start believing both sides are just money grubbing, and don't really care about THEM, then their base will drop.
   Will I be taking in any NHL games after this cluster-fuck? No. At least not for a while.
   'Nuff said.

   And a couple of other hockey related notes: The U.S.A won gold at the World Juniors in Russia, beating defending champion Sweden 3-1. Canada, which went undefeated through the preliminary round, lost the bronze medal game to the host Russians beat them 6-5 in O.T.