NHL Lockout Finally Ends

Clown 1 and Clown 2

photo credit: michiganjournal.org

Yippie Hooray! The NHL and the NHLPA have finally (tentatively) agreed on a deal and the lockout is over!
But why am I not all happy and giddy lik a high school girl that just got asked to prom by the totally charming guy she's had a secret crush on since the beginning of the awful romantic-comedy movie starring interchangeable-teen-heart-throb?

Maybe it's because I'm still a touch bitter about not going to the winter classic, but it's probably because this is really a shallow victory.

Yes, we'll be able to watch some good ol' hockey.  The players will be playing again, the owners will make their money back, but most importantly the little guys who depend on the NHL for their livelihood will be working again.  (Even though I'm about to be negative, those little guys are the only people I'm happy for with this deal)

This is a shallow victory because it never should have happened.  Honest, hard-working people were out of work for far too long, wondering if they would have a job or not, while people who are set for life squabble over minute, mondane details.

This isn't like the last lockout, there was no huge, league-changing issue like whether or not the league should have a salary cap.  No, this lockout was argued over money, ridiculous player contracts, and other minor details that could have been pounded out in a couple weeks of true, hard, and good negotiating.

No, instead it became a pissing contest between two clowns who shouldn't be allowed to run a lemonade stand, let alone the fate of a professional sports league.

Everyone lost in this lockout.  Nobody won.  400+ games of hockey weren't played this season.  Two sides proved how stubborn they can be, making fools of themselves in the process.  The NHL took a substantial image hit during this lockout, and a "Thanks, Fans" message on the ice won't cut it.

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad hockey's back.  But this lockout was nothing short of a disgrace, fueled by the greed and stubbornness of both the owners and players.  This went on far longer than it needed to, and everyone knows it.

---- Personal Sidenote

Sorry about the long absence guys.  Finals and the holidays were extraordinarily busy and draining time for me.  I've got a couple more posts I'd like to do in the upcoming days, then I'll try to consistently be once a week.

Thanks for the loyal reading through the years, despite my sporadic posting frequency.  Hope you all had a great Christmas and New Years!

Here's to hoping 2013 is a great year for Michigan sports!

God Bless,
Dave Cobb, The Bearded Fellow