Hockey...Anyone?

This weekend the NFL will have it’s draft, the NBA will begin the play-offs, and Houston and St. Louis begin a weekend series in Baseball, but the NHL will not play hockey. Because owners and players cannot get along much less agree on anything the owners have locked out the players. The question is, does anyone really care.

The NHL failed to look at the lost seasons and lost fan base that resulted from the NBA and MLB work stoppages and now they might be in a position where they won’t be able to recover. Today’s sports fan has moved on, he’s had to. Because out outrageous salaries and out of control egos sports fan has had to learn how to cope without his favorite team or player participating in his favorite pastime.

With the amazing success of the NCAA tournament, the increased popularity of the NFL draft, the NBA play-offs, and just for kicks MLB, who has time to worry about a hockey work stoppage. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention college football spring practice and scrimmages. Do you think the sixty-plus thousand fans who came to Nebraska’s spring game were sitting in the stands thinking, “man, I sure wish I could watch some hockey.” Nope, Huskerfan is worried about who is going to play quarterback for his team and why the defense can’t stop anyone.

The NHL has only themselves to blame. They could have learned from the NBA and MLB. They could have listened to what people were saying, but instead they ignored the fans and their advisers and shut down the season. Now there is talk about what they are going to do if the situation isn’t resolved by next season. The hope now becomes that the three other major sports will now look to Hockey’s example of what not to do. Hopefully the next time the words, “’Lock-out or strike” are mentioned someone will say, “NO WAY THAT’S WHAT KILLED HOCKEY!“ I’m sure at some point the NHL will get all it’s problems worked out, I just wonder if anyone will care enough to pay attention.