For But a Fleeting, Glorious Moment, There Was Hockey...

Last night, there was actually hockey on TV and I watched in and cheered and laughed and yelled at the screen while my wife laughed at me. I was watching the AHL all-star game - Canada vs. USA. I knew none of the players (the AHL is essentially the minor league of the NHL) but, unlike that joke of an all star game the NFL held this weekend, these guys were actually playing to win. The fans didn't call the plays. They actually played hockey. It was great.

For anyone interested, Team USA fell behind 4-0 in the opening period in what looked like it would be a very lopsided victory for the Canadians. Little did they know that the fourth goal they scored in that first period would be the last one they'd score all night. Three goals in the second and one more in the third tied the game at 4 and sent it into an overtime shootout. 3 straight goals by the Americans coupled with 3 straight saves by the American goalie was all she wrote. It was a glorious game.

Perhaps I had forgotten how much I missed hockey season. I sure enjoyed watching that game, even if I didn't know a single player on the ice.

In recent news regarding the lockout, the team owners have finally given up on their policy that player salaries must be tied to league revenues. The players, in return, agreed to a salary cap, albeit at $52 million per team, rather than $40 million per team, as the owners wanted. So, while there is some hope that the season will be saved, a press conference has been scheduled for tomorrow (at Noon) at which the commissioner is expected to officially cancel the season.

I sure wish they'd start playing hockey again soon. That would be nice.