Upon hearing news of the NHL Board of Governors rejecting a change to the unbalanced schedule at their meetings in Dallas, I felt like I took a swift kick in the ribs from a bully who already had me down and out, struggling to get back to my feet.
In all my years of following the NHL, I've never felt so close to forfeiting my fandom as I have during the first three or four months of this season. Scratch that. Looking back, I can't remember EVER considering about whether or not to stop watching hockey.
But something inside me this year has just snapped.
And before you start criticizing me for not being a true fan, I'll have to stop you right there. I've gone on Eastern road trips to see the original six buildings, I've spent an afternoon in the Gretzky basement, followed by an evening at the Hockey Hall of Fame and my collection of NHL memorabilia is vast. I grew up in the old Pacific Coliseum. I'm a HUGE fan of hockey, I'm just not all that enamoured with the current state of the NHL.
But what's the difference to the NHL if I decide to pack it in at the end of this year. I'm just one tiny fan in Vancouver who plays no part in the NHL's grand scheme. I won't get a golden handshake or an expensive timepiece for all my years of contributing to the coffers of the NHL. I won't even get a simple thank you for all the jerseys, posters, hockey cards, hats, t-shirts and tickets I've accumulated over the years. Nothing. And you know what? I'm fine with that. I just want my game back.
The NHL is breaking my heart. It really is.
Gone are the days of anxiously awaiting the release of the schedule to find out when the Leafs, Habs or other favorite Eastern teams come to town. Now those teams show up every three years. Say that last sentence out loud. "NOW THOSE TEAMS SHOW UP EVERY THREE YEARS." Depressing isn't it.
Who would have thought I'd have to wait almost as long as the interval between Olympic games to see some of the worlds best players play live.
And I'm not whining and moaning because I won't get to see Sidney Crosby or Alex Ovechkin as often as I'd like. It's a given I want to see these guys play, but honestly, I'd be equally as distressed if they played in the Western Conference. No disrespect to the other teams here out West, I'm just tired of seeing you guys play. Dead tired.
What the heck happened to the NHL I grew up with?
Maybe I was just a kid and I didn't notice or comprehend all the business stuff that went on, but these days there isn't a buffer between the games being played on the ice and the decisions being made in the boardroom. Every game is like sitting through a bumbling corporate stiff pointing to colored pie charts and ascending graphs trying to persuade disgruntled employees that the company is actually doing well.
Goals are up, offence is on the rise, so are revenues...blah, blah, blah. I don't buy it. I know what I see and I know how I feel. This game is in trouble.
I guess what's frustrating me the most is the NHL doesn't seem to be listening to us. We're the shareholders, we're the ones who open our wallets and we're the ones the NHL should be trying to satisfy. But in the end, I just end up feeling worse and worse with every decision these guys make.
I'm not naive or anything, I know this is big business, but do teams really save THAT much money by not travelling to other cities at least once? For cryin' out loud, if I can accumulate enough Air Miles on my Mastercard for a free trip to Mexico, why can't NHL clubs work on some sort of similar plan. It's baffling to me.
Fans want variety. They wanna see every team at least twice - once at home and once on the road. I don't really care that the majority of the Board of Governors elected to keep the schedule the same. How does that help the people who pay their salaries? Their ruling basically translates to, "The majority of the NHL decision makers don't really care what the fans want so you can stop your complaining."
I don't really know what else to say, other than to look up at the decison makers from my bruised and battered knees and say...
I just want my game back.
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