Ohio.
As the NHL lockout which currently plagues us rounds its 40th day of actuality, we continue to live. That’s really what is most important, too. I mean, yes it sucks that we aren’t watching some professional hockey and instead are getting into semantic arguments with the LA Kings Twitter feed about what professional hockey actually is.
That happened.
So, first and foremost, thanks for being alive and living. That’s really all we can do. We go about our lives as we normally would, hoping for some breakthrough that will lead to hockey being played at an arena near you on the next night. Lately, the breakthroughs have been few and none in between. We’re left picking up scraps and nuggets of rhetoric from both sides and left to piece the puzzle together.
-For ages 9 & up
-Contains 3.3B pieces
-Some key corner pieces missing
-Enlarged to Show Detail
That’s no fun. Puzzles like that suck. And frankly, I’m beginning to become insulted they continue to think I’m interested in seeing the final picture.
Have you ever had the misfortune of standing behind someone in line that is playing the lottery? Not some fool who wastes three or four dollars here and there on quick picks. No, I’m talking about the special kind of player who has it “all figured out” with their particular system and daily numbers. I’ve been blessed to not only stand behind them, hoping to buy a Dr. Pepper (amazing) for 15 minutes while they spew out $50 worth of nonsense, but I’ve also been the sad sack who is behind the counter.
That’s my little analogy for what the negotiations are becoming. Little particulars that “Holy Jumpin! You better not screw up, because that could mean the difference between Winnings and Losings”.
Except in the case of the new CBA, no side is going to come out a winner. Both sides are going to have to make concessions in order to get the fairest deal. So, that’d be like thinking about playing the lotto, putting the money back in your wallet and smiling.
Did you enjoy that tangent? So, LOL life, right? Not so fast.
There’s plenty going on around the league (other than games being cancelled through November 1st) to keep us interested. For instance, there is the “Champs for Charity” game coming up on October 26th. It’ll be a reunion of sorts for the 2010 Stanley Cup Champions. The game will feature Adam Burish, Kris Versteeg, Brian Campbell, Andrew Ladd, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp and others from around the league.
The Rockford Ice Hogs and the rest of the AHL are well underway. Their next game is Thursday against the San Antonio Rampage. They’ll play the Chicago Wolves on November 2nd. Currently, the Wolves sit atop the division with a 4-1 record. The IceHogs bring up the rear with only three points in five games played. With all the talent the Chicago Blackhawks sent down, I don’t see troubles lasting too long. And for those interested, we’ll be covering the IceHogs as soon as possible.
As far as NHL action taking place, look no further than the geographical oddity that is Ohio to see Columbus Blue Jackets hockey to begin on time. Stories seeping out from America’s Freckle indicate a local bar (backyard moonshine distillery) held a matchup between the Blue Jackets and their opening night opponent, Vancouver Canucks.
Except it was on an Xbox. In simulation mode. The Blue Jackets lost.
Perhaps most entertaining is that the on-air analysts came and actually did a play by play broadcast for this simulated game. Reports I just made up in my head indicated the bar drew less than 30 percent capacity for this game. So, it looks as if everything is normal in Columbus.
How do you fill your NHL void?
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