James Riswick
Assistant A&E Editor
If a tree falls in a forest and there’s nobody there to witness it, does it make a sound?
Similarly, if a delusional sports league cancels its season and nobody was paying attention, does anybody care?
Last week, National Hockey League commissioner Gary Bettman canceled the 2004-2005 season for good — the first time a major sports league has cut an entire season. The writing had been on the ice for quite a long time, as it seemed inevitable that those on both sides would not budge enough. Only the most bright-eyed optimist would have believed that the NHL would have made a quick agreement at the 11th hour and then play out a quick 28-game season before heading into the playoffs. Even had that happened, what a lousy, underwhelming Stanley Cup to win.
As it stands, however, the season is canceled and one can only hope that 2005-2006 will bring a return to Canada’s pastime and America’s excuse to watch people pummel each other without Vince McMahon being nearby with a metal chair.
There is still much to be ironed out. Although many people are blaming the players for the cancellation, that would be misguided. In the end, the players association caved to most of the owners’ demands. The players suggested a 24-percent reduction of each player’s salary and proposed a soft salary cap (something they had been completely opposed to since the beginning) of $49 million per team that could be violated by 10 percent only twice in a five-year span. The owners and league refused this offer, insisting on a $42.5 million hard cap. Essentially, the owners got the players to cave, then got greedy trying to niggle over a rather paltry (in sports figures) $6.5 million. That’s what a No-3 pitcher in baseball would be paid.
As it now stands, both sides have continued to talk but nothing has been set in stone yet, even with Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux on hand to bring some sanity to the madness. But in the end, the damage has been done. Last season, NHL clubs lost a total of $224 million. My guess is that it’s losses next season will be exponentially higher. Just look at what happened to baseball attendance after 1994’s strike that canceled the World Series. It pummeled and it took the 1998 home-run race to bring fans back.
Hockey does not have the luxury of being America’s pastime like baseball did to work its way back into people’s hearts. People in Canada will be angry, but considering hockey is that country’s heroine, their addiction will bring them back to the rink. Unfortunately, only six teams are in Canada, leaving 24 in the States to struggle against a tied of competition from other sports, general apathy toward the NHL and fan anger after the season’s cancellation.
With the exception of long-standing American hockey markets like Detroit, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Minnesota and Colorado, hockey is going to struggle severely. In fact, my prediction is that the NHL will lose at least five teams within five years — especially in the ice-less, apathetic Southern markets.
This will be a good thing, however. There were already too many teams caused by the false impression during the 1990s that people in warm climates would accept a game on ice few had ever played or watched before. Killing teams would allow the talent pool to improve and prevent clubs like Tampa Bay or Carolina from getting to the Stanley Cup. I say this because their fans don’t show up until the national media informs them about how good their teams are.
In the end, hockey really is an exciting, fast-moving game to watch. Sure it doesn’t quite satisfy the American need for high-scoring games (why else is soccer and hockey not popular?), but it is addicting to watch especially around playoff time. I will always think it’s pathetic that my Canadian brethren are so hopelessly addicted to the sport, but it’s also a shame nobody in the United States seems to notice at all. The biggest shame, however, is that the NHL has shot itself in the foot with its lock-out and subsequent cancellation of the season. They will quickly learn as the old Joni Mitchell adage goes “that you don’t know what you got till it’s gone.”
2-24-2005