NHL Season Cancelled

Well it's about fucking time somebody makes a decision in this affair. I did not read one article today about the decision to cancel the season because I would not have learnt anything new. It would have been the same bullshit rhetoric that the NHL and NHLPA have been spewing back and forth since September. Bon débarras at least for this year.

Will I miss the NHL? Probably. Is that a little crazy for a soon to be middle age man? Maybe, though my wife would probably say yes. I will probably miss the NHL eventually because I love hockey so much. I love playing it, I love watching it, I love talking about it. I enjoy hanging out after a game and shooting the shit with the guys I have played with. I love the aggressiveness about the game and I love the finesse about the game. I love the friends I have made through the game.

I love the memories that I have about the game involving my father. He coached me, he watched me and he supported me. And I wasn't even good. I remembered my father coaching me on the outdoor rinks of my hometown. When he later stopped coaching he would drive me and many of my teammates to almost every one of my games.

I love the way the game bonded my father, my brother and me. I love the way the game created this little rivalry between my father and his two sons whenever the Montreal Canadiens played against the Quebec Nordiques. My father was a Canadiens fan but he could never root against his hometown team even if their jerseys were the same colour as the separatist flag. A playoff game between the two teams seemingly brought us closer to my father as we would tease each other whenever our team performed better. And when the Nordiques would occasionaly win he would never rub it in because he knew his sons were disapointed and deep down inside he was pulling for the Canadiens.

I loved hearing my father tell me stories about my uncle playing on the same junior team in Quebec City with the great Jean Beliveau. I love playing pick up hockey outdoors. I love the way hockey brings Canadians together from coast to coast during the World Junior Hockey Championship. I love the way hockey brings the country together during the Stanley Cup finals. I love the memory that I watched the 2002 Olympic gold medal game between Canada and the U.S. with my oldest son at my friend's house the day after my youngest son was born. I love the memory that my wife was ok with me leaving the hospital for awhile because she knew that the game was that important for me and sharing it with my son was even more important.

I love Saturday nights because it means Hockey Night In Canada. I love the theme song from Hockey Night In Canada. I loved listening to Danny Gallivan do the play by play on Hockey Night In Canada. I love listening to Pierre McGuire on TSN.

I loved watching Guy Lafleur fly down the wing and score on a booming slap shot. I love watching Bobby Orr skate end to end and score. I loved watching Mario Lemieux stickhandle through a whole team and embarrass the goaltender. And I loved watching Patrick Roy become the greatest goaltender in Montreal Canadiens history.

I can say without reservation that this will be the corniest item I will ever post but right now I don’t care because hockey is about good memories to me. And that is why I will eventually miss the NHL. But right now I am too angry at the owners and the players to care.