Lockout is Over. Welcome Back, NHL!

Cartoon by Mike Thompson, Detroit Free Press

Hey! Hockey is back!

What? You didn’t know that? Oh ya, you saw on SportsCenter the highlights from the first night of games. You saw the defending Stanley Cup champions get smoked. You saw a play or two make the Top 10.

That’s about it.

Many people believe that the lockout ruined the NHL – that any casual fans that they gained from the past couple of successful seasons will be lost, that fans will boycott games to get back at the owners, whatever.

In my opinion: this lockout will help hockey become MORE popular and successful. 

Yes, I am that crazy. But seriously, hockey will be better than ever as a result.

First off, it’s no secret that hockey is looked down upon in the United States in terms of the major sports. It ranks behind football, basketball, and baseball for sure upon the professional team sports in the country. As a result, ESPN et. al. end up previewing football games two weeks away instead of using air time to show hockey highlights.

Thanks to the lockout, hockey had some great air time! And that’s not being sarcastic. Seriously, the fact that ESPN was FORCED to talk about the lockout on SportsCenter each night, we heard more about hockey than if the season had been happening.

Second, the fans are excited. And I mean the REAL, lifelong fans, not the casual ones. Numbers were supposed to be down this season due to the lockout. However, on opening day, the Philadelphia Flyers set an attendance record for their in-state game against the Penguins.  The diehard fans (and there are probably more diehards for hockey than any of the other major pro sports) have spoken that they are not going anywhere. They’re sticking it out.

Finally, a shortened season will do wonders for the NHL. Playing 82 games is just too much. Even if you have a team you like to follow (for me, the Penguins), it’s tough to do so for 82 games over six months. When I was in college, the only way I knew if the Pens played that night was my roommate (diehard fan…actually diehard is probably an understatement) wearing a Pens shirt/jersey that day.  Now, if it wasn’t for my iPhone sending me alerts when the puck drops, I honestly would not know that there was a game.

The shortened season has created more games per days. There are more back-to-back games now, which allows for fans to see their team “more often” even when there are less games.

Even more, fewer games played means that each game is more meaningful. One game out of 82 is not so significant compared to one game out of 48. You can see the intensity in every game so far. The Penguins/Flyers OPENER looked like a game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals!  Even before the playoffs, it is definitely an “every game matters” situation in the National Hockey League.

Fans are going to see that intensity. The casual fan will now be able to better follow his/her team. The season will not drag on for months before the playoffs hit.  Nearly every team will be in the playoff hunt up until the last week or two. Believe it or not, the lockout ended up being a GOOD thing for hockey.

Need proof? The NBA just had their most successful season in recent memory. It was a lockout-shortened season. Toodles!