Hockey Night in Las Vegas?

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Today the free agent frenzy begins for the NHL. This is the time of year that the players show their true loyalty: to the almighty dollar and not to the fans of their respective cities who have paid their salaries for the previous season(s).

There are a few players who have been loyal to one team for their entire career (or large portions thereof) but they are proving to be in short supply in the new NHL. While I can still appreciate the talent level of all the players in the league, I won’t be foolish enough to give my loyalty to any specific players or teams because I know that they will not return the favour of loyalty to me.

I don’t feel sorry for the owners. They’ve proven that they are not serious about containing costs. I have no doubt that, despite their cries, they will continue to make millions for years to come at the expense of the average fan. Otherwise, they would not pay as much as they do to earn the rights to teams.

I have no hope left that things will change for the better in the years ahead. If the players and owners did not learn anything from the lockout and the lost season of play, then the future of the league is very bleak indeed.

If the NHL was truly intent on changing for the better, they would make the office of the Commissioner and independent position, not as it is currently, a mere puppet of the team owners.

I would like to see a team return to Canada. Winnipeg and Hamilton are the obvious choices since they have demonstrated that there is sufficient fan interest to sustain a team. This seems to far more prudent strategy than trying to grow the game further in the disinterested US Market. Even traditional teams like Chicago have struggled to keep their fan bases, so considering a return to failed cities like Kansas City (when St. Louis in the same state is struggling for fans), or trying to break into the Las Vegas market is a very bad bet indeed. But with the current commissioner this ill-advised moves are quite possible. I can’t stand Gary Bettman. Despite proving over and over again that he is totally incompetent to run the league he remains in power because of the short-sighted owners. He is no fan of the game, and does not have it’s best interests at heart.

If the NHL keeps going as it is, I may not be a fan of the game much longer at their level. I’m quite happy watching it at the minor hockey level, where I can still afford to get into the games and where the young players haven’t totally developed the selfish attitudes of the ones they look up to and emulate.

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