As the NHL takes to the ice for the first time in over a year, hockey fans everywhere are ready to get back on the couch, ignoring the abounding snickers about how hockey is the only sport that could cancel an entire season and no one would care. Not only were hockey fans denied the entire 2004-2005 season, but they also were forced to sit back and watch their sport become the butt of late-night talk show jokes and sportswriters' rants.
Now comes the inevitable question: "If your sport has so much value, why was the Outdoor Life Network the only network interested in nationally broadcasting its games?" (A quick note to those of you living on-campus: the university does not get OLN, but it does, for some bizarre reason, pick up the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation on channel 32, which broadcasts its famous "Hockey Night in Canada" on Saturday nights.)
A complete answer to such a question would be long, complicated, and, more than likely, quite embarrassing. So to save everybody from such an onerous task, we'll just admit here that the "New NHL" (as the fresh ad campaign calls it) is indeed in transition.
Not only has the league moved TV stations, it has also reformulated its financial structure and implemented a slew of new rules. Most importantly, there's the new salary cap of $39 million per team (along with a salary floor of $21.5 million).
This new provision, which was the sticking point during last year's failed negotiations between the owners and players, triggered unprecedented player movement this summer as teams bought out expensive contracts to make room for new acquisitions. The most interesting of these moves was surely Peter Forsberg's journey east to play for the Philadelphia Flyers.
As for the rules, the most significant (and exciting) change is the elimination of ties. Now, if a game is still tied after a five-minute overtime period, it goes to a shoot-out-the winning team gets the normal two points and the loser gets one for the effort.
Other changes include extended blue lines to make for larger offensive zones, no more two-line passes, (marginally) smaller goalie pads, and "zero tolerance" from the referees for interference, hooking and holding/obstruction infractions.
All of these changes were designed to increase scoring and the flow of play, and, though it may be too soon to tell, they seem to have lived up to their charge-a whopping 6.35 goals have been scored a game on average so far.
Now that we have all that boring administrative stuff out of the way, we can get to the business on the ice. The season is now a week old and already there are many interesting storylines, not least of which is the eye-opening play of 18-year-old phenom Sidney Crosby. A Nova Scotia native, Crosby has one goal and five assists in his first four games with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Though the Pens have yet to win a game, everyone seems excited about Crosby, including teammate and team owner Mario Lemieux. (In fact, recent reports of a Pittsburgh International Airport baggage handler attempting to nab Crosby's opening night jersey seem to indicate that Mario is not alone in his fascination with the young star.)
Another player who has had a noteworthy first week is Florida Panther goalie Roberto Luongo. Long considered one of the league's most consistent netminders, Luongo has had an especially impressive start to the season, tallying three wins, two shutouts and a 97.6% save percentage in his first four games. As a result, the Panthers have jumped out to an early lead in the Eastern Conference's Southeast Division.
Out west, the attention has centered more on a new coach behind the bench than on the players out on the ice. Perhaps the most compelling development in the league during the (extended) off-season was that The Great One, Wayne Gretzky, decided to take the head coaching position for his Phoenix Coyotes (he also is the team's managing partner). On Saturday night, Gretzky got his first win as a coach during the Coyote home opener against the Minnesota Wild.
