I made a promise to myself that I would never talk nor write about how miserable the ongoing NHL lockout makes me feel. But hearing someone question their future loyalty to the NHL made me question their true allegiance as a fan. So, I thought it was necessary for me to break my promise faster than a Kim Kardashian wedding.
I was just leaving another invigorating Canadian Studies tutorial when I mentioned to a friend that the NHL might be ending its lockout if a deal was reached. Another guy near us thought he would throw his opinion in the ring, and he flat-out said even if the NHL lockout was lifted and resumed playing games that he would no longer pay attention to the league. Listen, I know you’re mad about the whole collective bargaining agreement (CBA) ordeal, but what are you going to gain from boycotting the game if it comes back?
He voiced his displeasure about nearly everything discussed throughout the entire tutorial, and even once it was done, he continued to go Bill O’Reilly on everyone and rant about his reasons why he won’t go back to watching his “former” favourite sport. I understand why you feel betrayed by the league and players for depriving you of your hockey fix for however long the lockout lasts. I understand why you hate how the players make too much money already. I understand why you can’t stand the owners being even greedier when they are all multi-millionaires to begin with. I understand why you despise the frustrating defiance and arrogance of Gary Bettman and Donald Fehr. I don’t understand why you cry watching montages of past NHL memories merged with sad Adele songs, but I won’t judge you.
Okay, I made the last one up. The point is, why would anyone who claims to be a true hockey fan give up on their national pastime when it comes back?
Are you protesting how you feel neglected and angry that the ongoing CBA clashes are robbing you of an NHL season? I’m sure they’re seriously threatened by your alleged, petty attempt to boycott their eventual return.
Now, there are many questions over whether the NHL will lose future fan support from the lockout.
How would fans respond to the second lockout in the last eight years? Will Canadian fans
forgive the owners and the players for causing them more heartbreak from denying them their beloved sport? How will it affect the always unpredictable American audiences in smaller, non-traditional hockey markets?
I think I’ll be in the majority along with truly passionate hockey fans when this dark episode without hockey ends, but we can’t measure how much this lockout will cause the NHL to suffer and rebound at this point.
The lost season of 2004-05 certainly hurt the image of the league in the short term, but over time, it gradually repaired its relationship with many fans. Only time will tell if a similar situation happens with the current lockout.
There will surely be some temporary effects, both good and bad, when a new CBA is agreed upon and the lockout is ended. Some fans, like me, will welcome the NHL back when its indefinite hiatus is decided. Others, like the guy in my tutorial with less commitment than a high school romance, will apparently end their fandom regardless of when it comes back.
I honestly don’t know why people plan on turning their backs on the NHL when a new CBA is agreed upon. Besides, I think they will find avoiding the NHL impossible to endure, and will likely become hockey fans again at some point.
That’s why I believe, and hope, the league will win back significantly most of its fans, keep developing its product for a new generation of fans, and will ultimately continue to profit as a thriving business.
Look, this NHL lockout is depressing. Watching Kontinental Hockey League highlights each morning and the replaying of sports movies and memorable games might fill the programming holes of broadcast networks, but they can’t fill the void left in my heart from the lockout.
I miss watching and following the league that I grew up with, and I’m as frustrated as anyone with the ongoing CBA negotiations. But I’m waiting patiently for the league to come back because I know the wait will be worth it.
I will be welcoming the NHL back with open arms when it eventually returns, and you should too.
