So the NHL is back in the news, but for all the wrong reasons. Just as the league was about to escape the minds of everyone for good, one of the NHL’s more prominent stars came out in the news on a tirade of remarks. The Philadelphia Flyers’ Jeremy Roenick voiced his frustrations recently with both the players and the owners of the league saying how it’s critical that “they” get back on the ice as soon as possible. Roenick ripped everyone imaginable who had any sort of relation with the current hockey mess. However, Roenick didn’t know that he would soon be ripping members of the media. For some reason Roenick felt as though his comments about the art of fans kissing his backside were taken way out of context. Roenick’s comments weren’t necessarily taken out of context, but one thing for sure was- the importance of the NHL to America.Note to the NHL: Admit it, you lost. No one cares that you’ve been gone for over a year now. In fact, no one even knew that you were gone. It sounds sad, but this is how oblivious America is to the sport of hockey along with the likes of soccer, tennis, and any other sport that America had no part in creating. The only ones likely to have missed the NHL within North America is America’s neighbor to the north, Canada.
It sounds arrogant, but it’s the truth. Most sports don’t succeed in this great country if America itself had nothing to do with its originality. Hockey’s problems didn’t start off with just America not liking it- hockey had its own problems in the beginning. Who wants to watch a game where it seems as though it takes half the day to complete, and the final score is 2-1.
If the NHL wants to get back out on the ice, the league must start with the basic problems. Rule numero uno- No hockey team shall be located within a city if it doesn’t snow there.
In other words, this rule means that it’s crazy to have any team located within a city that is south of Washington D.C. The nation’s capital is as far south as teams should be located. It’s pretty bad when a league’s defending champion is located in Tampa Bay, FL when the sport is played on ice rinks. Has it ever been cold enough in the city’s history to freeze ice? If not, then why is an NHL team located there?
Hey, look on the bright side, at least the only direction the NHL can go from here is up!
Roenick’s remarks expressed basically how everyone felt within the NHL. However, some of his remarks had value to them, while others didn’t. If anything were to be taken from the news conference held by Roenick, it was stated that players intend to take a huge salary cut. To be specific, the NHL Players’ Association will end up to going as far as to signing off on the subject to prevent future salaries so absurd that it looks like a baseball salary on paper.
Also, the members of the NHL are finally starting to realize the league’s actual importance in this country. The league had this, “You’ll miss me when I’m gone”persona only to find themselves stranded in the middle of nowhere. Surprisingly, no one really misses the NHL, and someway, life has seemingly managed to go on. Now the players and owners have realized that they have all lost money in which they will never earn back. They have now ended up with a worse deal than they would have made last season, and it’s in the best decision of everybody if the NHL players get back on the ice as soon as possible.
On the other side of the spectrum, Roenick also broke the Cardinal Rule in all of sports- he blamed the fans. During Roenick’s tirade, he expressed for those who didn’t care and called hockey players spoiled to stay home. The Flyers’ star player also claims that those who call the players spoiled are just jealous. This statement was the one in which Roenick felt as though was taken out of context, considering that all Roenick seemed to have told the fans was that they who all thought hockey players were spoiled could “kiss his ass”.
Roenick then went on to say the same thing about three times, and then all of a sudden started lecturing to those listening that now it’s about the fans.
Deep down inside Roenick was probably telling himself,“It’s about the fans…and it’s about them kissing my ass as well.”
The following is a memo to Jeremy Roenick…
Memo
To: Jeremy Roenick, Philadelphia Flyers’ Center
From: Gary Bettman, NHL Commissioner
Date: June 30, 2005
Re: “SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH”
The league is already in bad enough shape as is as far as fan support goes. Please, don’t hurt it anymore if you intend on ever again receiving a paycheck from the Philadelphia Flyers, and also if you wish to ever play in the NHL again.
Along with the media-savvy Roenick, others around the NHL, such as Jaromir Jagr, are beginning to admit that the union’s gamble didn’t work out the way in which it was intended to. The Pittsburgh Penguins owner-player also stated that the players would regret not accepting the previous salary cap offered by the NHL owners. Taking place four months ago, the NHL salary cap was set $42.5 million, which the players refused. Now it looks as though the next offer will be much lower.
Since the lockout that cancelled the 2004-05 season, the NHL and the players’ association have been in constant negotiations of trying to reach a new collective bargaining agreement.
Ways in which the NHL is looking to improve the game to help better the fans all go towards in trying to speed up the average time of a game. The league is also looking into making changes that would help increase scoring. The NHL has considered increasing the width of the goals, and also considered decreasing the width of goaltenders’ pads.
Unexpectedly, when the league actually rises out of the current state in which they are in, the NHL will emerge from the its lengthy time off with a much more suitable economic climate for all its thirty teams.
If anything is to be taken from Roenick’s lecture, it is that he expects the league to come to an agreeable deal within the next three weeks. So there you go; that’s something the remaining twelve hockey fans within the United States can look forward to.