I have to say something about the NHL Lockout. So read this whole post by Colby Cosh first:
In memory of Frederick Jackson Turner
The lockout does, clearly, open the door to the creation of some sort of Euro League. Ask yourself why one didn't exist already. It's only because the NHL's Wild West frontier was so attractive--but the frontier is now closed, and Eastern Europe now has its own crazy, bored multimillionaires. If the Europeans get their act together and construct a superleague, it is likely to be as strong as the NHL. Depending on the CBA that's eventually hammered out on this side of the Atlantic, it may be stronger. If the owners are too successful in this labour fight , the danger is created that we may become stuck with an NHL that's like the Canadian Football League--a poor second cousin to a foreign superstar. Fortunately--though I like the CFL--I don't think Canadian fans, or fans in the Maine-Minnesota U.S. hockey belt, would settle for this.
The good news is that this possibility opens up a new vista for hockey as a truly global sport. Bettman & Co. want very much to turn the NHL into the NBA, but should it necessarily settle for that when it could be transformed into Formula One or soccer?
That's an interesting thought, isn't it? Instead of one league called the NHL, have a World Cup of Hockey competition for the Stanely Cup, something that has global appeal. I find this idea greatly attractive. That means the guys in charge are sure to ignore it and continue on their path of destruction.
On a side note: my work PC has appeared to have recovered, but I'm in the process of setting up a new one anyways since my current box is over two years old.
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