As the calendar turns from 2012 to 2013 there is still no NHL hockey.  With the “drop dead” date upcoming, hopes for a shortened season are dwindling.  The year is approaching what would be the middle of the season, and what could have been a great NHL All Star Weekend in Columbus.  Based upon performance last year, here is what the starting lineups for the Eastern Conference could have looked like, had the ...

As the calendar turns from 2012 to 2013 there is still no NHL hockey.  With the “drop dead” date upcoming, hopes for a shortened season are dwindling.  The year is approaching what would be the middle of the season, and what could have been a great NHL All Star Weekend in Columbus.  Based upon performance last year, here is what the starting lineups for the Western Conference could have looked like, had the ...

Amidst a week full of hopeful hockey fans and intense bargaining was the absence of two key figures: the head of the NHL, commissioner Gary Bettman and the head of the Players’ Association, Donald Fehr. Earlier in the week, it had been proposed that a handful of players would meet with a few owners without the leaders of their respective sides, Bettman and Fehr.  Fans were skeptical, but the two sides met a ...

On Monday, it was announced that the NHL and the NHL Players Association had agreed to participate in a process called Federal Mediation in attempt to try and end the lockout that is now threatening to cancel the entire 2012-2013 season.  Popular events such as the Winter Classic and NHL All Star Weekend have already been cancelled. Although this is a step in the right direction for fans, players, and owner ...

After raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for Hurricane Sandy relief last Saturday night, Brad Richards, Scott Hartnell, and other players who have not left to play overseas are hoping for the best.  But on Black Friday, it seemed as if the NHL was selling, not buying on a day of spending.  The NHL cancelled another batch of games and cancelled the 2013 NHL All Star Weekend in Columbus.  For a city tha ...

While the calendar continues to turn month by month, one thing has been consistent: a lack of NHL hockey.  Since the second lockout of Commissioner Gary Bettman’s tenure in the 2004-2005 season, hockey’s popularity in North America has grown exponentially.  The average attendance in the NHL last year was 17,455, higher than the rival NBA, and up 1.8% from two seasons ago, while the total attendance for the ...

After an incredible postseason with (relatively) high television ratings, capped by a miraculous run by the Los Angeles Kings, things have taken a turn for the worst in the NHL. After signing a $2 billion deal with NBC last offseason, it appeared as if hockey might actually live up to it’s title of being one of the four “major” sports. However, for the second time in less than ten years, the owners and play ...