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A lot of people, mostly outside our strange little world, were trying to draw connections between the NHL lockout and that of the NFL referees. However, the issues were very different. The refs were locked out over disputes over pensions and job security. In that sense, the NFL referee lockout was much closer to the teachers’ strike than it was the NHL Lockout.
But the furor over it this week and the resolution last night was an excellent demonstration of why it sometimes hurts to be a cult/niche sport, even though that’s part of the attraction for a lot of us.
While we stare at people having a staring contest waiting for one of them to blink so we can have something to talk about again, some of the Hawks prospects have actually strapped on the skates in anger. I know, it’s a reach here. But we might as well check in with some of the kiddies.
It feels like it’s been years since we last did one of these. Probably because it has been. But with the new digs it felt like the right time to bring it back. We got the best and brightest….well, we got the Hawks bloggers who talk to us to discuss the issues of the day. Jeff Bartl from Cheer The Anthem.com, Forklift And Cieslak from Hockeenight.com, Chris Block from The Third Man In.com came out of his Fortress-like lair to chip in (if you’ve seen Fortress, this is a very funny image. Random intestination!), and we even somehow located The Fifth Feather. Let’s see what the boys have to say.
Unfortunately, I’m going to be doing these for a while. Not that there was really hockey scheduled to be watched this weekend anyway. But it would have been the training camp festival and it would have felt like the season was really close. Our previews would have been in full gear. Discussions about lineups and surprises on the roster would be at full heat. So we’re just going to have to make-do with what we have here. And thankfully, there’s a lot if you’re willing.
Let’s to it.
It’s strange. Even when you’ve known it was coming for months (and in your darker parts, years), when it 10:59 Central time passed on Saturday night, there was still a pang in the heart. And as some of you probably noticed on Twitter, an attempted drowning of that pang. It certainly wasn’t helped by the email I and other season ticket holders got yesterday outlining our refund options.
