Unlocked

For months, fans of the National Hockey League have been deprived of the game they love because of a painstaking lockout. They’ve had to turn elsewhere for the entertainment that previously glued them to their televisions at the onset of past NHL seasons. In need of big hits? The NFL would have been your best bet, taking the place of Zdeno Chara slamming Marian Hossa into the boards. Want some overtime to quench that thirst for extra minutes? You’d probably have to watch an NBA game instead to find that game-winning shot, rather than sitting awe-struck as Steven Stamkos dekes two defenders and flips the puck over Martin Brodeur’s left shoulder and into the net just before the horn sounds. And what about that sought-after hat trick? Professional soccer (I can hear your groans now, hockey fans) would have been most likely to provide as there would have been no Evgeni Malkin to light the lamp three times and warrant the downpour of headgear up and down the ice.

However, after weeks of desperately pleading with the hockey gods for a return to the rink, fans have finally been granted their wish. Approximately one week ago on January 6, 2013, Commissioner Gary Bettman and Donald Fehr, NHL Players Association Executive Director, reached a tentative agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that would likely end the lockout. On the following Saturday, the league and its players agreed to sign a memorandum of understanding, allowing the NHL to release the new schedule and, more importantly, end the 113-day hockey hiatus.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman (left) and NHLPA Executive Director Donald  Fehr (right)
squared off many times during the lockout.

With a new CBA in place, the deal is set for 10 years, but either side can opt out of it after eight, giving a fresh guarantee to at least a few more years of uninterrupted hockey. In total, 720 games will be played over a 99-day regular season, which will end on April 27. The playoffs will subsequently begin on April 30, and the latest date the Stanley Cup Finals can end is June 28.

Okay, okay. Enough of that. You can rejoice now.

“Hurrah!”

“Praise Thor!”

“Phew, I don’t know what I would have done if I had to watch one more dunk on Sportscenter’s Top 10 Plays!”

Whatever method of jubilation you choose, there is no denying the fact that an end to the lockout has brought immense joy to owners, players, and fans alike. No longer do owners have to worry about lost revenues from nonexistent ticket and merchandise sales. No longer do players have to  play internationally in European leagues. And no longer must hockey sweaters lay dormant, gathering dust in your closets, begging to see the light of day.

Now, fans can proudly sport the names of the favorite players as they walk down the street and again cast furtive, disrespectful glances at someone else wearing a rival team’s jersey. There’s nothing better than watching a Sidney Crosby fan’s hate-filled eyes bore into the soul of a Claude Giroux supporter, who gazes back with equal enmity. A hockey rivalry is a special thing.

And then there’s the atmosphere. Say what you will about the scale and enormity of an NFL game or the relaxed, summer scene of Major League Baseball. There are few superior venues to watch sporting events than an NHL arena, and with the resurrection of the 2013 season, fans can again bask in the glory of experiencing all the electricity and excitement of a professional hockey game.

CONSOL Energy Center, home ice of the Pittsburgh Penguins, is one of the loudest
and most exciting venues in the NHL.

There’s just something about the moment when that 10-second timer appears on the Jumbotron and counts down until the players explode out of the locker room and onto the ice, amidst the symphony of pump-up music and a chorus of screaming enthusiasts (fans and opposing fans alike). Bright lights expel the team’s logo onto the ice and circulate it around the rink as the players do one more last minute skate around before the singing of the National Anthem (“America the Beautiful” or “O Canada”) and the eventual puck drop, when the crowd settles down just a bit, until the next frenzied burst of action.

At the heart of this vibrant and exhilarating environment, the actual 2013 NHL storylines are sure to steal the show and keep the hockey world buzzing throughout the coming months. Some of the more riveting scenarios this season include a number of players signing with new teams.

Former Columbus Blue Jackets forward Rick Nash will be donning the blue and white of the New York Rangers, adding another star to an already talented lineup of Marian Gaborik, Ryan Callahan,  and goalkeeping phenom Henrik Lundqvist . And what about Zach Parise leaving the New Jersey Devils and joining forces with defenseman Ryan Suter, formerly of the Nashville Predators, to play for the Minnesota Wild? Their new-found alliance could pay dividends for a team that finished the previous season 12^th in the Western Conference. Jordan Staal also abstained from signing with the Pittsburgh Penguins again, instead choosing to join his brother Eric on the Hurricanes, giving hope to Carolina faithful that this sibling duo, combined with newcomer Alexander Semin and longtime goaltender Cam Ward, can drastically improve their team’s success. And last, but most certainly not least, will perennial all-star Sidney Crosby remain free from concussion-like symptoms, finish the truncated season, and lead the Penguins deep into the playoffs? Only time will tell.

Jordan Staal wearing new colors soon after leaving the Penguins
and signing with the Hurricanes.

But at least there is time. There is time again for owners to sell tickets, for players to lace up their skates, for fans to cheer (or jeer) at goal after goal after goal. And if there is one positive aspect to mull over as this whole ordeal comes to an end, perhaps it is that the lockout compels us to remember why so many impassioned people clamored for the return of the National Hockey League. It reminds us why we love this game, why we need this game, and why we never want to let it go.