Last Chance

Comebacks rarely work in sports. Unless your name is Jordan or Favre, it's unlikely you'll be successful engaging in a return trip to glory. Every once in a while though, the first comeback will be successful. Occasionally, even the second comeback can produce some results. But the third comeback is normally similar to MJ and the Wizards. It very rarely scratches the surface of being anywhere near a success. So now, as the bell begins to toll, this is it for the NHL.

A lot of fans remember the last debacle that commissioner Gary Bettman enacted on the NHL. Of all the commissioners in sports, Bettman seems to have the greatest Napoleonic complex. So maybe he thought that lockout was a success. After all, it brought a little publicity to the NHL, and also allowed the NHL to claim the title of first professional sports league (in North America) to cancel an entire season due to a labor dispute. A week ago, David Stern took the lead down the back stretch as to who can claim the title of worst commissioner in sports, as he decided to fine the Spurs for doing what Major League Baseball teams call "Sunday." It was a tough task, and it must have been thought out by Stern, because I was sure Bettman had the title on lock. Who would have ever thought that the commissioner most absent from the news would be Bud Selig? Not I, that's for sure. With that said, Bettman will firmly regain the lead (and may never give it up) if these oh-so-fruitful talks we keep hearing about between the NHL players and owners come up empty.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman photo credit: cbc.ca

The NHL somehow was lucky in 1995. It experienced the first of Bettman's mistakes, yet somehow managed to come back stronger, at least in Detroit. Hockey was great and fun to watch. For the first time really since the original six days, the NHL had a rivalry it could put up there with the best in sports. Colorado and Detroit HATED each other. There was no love between those players at all. Aside from maybe four or five of them, there was no respect either. I always found it weird that players from the Yankees and Red Sox would go play for the other team, i.e. Johnny Damon. Think about it, who do you know that has played for both the Wings and Avs? Anyone? I can think of Uwe Krupp and Kyle Quincey. If you know more, that absolutely earns you a beer for tonight. But that's the point. The NHL had maybe the most bitter rivalry in sports. Bold, I know, but just think about Darren McCarty. The NHL was on ESPN, Gary Thorne and Bill Clement were a great broadcasting duo, people still watched Hockey Night in Canada, and on top of all of that the Wings were far and away the standard. So much for that.

The 2004-2005 NHL lockout is still affecting the league today. Now when the Wings and Avs play each other, it's on Fox Sports Detroit Plus if there is a Pistons game the same night. What's the best rivalry in hockey? Probably Pittsburgh-Philadelphia, but there's no rivalry worth putting in prime-time. Arenas aren't nearly as full as they once were. Even a Hot-N-Ready is $20 at the Joe, come on. The NHL is still paying the price for the greed of a few. Cue Bachman Turner Overdrive cause if the NHL misses another full season, well, you ain't seen nothing yet.

Darren McCarty gets revenge photo credit: motorcitysportsgallery.blogspot.com

There is fault on both sides of this equation. The owners are greedy businessmen who want to control the majority of their investments and clients. The players are greedy athletes who want to control their ability and everything it yields. Both sides think they are right and the other is wrong...sounds like politics. The difference between the two is the word fiscal: in politics you hear about the fiscal cliff, whereas if the NHL loses another season, it's going off the real cliff.

I've been a long time believer that playoff hockey is the most exciting time in sports. I don't think there's a close second. Playoff hockey is the only sport (that I wasn't playing in) that ever caused me to skip a class in college. Woops. How bout that, still got a degree! Jokes aside playoff hockey is intense. It's as fast paced as the Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy. And there is a lot of hitting. It's where names like Kronwall become names like Kronwall. Most importantly for hockey though, it's the place that brings the most fans.

Professional sports are not about athletes and they aren't about owners, either. Sure, those two sides run the show and yes, they make the rules as well. But the engine that is pro sports runs from fans. It's the fans who are willing to spend hundreds of dollars every time they go to a game that keep the ship afloat. That's where the money comes from, period. Do the owners have a lot of money anyway? Yes. But do you think Mike Illitch can afford to go buy Prince Fielder if nearly three million fans don't show up to Comerica Park a year? Probably not. I really question if the NHL executives understand this. I think the players know. I think the owners know. I really don't know if the commissioner knows. Common sense says of course he knows, but come on...three lockouts in less than twenty years? Are you trying to get rid of your fan base?

There may be hope on the horizon. Hopefully by the time you're reading this, the lockout is over. The last couple of days have supposedly been full of good conversations. They better have been, because if they lose this season, you can expect hockey to lose a whole bunch of fans. If Gary Bettman messes this one up, the NHL is in a bunch of trouble, not to mention Bettman will forever be known as the new Buzz Killington. There will be the diehards who stick around, of course. But even Michael Jordan couldn't sell out the MCI Center in his last days as a Wizard. What makes the NHL think their comeback will produce different results? No matter how many times you come back, if you lose that excitement and those fans, you might as well lose everything.