|
|
Making alternative
plans
Playoffs or not, a lockout
looms
4/11/04 - By Paul Krill
This
year's playoffs are a bit different than previous playoffs. Yes, it's nice that
the Sharks are in them again, but the fact is, these playoffs may be the last
Sharks hockey we see for a long time. As we know, owners are vowing to install
some kind of cost certainty, ie, a salary cap, and players are dead-set against
it. Pretty much no one is expecting the season to begin on time next year and
the consensus among many is next season already is lost.
As far as who
is correct in this battle, we all saw Niko Dimitrakos, not one of the league's
higher paid players, finish the job in Game 1 while Keith Tkachuk, who is one
of the top-paid players, first took a stupid penalty late in the game and then
failed to convert on a 2-on-1 breakaway in OT. It is questionable whether is
makes sense to pay players $5 million-plus a year when hockey is mostly about
team chemistry anyway, not individual star power. The Sharks dumped the two $5
million-plus players they had last season (Owen Nolan, Teemu Selanne) and
haven't exactly suffered in the standings, instead racking up their best season
ever.
If there's no hockey next season, we'll all miss the game.
There's nothing like the thrill of a Sharks victory to cap off the day. But for
me, I'll get a break from:
= Rushing out of work to get to Sharks
games.
= Leaving my wife home to care for two small children while I go
to Sharks games.
= Selling off tickets to Sharks games so I can stay
home and help out with the aforementioned two small children.
=
Spending lots of money on Sharks games.
There definitely is a silver lining in the dark cloud
that surrounds the 2004-05 NHL campaign. If there's no hockey, I'll keep myself
plenty busy while players stand united against the owners who have made them
fabulously wealthy young men who are the envy of all of us. Maybe I'll even do
what I did during the 1994 lockout and catch a San Jose State club hockey game
at the frozen Ice Centre, featuring players who are paid nothing.
I
believe most fans will do just fine without the NHL and will happily return
when the lockout ends, whenever that is. Next year might just be a refreshing
break for all of us.
Contact Paul at at pkrill@hotmail.com
 |
| What did you think of
article? Post your comments on the
Feeder Forums |
|
|
|
|
