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January 12, 2005
Coffee Talk
While waiting to fill my coffee cup in the office kitchen this week, I couldn't help but notice that one of my co-workers was carrying a mug with a picture of all his sons in uniform together out on the ice. I couldn't help but ask, "Are they missing the NHL as much as me?" "No," he replied. "They're too busy playing hockey to notice that the NHL doesn't exist anymore." I wish I had the same option, and now that I'm looking at another seven weeks in a finger splint, it looks like it's an option that's going to be foreclosed to me for a long while. Another day, another indication that this season will be cancelled. As far as my sports calendar is concerned, February and March are looking awfully lonely right now. I'm sure some of you are beginning to notice the dearth of hockey posts here at Off Wing. Believe me, I wish it were otherwise. But with the NHL in an indefinite deep freeze, there seems to be little point in dealing with some of the finer details of the sport. For example, while like Tom Benjamin, I wish Theo Fleury all the best (and I really want to see him get better), following his exploits in minute detail these days seems pointless. In the midst of an NHL season, it would be a story that would provide a nice supplement to what was going on at 32 different rinks across North America. As I'm sure many of my long-time readers know, a lot of the action at Off Wing was generated straight out of my morning recaps of the previous night's action, as well as the mid-day Rink Notes feature. But without a steady stream of game reports, winning streaks and the inevitable surprises, it's sort of like trying to serve creamed Spinach for dinner without the steak. Then there's the question of lockout news in isolation. As I've said too many times to count, taking sides in a dispute between players and owners is a losing game for hockey fans. I know that oftentimes calling for, "a pox on both your houses," is something of a cop-out, but in this case it's true. And for anyone who tries to cover the lockout and the negotiations (or lack thereof) in detail, there's always a risk of carrying the water for one side or another. I'm still keeping an eye on things. But in order to keep Off Wing alive and thriving, I'm spending time on a lot of other issues. So if the sports diet here is a bit more omnivorous this Winter, I'm sure you'll understand why. If and when the NHL returns, Off Wing will be ready. But until then, I can't see much reason to attend to the constant care and feeding of a business that demonstrates such a callous disregard for its supporters.
Eric
06:27 AM
Trackback PingsTrackBack URL for this entry: CommentsEPL, UEFA, CL coverage would be appreciated. I haven't forked over the cash for FSW yet. Posted by: at January 12, 2005 10:28 AM Post a commentThanks for signing in, . (If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.) |