Would Somebody Please Find The Damn Keys to The Lockout?

So they cancelled hockey for the time being. A battle of egos got so fierce that a whole sports league got shutdown for the forseeable future.

Just great.

It's only a sport...a game, some people would say. But really, it is much more than that. In some places, it's a way of life. Where some people might see simply a box score in the farthest corner of the sports section, others see a foundation for enduring memories. Where some may dismiss it as a niche sport on skates, others see it as a way to help their local establishments. And while some barely give the game a thought, others have used it as common ground to create lasting relationships.

You know, some of us just wanted to watch our favorite teams play our favorite game at its highest level. Some of us wanted to plan some really cool activities around this game, like going to the bar with some friends to watch a game, introducing or re-introducing the game to their kids, participating in an extraordinarily competitive fantasy hockey league, maybe even road tripping to see a game. Some of us were really hoping to create some new memories around the framework of an NHL hockey game.

But I guess the league and the players had other plans. So now it's gone. There won't be hockey next week. Probably not next month or the following months. Possibly not even next year. In the meantime, players are going their separate ways with some maybe never coming back at all. And fans in non-traditional hockey markets may never even realize their home hockey team has closed up shop.

Hope it's all worth it, gentlemen. Because if and when you finally come back, the places you depend on for your revenue might not be there anymore. And it'll be awfully hard to make that money you fought so hard over when no one's buying tickets or watching on TV.