Hallelujah!
There will be hockey in 2013! The stupidest, most pointless, most asinine work stoppage in the history of sports finally ended in the wee hours of Sunday morning, with the NHL and NHLPA agreeing to a new ten year collective barganing agreement.
Hockey fans all over the world rejoiced in excitement and relief, seemingly forgetting the past four months and the heartache, drama, and unnecessary anxiety caused by the warring factions.
Yes, I am excited as much as the next fan. Yes, I am anxious to watch my New York Rangers compete for a Stanley Cup.
However, we should never, ever let the NHL forget what they have done.
As mentioned in a previous post, the fans need to take a stand against these work stoppages. I argued that the fan backlash from the 1994 Major League Baseball strike scared MLB so much that they cannot possibly afford another work stoppage. The problem is, hockey fans are too loyal for their own good at times. Hockey fans need to treat the beginning of this season the way baseball fans treated the start of the 1995 season.
Gary Bettman and the owners need to see the empty seats. They need to see the microscoping TV ratings. They need to see a abysmal return on their merchandise.
If they don't, you can bank on another lockout at the expiration of the new CBA. And the NHL will do it because they know the fans are desperate enough for hockey they will come back and forgive.
I have said this before, and I will say it again. I will only watch Rangers games this season. I will not, however, be watching any other NHL games, nor will I be shelling out a penny on merchandise or tickets.
Bettman and the owners CANNOT take us for granted anymore. Make it happen, fans!
Now on to the NFL Divisional Playoff preview:
Baltimore at Denver.
Peyton Manning vs Ray Lewis in what may be Lewis' final game. Denver enters the playoffs not only as the hottest team in the NFL, but the best overall. Peyton is playing better than ever, and the defense is dominant. In the friendly confines of the mile high city, expect another dominant performance. I expect the Broncos to shut down Ray Rice the same way they did in Baltimore a few weeks ago. I expect them to rattle Joe Flacco into some big mistakes. The Broncos are simply better.
Denver 31, Baltimore 18.
Green Bay at San Francisco.
The best game of the weekend, and the one with the most storylines. Aaron Rodgers returns to his home region, to face the team that did not draft him first overall in the 2005 draft. The man the 49ers opted for instead, Alex Smith, is riding the bench in favor of Colin Kaepernick. There will be lots and lots of pressure on Kaepernick. Can he justify coach Jim Harbaugh's midseason decision to start him instead of Smith? With the 49ers one play away from the Super Bowl last season, he'd better. Otherwise, this season is a total failure for San Fran. The Niners' defense is banged up, and Rodgers has to be licking his chops. At the end, the Packers have the better quarterback and the most weapons. Expect a classic.
Green Bay 30, San Francisco 27.
Seattle at Atlanta.
All, and I mean ALL the pressure in this game is on the Falcons. They MUST win this game. They are 0-3 in the postseason in the Matty Ice/Mike Smith era, and this is the best team they have fielded. They faltered as a one seed two years ago, and they are back in the same position again. The problem is, they are facing a red-hot Seattle team with an absolute stud at quarterback that is getting more confident by the week. Oh, and Seattle's defense has the ability to force Matty Ice into some bad decisions. I wouldn't be surprised if Atlanta wins, but Seattle is the better team right now.
Seattle 27, Atlanta 23.
Houston at New England.
The Pats slaughtered Houston on Monday night a few weeks ago, 42-14. Since then, the Texans have struggled, losing 3 out of their last 4 games. They did beat Cincinnati at home last week, but what about that game gave you the idea the Texans from the first half of the season were back? The bottom line is, the Texans can talk all they want about how they learned from that loss and are a different team now. They are facing Brady and Belichick after a bye week. It won't be a blowout this time, but you just can't go against football's evil empire. Get ready for Brady vs Peyton.
New England 33, Houston 21.
Coming next week, at long last, my FULL NHL PREVIEW!!!!
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