The National Hockey League is back in play starting Oct. 5, after their record-setting strike, and fans and players couldn’t be happier about the return.
There were some major changes in the extended off-season and the atmosphere of the game has an entirely new feel. Though there will be no television market for the league, it will have many opportunities to create positive revenue. The league has changed the entire landscape of the game that was taken away more than a year ago.
Former Colorado Avalanche star Peter Forsberg will be lacing up his skates with the Philadelphia Flyers and with the leadership and tenacity of his game should help Philadelphia seriously contend for a Stanley Cup championship. Brothers Rob and Scott Neidermayer will be playing together in Anaheim. This will be the first time the two will compete on the same NHL team. Scott helped the New Jersey Devils win three Stanley Cup titles in ’95, ’00, and 2003.
After a championship run with the Tampa Bay Lightning in this past season, goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin will move north to play with the Chicago Blackhawks. Scorers in the past few years have got practically nothing by the “Bulin Wall”.
The Ottawa Senators traded all-star and former Portland Winterhawk Marian Hossa to the Atlanta Thrashers for controversial all-star and former rookie of the year, Dany Heatley. The Atlanta right wing was nearly killed in a drunk-driving incident that killed teammate Adam Snyder in 2003.
The game also lost a big group of all-time greats to retirement. The legend himself, Mark Messier, called it quits after a stellar career with the Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, and briefly with the Vancouver Canucks. Messier is in the top five all-time in scoring and assists and is considered to be one of the greatest players in the history of the game. If it weren’t for his former teammate and fellow Stanley Cup champion, Wayne “The Great One” Gretzky, he maybe would be called that name. The Devils, St.Louis Blues, and Carolina Hurricanes also saw their Hall of Fame players retire with much to be proud of.

The combined numbers of Messier, RonFrancis, Scott Stevens and Al MacInnis are outrageous: 6,538 games played. 1,779 goals scored, 4,088 assists and 5,867 total points.
The players in new uniforms aren’t the only changes that happened during the strike; five important rules and regulations will be introduced in 2005-06. These changes, (though some could strike the hockey faithful to their graves) could really improve the “new look” league. The goalies will now be shaving 11 inches off of their pads and uniforms. That includes jersey’s, pants, gloves, and shin pads. Decreasing the size will keep jersey grabbing from happening so often, and will also increase scoring opportunity. The measurements of the rink are enlarged and no longer will there be a centerline. Fighting fans won’t be happy about the new rule that eliminates any chance of fisting it out late in the game. The rule states that if you fight in the last five minutes of the game, the player is automatically ejected from the game along with a one-game suspension following the incident. If or when this happens, the coach will be fined $10,000 along with the player’s punishment. Another similar rule to the fighting rule is the un-sportsmanlike conduct rule change. First penalty to a player will result in a warning. Second will follow with a $1,000 fine, $2,000 for a third, and the fourth will become a one-game suspension for the player. Exciting plays are what get me into hockey, and nothing will be more exciting than the new Shoot-Out format in overtime games. After the first overtime, if the game is still a tie, the teams will take three players from each team and play to the best of six goals. Whichever team scores the most goals out of six shots, will win the game.

Of all the issues that the players had to deal with during the strike, the salary cap changes are the most affecting and cause the greatest stir. The changes include a cap range of $21 million to $39 million for the first year. After the first year, contracts are renegotiable but no player is allowed to earn more than 20 percent of the team’s salary limit. As a fan of the league, I can say that if more people take interest, and support their local teams, the league will succeed. If fans come, so will the TV contracts, and sponsors. Overall, the buzz and feel for the season is exciting, hyped up, and critical. Thank you, NHL, for returning to us after the longest hiatus in American sports history. 1,230 games and 301 days later.