The sound of a slap shot ripping through the air, the earth-shattering sound of a player being body-checked into the boards, and the sound of skates scraping the ice with fury may never be heard again-at least not until next September.
The NHL and its commissioner, Gary Bettman, have officially canceled the rest of the 2004-05 hockey season-twice in one week, actually. The worst part is it's like no one even cared or knew there wasn't a hockey season taking place.
Yes, it is a game that was popularized by our neighbors to the north, but the U.S. supplies more than its fair share of hockey fans and NHL teams. Some people tell me hockey is dead south of St. Louis, but I disagree.
A team from south Florida won the Stanley Cup last year: that alone will create a buzz in the south-not to mention hockey transplants all across the nation that play some part in spreading the word of this great sport.
While other sports had trouble with revenues and salary caps, the NHL was still going strong. But it all finally caught up to them when the collective bargaining agreement ran out last year. Everyone knew something like this could happen long before it did.
But did anyone do anything to try and fix it?
No. It all came down to one thing: money. Money has ripped our game apart, torn a fissure deep in the hearts of loyal fans everywhere.
The players don't want a salary cap, the owners want a salary cap; teams are on the verge of bankruptcy, and neither side will budge.
It all came down to a difference of $6,000. We were $6,000 away from the players and owners coming to an agreement, $6,000 away from having an NHL season. Even the Great One, Wayne Gretzky, and Mario Lemieux stepped in, but could not stop the inevitable.
It's time for both sides to get their heads out of their rears and come to an agreement, so we can make at least some kind of ill attempt at saving hockey for next season.
There is no question that this has set the NHL back enormously, but I still have faith that the players will remember why they love the game, and the owners will stop thinking like money-hungry suits. Until then, may the NHL rest in peace.
