April 25, 2012; Boston, MA, USA; A general view of TD Garden before the start of game seven of the 2012 Eastern Conference quarterfinals between the Boston Bruins and the Washington Capitals. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-US PRESSWIRE
At this point, I am willing to try just about anything to avoid a lockout. It’s odd. You have a conversation with someone and the only thing that pops in your head is that you’ll do anything to see this lockout NOT happen. One of my godchildren was watching the Wizard of Oz. She’s only eight years old, and she is enthralled in the scenes where it switches from black and white to color. She was on the phone with me telling me for the (to be fair) two hundredth time how much she’d like a pair of the ruby slippers. I swear to God the first thought that popped in my head was Cam Neely in red skates saying “There’s no place for a lockout, there’s no place for a lockout, there’s no place for a lockout.”
The players seem to agree with me. A healthy percentage of the Boston Bruins took the train into New York yesterday to be part of the eleventh hour talks between the league and the players union. The Bruins reportedly had the largest showing of any NHL team. Over three hundred players of the NHL were showing their solidarity as the two sides tried to find a way to reach some sort of agreement or progress on forming a new CBA before Saturday’s deadline. With that many players showing up to offer moral support(and I’m willing a few of the players would love to show Bettman the hits they got suspended for.), I can only hope that we won’t have a work stoppage.
“It’s good that a lot of guys are going to find out where we’re at as a union.” offered Bruins’ forward Milan Lucic. “We’re going to have some long meetings tonight and tomorrow morning, and we’re going to get more clarity of what to expect over the next few weeks,” said Looch to CSNNE.com Wednesday. “With all of the players showing up, it shows that we’re against the lockout and we want this game to grow and continue. It’s no secret that the game has grown tremendously over the last few years and it’s headed in a really good direction. Don is very black and white with us, so we know exactly what’s going on. The large attendance in New York City really shows our solidarity.”
Well, the players are united against a lockout, the fans are united against the lockout. So, owners what in God’s name are you waiting for?