After a grueling 301 days, the NHL and NHL Players Association have reached a collective bargaining agreement that will bring NHL hockey back to the ice.

After hearing that statement over the radio my first reaction was, ìItís about time.î

As I look back on the whole situation, I was initially sour about the whole situation and felt there was no need for a lockout, but as Iíve had time to look into the issues more and have heard both sides I feel the lockout was needed.

The lockout certainly has turned hockey fans away from the NHL, but I think five years from now the game will be much better than it was two years ago.

The major issue in the lockout was over money. The owners felt player salaries had gotten out of control and they had to do something drastic to get things under control. A 301 day lockout is drastic if you ask me. The owners wanted a salary cap, the players didnít.

Now that there is an agreement the players not only had to give in to a salary cap but a 24-percent rollback on all existing contracts.
Knowing how much money the owners are going to be saving on player salaries I am hoping that savings is reflected in ticket prices. For several years now the owners have cited the high priced playerís salaries as the reason for ticket price hikes, but that excuse can no longer be used.

Some teams have already announced ticket price rollbacks, but Iím wondering how long it will take the other teams to follow suit.
When the NHL hits the ice again it seems as though there will be some major rule changes that should produce more scoring and make the game exciting.

These new rule changes might make some purist unhappy, but I think that five years from now, weíll look back and all agree they helped bring the sport back to its past glories.

Things are going to be very different for hockey fans as big name players are going to be moving to different teams. The salary cap will help bring balance to the league and make things more exciting while at the same time it will limit teams like the New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings from assembling a team of all-stars.

Interesting enough, while the Rangers and Red Wings had rosters of all-stars, the Rangers proved a team needs leadership off the ice as well otherwise all that talent is worthless.

As a fan, Iím going to be checking the Wildís schedule frequently because in an effort to bring fans back into the arenas the teams are going to have to have some killer give-aways, something better than a Miller Lite team hat or Beanie Babies to the first so many kids through the turnstiles.

Itís been way too long since Iíve heard Barry Melroseís accent as he talks about the nuances of the game and seen Darren Pangís Mr. Clean inspired ìhair cut.î Iím glad hockey is back and I canít wait to see the draft lottery today, Thursday.
Iím hoping either my hometown Blackhawks or the Wild get the number one pick for Sidney Crosby, the player being touted as the next Wayne Gretzky.

In the immortal words of Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar, ìGame on!î

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