Who Is the Happiest That the Lockout Is Over?
Now that the lockout is over, many people think they know who the happiest group is. Here, I intend to show you just how happy every group is, and that there is one group that happens to be a little disappointed.
The happy side consists of the NHL Players, the owners in the NHL, and the coaches. The happiest isn’t any of these selections. The un-happy people are going to be saved until the last section, and for the side that is disappointed, the teams overseas that hosted NHL players during the lockout, I’ll start with them.
April 5, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk (13) skates with the puck as New Jersey Devils left wing Ilya Kovalchuk (17) defends in the second period at Joe Louis Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
The foreign teams, like Dynamo Moscow and SKA St. Petersburg, are sad to see their stars go back to North America and their NHL teams. Players like Pavel Datsyuk (Detroit Red Wings), Ilya Kovalchuk (New Jersey Devils), and Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals) all played on teams in the KHL during the lockout. They have tried their best to preserve the NHL stars even though the NHL will resume shortly. There are many rumors that Ilya Kovalchuk will stay in the KHL, and Ovechkin has been known to feel strongly about staying, whether the lockout ended or not. Now that a new CBA has been reached, the players might have a different feeling about coming back home.
The NHL players are excited to say the least. They get to go back to their respected cities and play for their own teams. They have been waiting well over 100 days to play with their own jerseys on. The players have tweeted to their countless number of followers how happy they were to be back in the NHL. Tweeters include Sam Gagner (Edmonton Oilers), Henrik Lundqvist (New York Rangers), and Gabriel Landeskog (Colorado Avalanche). Not only are the players happy, but every group involved in the NHL are glad to see the players hit the ice again.
The NHL owners only have one reason to be glad the lockout is over. They are getting back to making money. That is why they proposed to take in 56 percent of the hockey-related profits in the new CBA. After they realized that they wouldn’t earn more than the players, they settled for the 50-50 split. Then again, what is an NHL owner without the money that they make from their players? They are nothing but people in suits, trying to find a way to make money. Granted, without the owners, there wouldn’t be players around to make the fans enjoy the game and appreciate the sport. With this in mind, the owners definitely deserve some of the profits that are made from tickets, memorabilia, and merchandise. Do they need to make as much money as the players do? It’s an unanswerable question. Both sides have decent grounds to debate with. But these groups aren’t the happiest of them all, not by a long shot. It’s not the players, the coaches, or even the fans. You may be surprised to find out who likes the new CBA the best.
The AHL has to be the happiest group in the deal. Not the league itself, but the players. For some time now, the stars of the AHL have been set to the second, third, and
June 22, 2012; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Malcolm Subban (right) puts on his team jersey after being selected by the Boston Bruins in the 2012 NHL Draft at CONSOL Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
fourth line so that the best of their NHL team could have a job during the duration of the lockout. The teams like the Rochester Americans (Buffalo Sabres) and the Grand Rapids Griffins (Detroit Red Wings) held players, and even prospects, while the lockout robbed part of the NHL season. While the NHL players get back to their regular routines, the AHL players will get the chance to get back to their routines. They will have the second half of their season to get back into the groove of things to help make sure they can get ready for the playoffs.
Even though there is one factor of the NHL Lockout is angry that it is resolved, everyone can find at least a little happiness in the resolution of the CBA. Fans will get back to watching their favorite teams and players on the ice and will be back to buying their jerseys and tee-shirts. Everything is ready to be back the way it was, and everyone is happy again. Follow @TooManyMenOTS for the best hockey news and follow me @NardoneDylan.