NHL commissioner Gary Bettman speaks to the media after labour negotiations with the NHLPA went south in New York, N.Y., Dec. 6, 2012. (LUCAS JACKSON/Reuters)
I’m not sure there are any official numbers on something like this, but it’s safe to say Thursday’s NHL melodrama in New York was one of the most-watched programs in Canada.
Yup, we care so much about the NHL that we are glued to TVs and Twitter feeds, while a bunch of billionaires and millionaires try to figure out a way to divvy up our hard-earned entertainment dollars.
Why do we care that much? Because hockey is a way of life for Canadians and the NHL is part of our fabric as a nation.
This is not just some pastime for the wealthy and bored. This is Saturday night with the family, it’s street hockey with your buddies when you were a kid, it’s pretending to be Hull or Howe or Gretzky or Crosby, it’s outdoor shinny under the lights, it’s Don Cherry.
It’s our culture and a huge part of people’s lives in this country.
This is why this squabble between the rich and the richer is so insulting to Canadians.
