It was 10 minutes into the second game of the 2013-2014 season and everything seemed normal. The Oregon club hockey team was playing Portland State, a team very familiar to them, and Cody Drees was about to deliver one of many checks issued that night.
But that check was when “normal” ended.
The NHL and the NHL Players’ Association (NHLPA) did what hockey fans thought they wouldn’t be able to do—come to an agreement. After 510 regular-season games, including the Winter Classic and the NHL All-Star game, were cancelled due to labor disagreements, hope looked lost for the season. So, when hockey officially kicked off this Saturday with 15 games, fans rejoiced… for the most part.
For some people though, the lockout left a bitter taste in their mouth. They see the lockout as a battle between the rich and the richer, brought about solely by greed. They see the abbreviated season, 48 regular-season games per team, as an insult to fans and season ticket holders. They see this whole thing as something that had hurt and will continue hurt teams with smaller fan-bases as well as the sport of hockey in general.
All lockout-drama aside, Dan Effinger, defenseman for the Oregon Ducks hockey team, is excited to finally have the season back.