I never thought we would have NHL hockey return this season.
Everyone is talking about the asterisk.
To each their own I guess, I’m super excited at the prospects of watching the best in the world compete for the hardest trophy to win in the world of sports.
What the NHL, NHLPA and the teams have done is nothing short of miraculous.
Now don’t get me going on the NHL Draft Lottery because that was a disaster.
Nevertheless, the return to play initiatives and the commitment it has taken for all parties to agree, take serious, and execute needs be commended and celebrated.
There are still some fans of our beloved game that will question the credibility and validity of the 2020 playoffs and the eventual Stanley Cup Champion.
An asterisk must be used in their minds.
“It’s not going to be a true Stanley Cup this season,” one family member said.
Call it what you would want, but when the puck is dropped today every player and team has an opportunity to left the most coveted trophy in all of sports.
This year like never before the Stanley Cup as we know is truly up for grabs with no favourites.
From uncertainty to clarity, the game has returned.
It’s under a microscope and in a
bubble, but it’s returned and it shouldn’t overshadowed by an asterisk.
Obviously it’s going to be different and uniquely weird and perhaps eerily strange.
The ice conditions will undoubtedly be called into question, but at the end of the day it’s still hockey and it’s still the Stanley Cup.
Every organization has a chance.
Some routes are potentially more difficult or complex, but every team that made it this far still has a chance.
Oh, but it’s not going to be like before.
Nothing is right now.
The sacrifices coaches, officials, team personnel, players and all of their families have made to get to this point truly outweighs anything like we have ever seen before.
You can put your asterisk by whatever you want, but it’s still hockey and it’s truly unimaginable
that we are here in 2020.
To be honest I haven’t watched one second of the exhibition games.
I wanted to wait to see the real thing.
The wait is over.
The quest for the 2020 Stanley Cup starts today.
With or without the asterisk, NHL hockey has returned and that should be celebrated.
FDS Podcast Network 