ahimes@mavs.coloradomesa.edu

Well, hockey is back.

Hockey fans get the high-paced sport that gives them thrills every play, and I get my “Booze and Hockey” Thursday nights.

But why the hell should we give back to a league that has taken away so much from its fans? Why should we continue to pay so much for tickets and jerseys? Because as fanatics, we need it.

The National Hockey League has locked out twice in the past eight years. It doesn’t care about its fans, and the owners and league personel seem to only care about the cash. We can all agree that Commissioner Bettman is the worst commissioner in sports, but ending the lockout was a good thing for everyone.

The NHL isn’t popular among “average” sports fans. It could be because ESPN, the “worldwide leader in sports,” doesn’t cover it.

Hockey fans are very similar to soccer fans: not as easy to find, but very loyal to their sport. Take away a man’s game, and he has nothing to live for. This time around, the league had the heart to give the fans some hockey, which is much better than when they took away the whole season not too long ago.

With 48 games being played in under 100 days, there’s going to be a lot of hockey every day. That’s a lot of action and excitement each night. That also makes the games more meaningful, which seemed impossible, seeing how Avalanche and Red Wings games can make or break a fan’s week. An injury can be more devastating to a team as a player would miss a lot more games with a condensed schedule.

The best time to be a fan will be at the end of the season, when a lot more teams will be fighting for a postseason spot. It’ll be playoff atmosphere before the postseason begins, and hockey playoffs are the best playoffs in sports. It’s not even an argument.

The sport will bring money back into a city’s economy. It’s nice to walk in downtown Denver when the Avalanche play because everyone seems to connect on Av’s hockey. Bars fill up when the team plays, and social media blows up after every goal.

So let’s get back to rooting for Denver’s team, back to booing Sidney Crosby and back to high-fiving our buddies after each fight. The NHL is like gas prices: we pull our hair out over it, we kick and scream when we don’t get what we want, but damnit, we can’t live without it.