Unfortunately, the fans come last as do passionate writers and bloggers who care about the sport. We live and die with our teams and desperately want hockey back. Instead, politics in an election year have extended to a game we all love. A great playoffs full of unpredictability has been replaced by debates with players taking to Twitter in response to Mr. Bettman. It’s about as fun as watching paint dry. Hell. My job is better and that ain’t saying much.

How tough are times? You had plenty of diehards actually following the Inline Championship. Geez. I’m not that desperate yet. I’ll continue to find classic throwback videos of players I love (Sergei Fedorov) and historic games that look more meaningful the longer we go on. Earlier today while exploring HF Boards (yes I have lost it), I discovered a decent thread on The Great One. The emphasis was on the genius of Wayne Gretzky, who was always thinking ahead. His anticipation is what made him so special. We’re not talking about the fastest skater or even the most dynamic. Only the smartest who became arguably the best. Cue your Howe, Orr and Lemieux supporters, which would make for a fun bar debate over some Irish stew or shepherd’s pie and a pint of Guinness or Irish Killian’s Red. Who knows? Maybe we will explore that very topic depending on if hockey is played on Halloween.

Speaking of No.99, the thread creator linked up one of the classic Russia/Canada games from the 1987 Canada Cup. The highlights were from Game Two played in Calgary with the all too familiar 6-5 score. Canada won on a Lemieux goal in double overtime from Gretzky. His spectacular vision was truly on display, setting up five goals including a subtle three-on-two after Doug Gilmour came out of the penalty box. The poster illustrated how most players would’ve dumped the puck in but instead the Great One held onto the puck and dropped for Rochefort knowing a trailing Gilmour would have an open shot creating the odd-man rush. It worked to perfection with Gilmour finishing the play started by Gretzky. If you heart hockey, then this series is a must. Remarkable talent on display featuring Gretzky, Lemieux, Messier, Coffey, Bourque and Fuhr. Russia only had Larionov, Makarov, Krutov (KLM Line), Fetisov, Gusarov and Kamensky, who skated through four Canadians to score a highlight reel goal that forced sudden death. Not the out of prime guy who tortured us during the Dark Ages. There’s also an amazing sequence in which a sprawling Fuhr flat out robs Larionov on a backhand. Remarkable.

So, there are ways around the impending lockout. If you own DVDs, that’s one or You Tube, which has been my go to guy. So much of our game is the history behind it. Another area we’ll take a look at is the Summit Series and how it changed hockey. Russia’s impact was great. It opened our eyes to a more creative, free wheeling game. The European influence is an important branch that improved the overall talent. Now with the KHL, players don’t always stay put opting to go home. Not such a positive for the sport moving forward. Without the NHL, I’ll follow more KHL along with juniors, AHL and NCAA. May even check out some local high school action close by. We can’t only depend on the best league for our puck. I’m always willing to follow prospects and discover the next generation. If only I lived in Canada where you could go see future draft picks in person. I really want to go back to Montreal this winter. I went some 15 years ago on a basketball trip. It’s definitely on my bucket list. There are some really great Montrealers I’d like to meet. Time to get my passport. Who wants to come?