The NHL and the Players Association reached a tentative agreement. While there are still details to hammer out, it looks like hockey fans will get a 48-50 game season starting in mid January. The deal comes after a 16 hour mediation session where the two sides finally came to terms on the core items. It is a ten year deal with a opt out option after eight.
Scott Burnside from ESPN has a great article on the damage done by the lockout. I am not sure the “Bad News Bears Breaking Training” philosophy of “Let them play” is the best course of action, but that does seem to be the logical marketing strategy for a league that cannot seem to get out of its own way. Fans are very upset, I am not sure you can just drop the puck and let it be. Will the hardcore fans flock back to the game? Of course. The NHL has a lot of work to do in the coming months and years.
