It’s a great time of year to be an NHL fan in many ways! We have the Winter Classic on January 2nd to look forward to in Philadelphia, HBO is in the middle of 24/7 action, and of course it’s Christmas!
Unfortunately it’s also a tough time for reasons off the ice! At this point of the season, it’s always the reaction to look back and think about the 1st half of the campaign. The top moments sadly for me have been the insane amounts of injuries – more specifically concussions.
Crosby, Pronger, Giroux, Skinner, Michalek, Miller – basically an All-Star Team of top flight players, have all spent time on the sidelines thus far with concussion. It’s not the thing you want as the lasting memory from any portion of the year.
As this is a festive time, when people make wishes and hope for miracles, I guess my Christmas wish is that this epidemic is brought under control in 2012. I wish that the main point of NHL conversation in the new year will be about hockey – not medical opinions and doctor rhetoric.
Starting with the Winter Classic I hope that this wish is heard and granted by the hockey gods. There is so much more to the game than concussions and suspensions and this is what we as fans need – great plays and games. And our favourite stars back on the ice where they belong!
So let’s put our collective brain power to work. Let’s send good vibes to Sid The Kid and all the others who are not feeling so well this Christmas. Let’s look forward to a better 2012 – where hockey is the focal point and the results are the headlines.
On a positive note, I will be in Ottawa January 26th-30th to cover the NHL All-Star Game and Festivities. Any questions you have for your favourite stars please drop them in the mailbag section and I’ll pick a few to ask in Ottawa.
Happy Holidays to all NHL fans – and all the best for your team in 2012!
You can follow Murph on Twitter @MurphOnIce