This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at C Mich chapter.

There are two sides to every puck

After a long four month wait, the NHL season is only one week away from beginning their shortened 48-game season. Although the players are happy about the end of the lockout, numerous fans around the country are planning to rebel against the upcoming NHL season when it begins on Saturday, January 19th.

Due to the lack of games and limited talk on television about the professional hockey, many sports analyzers are comparing the NHL lockout to the 2011-2012 NBA lockout. During the NBA lockout, the league lost about a half-billion dollars due to the lack of games, sponsors, and retail merchandise. Although the NHL lockout (113 days long) has been shorter than the NBA lockout, (149 days long) it has been just as frustrating to the hockey fans.

Teams around the NHL are currently working on creating different types of “fan appreciation”, and developing methods to thank their supporting fans through the lockout. The New York Islanders are showing their appreciation to their fans by having a fan appreciation night during their second home game of the season. This game will be filled with children friendly activities such as adding a superhero theme to the game, and should serve as a great way to welcome their fans back to hockey season.

On the other side of the puck, many fans are ecstatic about the upcoming season, and will pay top-dollar for a ticket to see their team play throughout their shortened season. Many believe that attendance rates will be higher than ever because of the shortened season, and all 720 games will be played within 99 days. That being said, there will be at least one hockey game on every day until the end of the regular season.

Hockeytown News

The Detroit Redwings understand the severity of the lockout, and are doing their part thanking their fan base. The Redwings have a “Thanks for sticking with us” picture posted on the link of their website, and are trying their best to let their fans know that the 2013 season will be one to remember. This is the first year since the 1990 season that the Redwings will be without their former defensemen and 6th year captain, Nick Lidstrom, due to his retirement at the end of last season.

The Wings also lost defensemen Brain Rafalski (retired), and Brad Stuart (traded to San Jose) in the offseason, so they are certainly looking for a defensive player to make a stand this season. Not only are the Wings lacking defensive leadership, but Darren Helm and Pavel Datsyuk are also battling minor injuries to begin their short season.

Recently named captain, Henrick Zetterberg, understands the losses in their long offseason, but remains optimistic about the upcoming season. Zetterberg stated “Though an era has ended, the Wings still have an arsenal of talent to count on.” Hopefully the Redwings will overcome their early season hardships and have a competitive season.

HEY, HEY, HOCKEYTOWN!

Sources

http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/8838342/players-ratify-new-nhl-labor-deal-camps-set-begin-sunday

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/26/nba-lockout-tentative-deal_n_1113886.html

http://redwings.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=650192&navid=DL|DET|home

Photo credit:

http://bluetoro.ca/2013/01/07/the-nhl-lockout-is-over-big-deal/

http://redwings.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=650192&navid=DL|DET|home