Why the Season Isn’t Saved

The news that NHL fans have been waiting for since September finally came early this morning: There will be NHL hockey this season.

Make no mistake, however. The 2012-13 NHL season was not saved. A new 2013 season will be created, and I count myself among those grateful for that, but it’s hard to ignore what this lockout has cost.

There will be no Winter Classic. The matchup between Detroit and Toronto that should have set an unbreakable world record for attendance at Michigan Stadium will occur in the future but should have already happened.

There will be no All-Star Game in Columbus. The league may return there in the future but it may not, as happened to Glendale and the Phoenix Coyotes in the last lockout.

There will be no inter-conference play. Barring matchups in the Stanley Cup Finals, the Red Wings will not face their Original Six rivals in Montreal, Toronto, Boston or New York.

We’ve got the NHL back, and that’s good, but no one should pretend we haven’t lost anything to get to this point.