No NHL, Then What Else?

With the NHL lockout in full force and the unlikelihood of an agreement being made any time soon it is no surprise to many that NHLers have looked for jobs elsewhere. We have seen many stars such as Alex Ovechkin, Joe Thornton, Rick Nash, Pavel Datsyuk, and Jason Spezza already head over to Europe to play in various hockey leagues as the next best thing while a new collective bargaining agreement awaits. Although players playing in Europe will receive no more than 65% of the salary they would receive in the NHL, even professional athletes need to provide for their families. Most of the players who have already signed and headed to Europe are rejoining the clubs that they were able to play with back in 2004, when the NHL ran in to the same problem, a disagreement between the Player's Association and the Owners. At this time upwards of over 60 players have gone overseas and more superstars have continued to contemplate heading overseas to play such as Sidney Crosby and Martin Brodeur. Now, with the lockout in place fans in Canada and the States will still get an opportunity to see some hockey this year, and yes even some of their favourite stars as well. Many of the NHL's younger players have been fortunate enough to return to either their junior teams in the CHL or their NHL affiliates in the AHL. Players such as Jake Gardiner, Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Mark Scheifle, and Matt Frattin are just a sample of the talent that will still be playing in North America this upcoming season. So, for these leagues some might argue that this lockout might be a great way to garner more support and a larger fan base as true hockey fans find the next best thing to fill their hockey fix. Now one fear that has risen from the influx of players heading over to Europe to play is the fear that some players may be reluctant to come back to the NHL depending on how the settlement of a new CBA goes. Alex Ovechkin has already voiced his concern on this issue especially if the new agreement means cuts to player's current salaries. For now the owner's and the Player's Association have made small strides at getting the season back on schedule, but until one side or the other makes a drastic move it seems the lockout will continue as scheduled. So, until then fans will need to look elsewhere for hockey this year.