Hockey Returns, But Will Montreal Fans Be Back?

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The two sides bickered and postured, traded angry barbs through the press, and all the while a self-imposed deadline loomed that everyone agreed would prove disastrous if crossed.

We could be talking about the fiscal cliff showdown between lawmakers in Washington, but the description also fits the game of chicken played between the National Hockey League, its owners, and the Players’ Association that resulted in a 6-month labor lockout, and nearly an entire season lost to the disagreement over a new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

With barely a week to go before the drop-dead moment when the NHL would have repeated its dubious record as becoming the only professional sports league to lose a whole season to a labor dispute, the two sides relented and reached a deal. And so, hockey is back, with games in a shortened season ready to resume this Saturday.

But will fans who felt ignored and abused by the whole drawn out process embrace the return? For answers VPR’s Mitch Wertlieb turns to our guru for all things hockey, Pat Hickey, a sportswriter for the Montreal Gazette.

Click listen to hear the interview. 

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