The NHL closed up shop for the summer 11 days ago, so bring on the off-season right?
Not so fast.
As many Bruins fans around these parts know, there is really no off-season anymore. That goes for any sport these days.
Last week, this so-called off-season kicked off with the Bruins telling their fans that they were not planning to bring back fan favorite Shawn Thornton. That set the wheels in motion for talk shows and scribes to play the guessing game: Who will the Bruins employ as a fourth line winger, and is fighting a goner in the NHL?
This past Sunday, the NHL released the full, regular season schedule for 2014-2015. Show of hands, who was looking at which games they were looking forward to or going to try to get tickets for? I know I was.
Tonight, the annual NHL Awards will be doled out in Las Vegas and following that, teams can interview potential free agents. Then comes the draft, in which team’s dreams can be made or shattered.
The fun doesn’t stop there. July 1 marks the first day teams can sign free agents. This in turn allows for more talk shows, columns, and articles discussing what their team needs are in order to improve on last season’s accomplishments/disappointments.
Do you see what I’m getting at here?
The NHL, along with the three other major sports, (please no World Cup emails, and I’m a fan), has now spread out events throughout the year when there is no on ice action.
In case you’re curious I’ve got November 22 marked on my calendar for my “can’t miss game.” The Bruins will welcome the Canadians back to TD Garden for the rematch that true black and gold fans can’t miss.
Until then, I leave you with the Bruin’s Bear victory dance:
