It is true that the world does not stop for anyone. Sometimes when you get pushed you have to push back in the fantasy hockey world…this is one of those times! Hockey has a tough enough time these days with the lockout and hey everyone understands that. Now think of the fantasy hockey writer (especially the ones who have created a nice niche for themselves), what do they have at the moment? There is not a whole lot to look forward to. However, writing is still going on and rankings are at the ready in case the players and owners do actually come to their senses. This is not an easy process because no one knows when the ending is going to come.
The story here is that for those in the fantasy community that keep taking shots at what is quietly happening. It is apparent that people just do not like change. They never have and they never will. Here are some of the things we have heard in the last few weeks alone…
- “You must be desperate!”
- “Don’t you have something better to do?”
- “No one will ever join this league.”
- “Hey, what if the NHL comes back?”
- “The KHL and AHL are awful…why even do leagues now?”
Those are some of the edited quotes. Basically, they are not even the worst of the bunch. If you toss in a few expletives and some heated exchanges then one gets the idea of what really is going on here. Here at The Program and of course THW Live, the goal is to be unique. Unique sometmes means doing things that the public does not always agree with completely. If we go the extra mile to bring the masses something, this means that we are willing to take a little egg on our faces in order to do it.
So that is why we have the Fantasy AHL, the Fantasy KHL, the Fantasy Memorial Cup. These are leagues for the masses with easy scoring and even easier for the unexpected to win. Again, fantasy hockey is more than just the National Hockey League. Where else do these players come from after all? These leagues deserve more respect than we often give. That is why we give our promise that the fantasy writers of The Hockey Writers and yours truly will not jump ship if the NHL does come back. We are in this for keeps, literally.
Granted, we will cover the Fantasy NHL aspect but now it will not be the only game in town. At the very least, a Fantasy KHL and AHL will exist. Again the goal was to never thumb our noses at the “coolest game on Earth” but only to feed the masses and their need. If we did anything, it was to introduce something traditional with a new spin.
Now it is time for a little humble pie and perspective. Our Fantasy Memorial Cup found us having to turn away people. The same went for the Fantasy AHL and now the Fantasy KHL. What does that tell the public? Honestly I guess there was some need for this afterall. If the unthinkable happens and the season is lost, then what? Bluntly, some hockey pundits are going to eat some crow and then the question will really have to be asked. Who is desperate now? Food for thought!
