What's this? Hockey starts this weekend? Should we care? The lockout-extended offseason has been so long, people may have forgotten some basics—or never have known them in the first place. As a refresher, here are some answers to some important questions about the shortened season and the state of the Rangers.
1. Wait, hockey normally starts in the fall?
Yep. A lockout came dangerously close to claiming the 2012-13 season, but the players’ union and the NHL reached an agreement just in time earlier this month. What did the lockout claim? The 2012 portion of the season and a good percentage of the players’ share of the revenue. Instead of getting 57 percent of league revenue, they will now get 50 percent. The salary cap for the 2013-14 season will be $64.3 million, down from the $70.2 million it is this season. Player contracts cannot exceed eight years (seven if the player is switching teams) and there are regulations to avoid cap shenanigans by frontloading contracts. People have a tendency to ignore all sports that run concurrently with the NFL, so this may work out for the best.
2. Do hockey fans like NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman?
No. Whenever he presents the Stanley Cup, he is booed with gusto—even in Canada. He has now presided over three lockouts. One wiped out the 2004-05 season, and this one came all too close to wiping out this one. This one seemed particularly egregious, so don’t expect the fans to forgive and forget the commissioner’s role.
3. Now that the lockout is over, how will this season's schedule work?
The season, which starts Saturday and runs through April 27, will consist of 48 games for each team. Teams will only play within their own conference. They will face their divisional foes four or five times each and teams in the other two divisions three times each. Fans looking forward to a Rangers-Kings battle will have to hope for the best in the Stanley Cup finals. The abbreviated (read: one-week) training camp means the Rangers are saved from Coach John Tortorella’s grueling conditioning program.
4. What did the players do during the lockout?
Some played ... but most didn't. Three Rangers (and 140 hockey players overall) played overseas. Rick Nash played in Switzerland, Ryan McDonagh played in the Kontinental Hockey League, and Carl Hagelin played for a second-tier Sweden league in his hometown. Goalie Henrik Lundqvist just cooled his heels in Sweden.
5. Are the Rangers going to be good again?
Probably. They posted the best record in the Eastern Conference last season and made the conference finals before blowing a one-game lead and falling to the Devils in six games. With the addition of Rick Nash—in exchange for Brandon Dubinsky, Artem Anisimov, Tim Erixon and a first-round pick—the Rangers added goals, something they lacked at times last season. The lockout also helped Marian Gaborik recover from shoulder surgery. The right winger would have missed the first three months of the season, but now he's ready to go, just like everyone else.
6. Who else left the Rangers, and whom did they sign?
Three players—Brandon Prust (Canadiens), Ruslan Fedotenko (Flyers) and John Mitchell (Avalanche)—left the Rangers via free agency. Their new faces include Taylor Pratt, Jeff Halpern, Aaron Asham and Michael Haley. Phenom Chris Kreider, who appeared in the playoffs despite coming straight from Boston College, may not have a spot on the roster if Tortorella is to be believed. But he probably will be on the team when it opens its season Saturday.
7. Is Lundqvist still awesome?
