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If you haven’t gotten your tickets to a Buffalo Sabres game yet this year – you might not get one at all.  After yesterday’s presale – the team announced there were only single games seats number around 18K left for the season, and that four games on the schedule were already sold out.  Empty seats are not an option in Buffalo for the shortened 2013 regular season.

Buffalo Sabres fans are returning to the NHL in droves after a 113 day lockout that drove fans mad and supposedly away from the game and the league.  So far it seems that the Buffalo Sabres will not feel an economic back lash from the fans who were reportedly upset with the way things were going and wanted to get back at the teams/leagues for bickering over their money.

Some fans however still want to make their feelings known that they are not happy about Gary Bettman’s third lockout in 20 years, and second in the last ten.  Sure, you will have people that won’t buy merchandise to keep their money away from the HRR pool – some people won’t turn on games, or go to games because they are tired of having their emotional hockey strings pulled every time there is a CBA renewal coming up.

The Puck Stops Here has an interesting way of showing the players, owners, teams, and league that we are not happy about how things went down, and that yes we are back, but we may not be back if this happens again.  Its called Stand Up and Turn Around.

Simple policy – if you are at the home opener on Sunday (or wherever/whenever your home opener is if your not a fan of the Buffalo Sabres) stand up for the opening faceoff and turn your back to the play for 30 seconds.  Sure your going to miss the return of the NHL for that brief period of time, and there is the off chance that you will miss a goal – but the message will be sent.  If there are hundred, (probably wont get to thousands) of fans that do this during home openers – the message will be clear.

Can you imagine the announcers calling the game asking each other if they are seeing what they think they are – the message will be clear for NHL brass that catch the games on television.  The War Room in Toronto will definitely alert Mr. Bettman of the action.

I won’t be in attendance on opening night, but I will be watching in earnest on Saturday and Sunday to see if Stand Up and Turn Around turns into anything.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

It took 113 days to resolve, we will lose 34 games per team, but the NHL and the NHLPA have resolved their differences in principle and have agreed to start the 2013 NHL season.

What does this mean for fans in Buffalo?  Well it means that for 24 nights, the Buffalo Sabres will entertain us at The First Niagara Center.  It does mean that anyone who looks forward to seeing the likes of the Pheonix Coyotes, Los Angeles Kings, or Colorado Avalanche amongst others skate into town – that won’t happen.  An abridged schedule which should be released as teams gather for training camp will only feature Eastern Conference teams, as the shortened season doesn’t allow for interconference play.

Did it really need to take 113 days and half the NHL season to resolve this issue?  Whether it was greed, protection, Donald Fehr, mistrust, no communication – this could have been resolved much faster if hte two sides actually negotiated instead of trading offers back and forth of what they deemed was a good enough deal for the other side to accept.  Toddlers can resolve issues over whose toy that is, or how not to hit/kick/bite faster than these two organization can get things done.  An eleventh hour deal was not necessary at all.

As I was reading up on the news of the day, Ryan Miller‘s apology came across my web browser.  I don’t buy it for a minute.  As outspoken as Ryan Miller was in the media the whole time about the lockout, you could have bene a louder voice among your peers to push the resolution much faster.

I am still embarrassed that we players have such a poor relationship with our league as a whole.

Ryan Miller publicly saying this is a dangerous.  This tells me that the league is out of touch with its employees, the employees have a strong hatred for their owners, and that in 8-10 years, we will be going through this once again.  I can’t take another lengthy and nasty lockout – in 2021-2023 this better get resolved or I will full invest myself in the minor leagues and be completely done with the NHL.

I understand that at some point in a relationship between and employer and a union there are going to be grievances and differences that will cause some strike, but there is no reason that this should be drawn out as long as it gets.

I thought it was funny that the NHLPA was filing the disclaimer of interests so that the players can sue the NHL over anti-trust issues that they couldn’t do as a union.  Technically speaking the NHL could do the same, becuase it is not like they have the option to negotiate with other unions, its the NHLPA or bust.  I don’t know, I just have a bad taste in my mouth over the whole thing.

I am keeping my optimism close to the vest on this one, because the way things have gone, I still foresee a problem – until I see an announcement that the signature are dry on a legit legal and binding collective bargaining agreement, the NHL is still dead to me.

Looking forward to seeing the boys back on the ice soon, and can’t wait to see live blue and gold skating once again.