What’s going to replace Maple Leaf hockey for you on Saturday (and other) nights?

I’m not suggesting we have exhausted every possible "current" Leaf topic over the past few weeks here at VLM, but I do wonder, at times, if thinking of “new” angles to discuss when it comes to the locals (and NHL hockey in general) isn’t a bit, well, futile.

I mean, in recent days/weeks I’ve posted on subjects that I thought were quite relevant.  In radio talk show terms, you could say I figured we would see the phone lines lit up with callers wanting to have their say about issues still facing the Maple Leafs.  We discussed the lack of Leaf leadership; whether it’s time for MLSE's new ownership to pull the plug on current Leaf management; 5 things the Leafs are missing heading into (eventually) a new season; The Kadri “debate”; the Allaire Affair drama; Phil Kessel’s future after a new CBA; and 15 Leaf thoughts discussing various roster deficiencies.

The response?  A collective yawn, basically.  Oh, a few great comments here and there from the usual thoughtful VLM posters but very little passion, very little “I have something to say” debate from VLM readers.  It almost gave me a sense of…what shall I call it….a kind of hockey-related ennui. (Just trying to flex my French-Canadian background there a bit...)  

Here’s what I figure: either a) I’m in a big-time writing slump (which is entirely possible) and what I’m talking about—or how I’m saying it—just isn’t connecting with people, or b) most Leaf and fellow hockey fans have simply hit a wall.  A “wall” as in, we all realize that we can talk optimistically about a season, but as we stand here today, there is essentially no reason to be authentically hopeful about that happening any time soon.  The two sides in the NHL dispute appear to have (not surprisingly) two entirely different views of what is “good” for the game—and two CN Tower-sized egos that makes both parties feel they need to “win” this negotiation (despite denials to the contrary).  Since this is all about self-interest - and not about what matters to fans - we will be waiting for NHL hockey for a long, long time, I sense.

So with that pessimistic (but I think realistic) backdrop, I wonder if we have reached a point where we just aren’t that excited about the Leafs, since neither the league or the players want to play that badly.  (So many millions of dollars being lost every day and yet so hard to find common ground.  Oh, the lot of the rich and wealthy….) It’s almost like, if they don’t care, why should we?  More on that in a moment.

Now, some people are following the Marlies, some Leaf supporters are focusing on junior hockey and a few of our own blue and white "prospects", others still are following the KHL.  But the majority (who want the NHL and not much else) are gone fishing, evidently.  Or at least they are not visiting VLM.

And if that’s the case, I hope it’s because they just don’t have much hope and that they feel talking about what might be around the corner for the Leafs is indeed (as I suggested above) totally futile, because “the corner” (NHL hockey) may actually be years away.

So rather than try to pretend there is truly something new to bat around in Leafurbia this second week of October (when we would normally be focused on anticipating who will make the Leaf roster or  who’s the number-one goalie; why don’t we have a big, number-one center yet;  did any of the young guys—Kadri, Colborne, D'Amigo—make it; and how the Leafs look heading into the regular-season opener, etc.) I would like to know: what are you doing to either a) fill the hockey void or b) do something interesting, useful, different and enjoyable entirely apart from your usual hockey and Maple Leaf diversion?

In other words, what will you be doing this winter on Saturday nights?  I well recognize that it’s customarily an 82-game NHL schedule, and nowadays (unlike when I was a kid and all the games were on Wednesday/Thursday and Saturday/Sunday) the Leafs play all seven days of the week.  But let’s use Saturday as the one day where most hockey fans historically set aside time and plan their evening around their Maple Leaf (and NHL) hockey fix.

If that’s the case,  what will you be doing instead?

I saw that one hockey blogger I’m connected with via Twitter has started a new history-oriented site.  I thought that sounded like a great project.

I’ve said here before that, as hockey fans, if we really want to have an impact on the lockout, rather than boycotts, Twitter campaigns and all that, the wisest thing we should all do collectively is nothing.  That is, ignore both sides.  Get on with our lives.  Show that we can all live happily without NHL hockey.  The “needier” we seem, the more we lament the lack of hockey games to watch, it just signals to both sides that, hey, these people aren’t going anywhere.  We can miss another season and hockey fans will come running back to watch our product.

Bottom line, the two sides will figure that we fans need them (NHL/the players) way more than they need us.

So no, I say again, we ought to—no, we need to—ignore them.

I realize I’ve not done a good enough job of that yet.  Heck, I have this site. I do the Twitter thing sometimes.  I share my views on the lockout. I enjoy "talking Leafs" but I’ve already talked more about the lockout mess than I ever planned to.

Since I love taking and writing about the old days, I’ll be posting less but doing that more in the weeks ahead, I imagine.

But how about you?  Do you agree with my “ignore them” suggestion?  Or is that just another unrealistic notion?  Will you use this newfound “free” time to do other interesting or productive things?  Will you still be watching "other" hockey?  Will you reach a point where, if the lockout persists through yet another NHL season, you honestly just won’t care any more - or at least it will take a lot to bring you back?

The lines are open—share your thoughts, if anyone’s still listening!