October 9, 2009
Dear NHL Superstars...
TFP Jr. Columnist Michael Grossi addresses a letter to the NHL's top talent.

[TORONTO, ON] -- We can all agree that your league is in disarray, but I think that there is one man who can fix it.

I'm not sure who he is, and I can't even guarantee that he is out there, but I'm almost certain the league needs him now more than ever.

With non-traditional hockey markets going belly-up by the day (see Phoenix, Atlanta), not to mention the whole union fiasco, the league needs something to draw the fans back. Something magical, something along the lines of the pursuit of an "untouchable" record.

The new NHL is going currently going through an offensive renaissance, led by a gaggle of 20-something-year-olds with no regard for what has previously been perceived as "impossible."

The same players that are being "marketed" by the NHL -- Evgeni, Sid and Ovie, I'm looking at you -- are the guys that have to take up this ridiculous challenge that I am issuing.

I know that the magical numbers of 92 and 215 are far more than any of the totals any of you have ever put up, but to even reach 75 and 150 would be huge for the league right now.

Take your comrades in Major League Baseball for example. After a player strike left the league in turmoil, putting an even worse taste in the mouths of fans through the 90s, it was Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa who lifted the league back to respectability (at least until everyone in the league, including seven mascots and a batboy, were found to be on performance enhancing drugs). Their pursuit of the then 37-year-old record of 61 homeruns in a season generated a swirl of interest around North America as attendance jumped 12-percent league-wide that year.

With the new CBA, you guys know that an increase in league revenues means more money in your pockets at the end of the season.

Now, I can tell that you goalies aren't too happy about this, but haven't you had your time in the sun? You guys have absolutely dominated the better part of the last two decades; what harm could it be to try letting a few more softies in for the betterment of the league? I mean an increase in league revenues ends up in your pockets too. It's just something to think about.

So gentlemen, take up this fight for me. What's the worst thing that could happen? Wayne Gretzky appears a few less times in the record book? The man is a legend, but I'm sure he realizes that records don't last forever.

Michael Grossi is a Jr. Columnist for TheFourthPeriod.com and covers the NHL for The Fourth Period Magazine.