The good old hockey game.

This past Thursday would have been the official start of the season. Friday I would have walked into the Verizon Center, taken my first good sniff of the all to familiar scent of fresh ice and thought.

Its good to be back.

But instead of entering the phone booth, ready to get the season under way I sat at home watching the Nats get defeated by the Cards. And instead of waking up Saturday morning analyzing the first two days with Anderson I sat in the comfort of my living room watching reruns of 24/7 the road to the Winter Classic with the Caps/Pens. It was the closest thing I could get to an actual season. It probably should have thrilled me, after all I know how it ends. Except, it didn't. In fact the only thing it really truly did for me was made me realize how much I missed the game. Missed the fans, missed the organ at the arena, the crappy overpriced food that one gets. I missed the fights, the chants, I miss seeing Ovi, and Laich and any other member being flashed across when they score, the obnoxious fan who always roots for the other team, no matter who that other team actually is. I miss the blood on the ice.

I miss hockey.

Period.

 Sure the fact that we don't have a season at the moment means Anderson is actually around, our weekends have remained somewhat normal. Logan has been able to enjoy both parents. But even he I find is getting a little frustrated. Resorting to watching football and the baseball playoffs. Neither of which seems to be of any interest to either of us-especially since the sox never had much of a season, and the Nats are out of it as of last Friday. He looms over the NHL network watching and analyzing last year playoffs, and he doesn't seem to care that its team he has little interest in. Its hockey. Its something. 

But its not the hockey season we hoped.

In the beginning he was siding with the players, backing them in full support. But as time goes by, even he admits that its getting a little ridiculous. His hopes of having hockey back by Thanksgiving seems to be at the moment, a little more wishful thinking than actuality. Still he remains optomistic that there will be hockey this year. Though to wait capacity he is still unsure of...

At this point, I think I would just be glad to have it back. No matter what the terms and the length was.

I just want hockey.

Period.