e went though 301 days of monumental stupidity, but that ended on July 13 as the NHL and the NHLPA ceased their acrimonious negotiations and agreed to a new collective bargaining contract.

At the NHL level, there are no heroes here. Everyone came out of this looking like a selfish, petulant child. Everyone that is, except for the officials in the NHL. As I have mentioned in this space previously, the officials in the NHL were gracious, forward-looking, and keenly aware of their place in the game. 

Unscheduled unemployment

During the lockout, the officials were out of a job, unpaid, and largely bored. A young linesman makes something in the range of $60,000 per year. That's a handsome wage, to be sure, but it's not good-looking enough to allow you to take off a year without feeling the pinch.

Continued...