The Carolina Hurricanes National Hockey League team posted this video on the landing page for their website with the simple Twitter hashtag "#ItsTime" above it.
The video shows the current team working out during the offseason, highlighting the team's newest marquee acquisition Jordan Staal, a forward and brother of team captain and center Eric Staal. It also displays the best moments in franchise history: the 2006 Stanley Cup win, former forward Scott Walker's celebration after his series-winning goal in Game 7 of the 2009 Eastern Conference semifinals against the Boston Bruins and Hall-of-Fame center Ron Francis scoring the game-winning overtime goal against the Detroit Red Wings in the franchise's first Stanley Cup Finals game in 2002.
The NHL just endured its second long lockout in eight years. The last one, in 2004-2005, took out an entire season, while this just got rid of over 50 percent of the scheduled games. A tentative schedule is slated to start Jan. 19, sources say, with a 48-game schedule for each team to follow.
This post is many things.
It is a celebration that hockey has returned! I'm a humongous hockey fan, especially of the 'Canes.
It's a reminder that hockey has returned. Because if all you've done is watch ESPN's SportsCenter, you probably missed it. But that's a tangent not for this outlet.
It's also a reminder of the pitiful slogan each and every arena painted on its ice after the last lockout: Thank You Fans! In bold letters. In a stark blue right above the blue lines.
It was widely-panned. It was a bad attempt to assuage fans that were the first to have a full season cancelled because of a lockout.
This season, it will be interesting to see what steps teams take. Here's a sampling of what's happened so far.
The Buffalo Sabres have a letter from president and NHL Alternate Governor Theodore Black as their landing page. Part of the letter reads: "We are very pleased that the owners and the players' union were able to come together and agree upon the framework for a new, 10-year Collective Bargaining Agreement...We want to sincerely thank our fans for their patience during this process and their consistent support of our team for the past several months. During those months, we have kept your dedication in mind as have continued to make Buffalo a premiere destination for hockey."
Former player and current Boston Bruins president Cam Neely had a one-sentence statement on the B's website: "We are all very excited that the NHL and the NHLPA have reached a tentative agreement, and we look forward to dropping the puck and playing Bruins Hockey in front of our fans at the TD Garden soon."
The Columbus Blue Jackets used a familiar approach on their website's landing page. The Florida Panthers proclaimed it's time to "GET IT ON!" with a kid's excited face marking the excitement. Tampa Bay Lightning fans are greeted with the simple statement: "Glad to be back."
The San Jose Sharks' "Executive Vice President Business Operations" (talk about relating to the fans) released a statement that concluded with: "We all love the game of hockey. Now, it's time we get back to what we all do best. Despite this unfortunate delay to the start of the season, our commitment remains steadfast to win the Stanley Cup and bring it home to Sharks Territory. We can't wait to see you back at HP Pavilion."
Perhaps the best was from the Pittsburgh Penguins. A statement from co-owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle and CEO David Morehouse began like this: "To our Penguins Fans and Community: We offer our apology. There is nothing we can say to explain or excuse what has happened over the past four months. However, now that the NHL is back, we want to assure you that the Pittsburgh Penguins will do everything we can to regain your trust and show how much we value your amazing support."
Talk about being real.
In light of a debacle like this, what should the league do? That's the million-dollar question the NHL's public relations department is facing right now.
Just be honest about what happened. Don't beat around the bush. What Lemieux and Burkle and Morehouse said for the Pens is something 'Canes owner Peter Karmanos did to a less blunt degree, but was still relatable:
"Long before I was the owner of a National Hockey League franchise, I was a hockey fan. My passion for watching our great game has only grown as I’ve watched our team over the years, reaching the highest of highs when the Hurricanes brought North Carolina its first major league championship in 2006. As a fan, I understand how frustrating it is not to be able to watch your team in action. With the resolution agreed upon this weekend, we will finally have the chance to see the 2012-13 Carolina Hurricanes on the ice. I sincerely apologize for the delay, and for the hurt that it caused you as a fan."
The owners became excellent at not relating to the fans during the last 100-plus days with no hockey. With their hypocritical "hills to die on" and use of NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly as shields, they're finding themselves in a massive hole right now.
So owners, after spending months using smokescreens and contradicting yourselves, just be honest. That's all the fans desire. Honestly. Simple honesty.