If This is Anything like a High School Reunion, It’s Going to Suck

Today, there is a very important reunion going on in NHL land. If you live in Canada, the television stations have been beating this one into the ground and I really don’t need to remind you of it, but I’ll remind you anyway. It just so happens that today is the day Captain Canada returns to Edmonton for the first time as an opposing player.

Former Oiler Ryan Smyth will make his return to Edmonton tonight as a member of the Colorado Avalanche. Chances are, he’s going to get one hell of an ovation from the Oiler Faithful, but my bet is that there will be a lot fewer tears this time around. I mean seriously, how could you top the display he put on in March?

One thing is for sure, this will likely be more entertaining than a high school reunion. There’s really nothing worse than paying money to be reunited with people you were forced to put up with due to geographic location (or income level, if you went to private school).

In other reunion news, the Blackhawks are finally making amends with television.

Believe it or not, one of the biggest goofs in the history of sports marketing may finally come to an end. Rocky Wirtz, who recently inherited the reins to the Chicago Blackhawks from his late father, released a statement today saying that he is in negotiations with Comcast to televise Hawks games on cable TV. No matter how many times I hear it, it still amazes me that it’s 2007 and we’re only now talking about Hawks games on the tube. Ridiculous. Of course, this was all really a tribute to his father. We all know this is what Bill Wirtz really wanted.

“This is dad’s team,” he explained, “and there is no better way to honor his effort than to enable as many Blackhawk fans as possible to experience this new era of Chicago hockey.”

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