We will be at the game tonight, as I’m sure many of you.  A loyal and generous listener has let me know that they have 2 tickets they cannot use, and will forward to the first person that emails questions at dudesonhockey dot com.  See you there.

The Dudes try to talk about the two goods thing happening to San Jose hockey – the Bulls coming to play at HP Pavilion, and the success of the Worchester Sharks.  But the depressing lockout talk continues on.

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Dudes talk about stuff. Happy Thanksgiving.

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Sorry for another post explaining why there’s no podcast this week, but at least there’s a reason. But first, the lockout. I can’t help but be hopeful given all the negotiation that’s been happening the past few days. I wish I understood why both sides suddenly decided to stop with the press releases and start talking amongst themselves; some speculate it’s because of the Winter Classic cancellation, but really? No one saw that coming? For whatever reason, the “public posturing” section of the lockout has finished, and the “marathon negotiation” section has begun.  It certainly seemed obvious weeks ago that the two sides were not far apart, with the NHL practically branding their 50-50 offer (with supposed “make whole” provision) on the moon, and the players responding in kind with 50-50 proposals of their own.  Then both sides sat on their hands for a while- maybe they were scared about Hurricane Sandy? Or didn’t want to miss any Homeland episodes?  Even though all this time has been wasted, it certainly seems plausible the season could happen again, and some are even talking about a December 1 start date, and a 70-game season.

The out-of-sorts feeling is in full effect for me- I spent a lot of time sitting this week on the couch during the evening feeling strange.  I finally realized that this time of year, the 7-10 PM hours are almost always spent going to a game, watching a game, or thinking about a game.  I can’t wait for that feeling to begin again.

But alternatives still exist.  Scott Gomez actually signed a player contract with the Alaska Aces, who already have Joey Crabb and Brandon Dubinsky.  Seto just played with the Ontario Reign against the Bulls (who have a dismal record).  And Ryane Clowe signed a practice contract, but I could see him playing a few games, to get tuned up.

Here’s another alternative.  This is absolutely real, and explains why the podcasts have been sparser than usual.  Needless to say I already have tickets.

Master of the Hiz-ouse

We will be back next week, and I already have a guest booked, which I hope will make up for our absences.

The owners presented a deal that at first glance does not appear to be bat guano, and the Dudes are a little encouraged.  They talk about what is currently known about the deal, how it might affect the Sharks were it to be ratified by the union, and the Bulls game the DOH group went to last weekend.

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The Dudes’ trip to the Bulls game is coming up, and Doug does a full team preview.

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I’m glad to report that almost everyone that initially wanted tickets came through, and we have a impressive group- 38!  To those that are coming, I’m excited to meet all of you, and happy that you wanted to come out.  To those that missed out or found out too late don’t worry – tickets are still available.  Buy your own, and let’s meet up at the period break.

It may not be NHL hockey, but it’s still hockey.

If you have listened to the latest podcast (which I’m sure you have), you’d remember we had a discussion about whether the Sharks would benefit should the lockout take much of the season.  I thought they might benefit, and Doug disagreed.  Look like Ryan Lambert of Puck Daddy is with Doug on this one.  Dammit.

Also, please email us by next Tuesday if you want to join us for the Bulls game on October 13th. 7:15pm vs the Bakersfield Condors.  You know you want to!  We’ve had good amount of responses so far, and we’re looking for more.