Tuesday, September 21, 2004

Training Camp Opens!

For those already suffering Hockey withdrawal the CBC offers up a little diversion for the winter. Starting tonight the “docu-drama” (also known as a reality series for the less highbrow CBC viewers) Making the Cut debuts tonight with a two hour opener, at 8 pm local time on your CBC affiliate across the land, 8:30 in Newfoundland as Bob Cole would say!

Scotty Bowman and Mike Keenan have their whistles at the ready, the drills set up and their cutting remarks prepared just waiting for the fresh legs to hit the ice. For the next thirteen weeks we’ll follow a band of wanna be’s trying to work their way towards an invitation to an NHL training camp (whenever that may take place again).

When the CBC first came up with the idea it was thought it would make for a nice little story tied in with the NHL season. Now it may actually be the season. It might make for an interesting bargaining chip should negotiations between the players and the league remain in the deep freeze.

Should these guys actually show some talent, maybe the CBC can put together a league of guys that made the cut! Find enough guys to fill out six teams (the Canadian cities!) and we can call it the Original Six! With six hours of Hockey Night in Canada time to fill on Saturdays, who’s to say that expanding on this idea might not work. Really if Survivor and its like can reach the top of the ratings, who doesn’t think that a hockey starved public won’t follow suit.

An even more radical idea might be to challenge for the Stanley Cup, since it was originally designed as a challenge trophy" it just might be available after the thirteen week run.

Move the final players from the cold neighbourhood rinks of their past and into our temples of hockey across the land. If they make it, maybe we just might come!

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