Here's hoping

Maybe it's too late for this season, Hall-of-Fame heroics notwithstanding. But the NHL can still salvage something by coming up with an agreement that will ensure the 2005-06 season goes off without so much as a labor hiccup.

I can't speculate exactly at what the NHL and players union have in store for their meeting tomorrow, but an agreement is still an agreement and the first step in trying to repair the damage already done to the game. It won't take away the sting of losing an entire season (I still can't use those words without grimacing), but it will help restore my faith that the principals aren't trying to kill the NHL but in fact still care about hockey and want to see it thrive.