They Shall Overcome. Someday.

If you enjoy keeping track of what's hot and what's not in the world of sportswriting cliches, you can move "armageddon" to the top of the list for hockey reporters. Everyone is talking about what will happen on September 15, 2004, when the NHL's collective agreement expires. The pessimists, like Toronto Sun columnist Al Strachan, believe the NHL will lock out the players one year from today, with all signs pointing towards a long and ugly labor dispute. The optimists, like NHL Player's Association president Trevor Linden, believe a settlement can be reached without shutting down the league. The pessimists appear to vastly outnumber the optimists. But isn't that always the way?