good news puck heads

Anyone a huge fan of Versus having the NHL TV contract? (rhetorical question, NO ONE likes this move) Well, there may be some light at the end of the proverbial tunnel (of love).

Our favorite mullet wearing ESPN Hockey guru, Barry Melrose had this to say on the Dec. 20th, Dave Dameshek show:

(okay, so maybe not the most timely of information)

No way... that's great... we've landed on the moon!!

Dave Dameshek- "Speaking of depressing things, what are we going to do...maybe you and me can put our heads together Barry, how are we going to get puck back on ESPN? That's where it belongs right?"

Barry Melrose- "Well we're really hearing a lot of good things right now at ESPN here and talking to the Players Association and the NHL... and the players definitely want it back on ESPN. ESPN wants it back and the NHL would like to come back to ESPN, so I gotta think when those three people get together and they all want to come back to ESPN, I gotta think it will get done at the end of the day. So all of us here at ESPN, who love hockey, are cautiously optimistic that next year hockey will be back on ESPN."
........

So that's great news right? I mean, I can't see that hurting the NHL assuming ESPN can squeeze a commercial or two in between ads for the WNBA, MLS, Billiards, Poker, X-Games, PTI rip offs, and Rock, Paper, Scissor championships.

For real.

Also, one would hope that this would ensure a hockey highlight in the first half hour of Sports Center instead of buried in the last ten minutes. If I had any stroke, I'd contact Barry Melrose and ask him to click his skates together three times, saying "there's no place like home" each time.