Ellington

The NHL returns to the ice on Wednesday night after nearly two years of labor issues-related exile. Newsday's Johnette Howard sums up the situation nicely: "Hockey is sort of the Brussels sprouts of pro sports. No matter how you tweak it, cook it, tout it or dress it up, people still either love it or hate it. If you hate it, you think the game of 1,000 turnovers should've stayed shutdown for good. If you're a true believer, you can't wait until all 30 teams begin the regular season tonight, even if you're a still mad at the league for last year's lockout, or conflicted about mindlessly rushing back to a sport that endured one of the dumbest contract negotiations in sports history."