September 15, 2004 marked a new era for the National Hockey League. To be more precise, it began an era without the NHL. For four months, die-hard hockey fans have been forced to resort to the Central Hockey League, a developmental league for the NHL, in order to quench their thirst for professional hockey in the Western Hemisphere. NHL enthusiasts have dejectedly watched the league's marquee players vacate the United States to play in places like the Czech Republic, Scandinavia and even Siberia. However, the forgotten faction has been the crop of college and amateur stars forced to wait in the wings as their dreams of playing professional hockey are put on hold.
The Dartmouth men's hockey team currently has seven drafted icers on the squad, the third most in the ECAC. Lee Stempniak '05, Hugh Jessiman '06, Grant Lewis '07, Tanner Glass '07, David Jones '08, Nick Johnson '08 and J.T. Wyman '08 were all selected by NHL teams. Five of the seven are juniors or younger, making the NHL more of a distant vision than an immediate reality for most of the men in Green. Many of the Dartmouth draftees consider the lockout from a fan's perspective rather than a future employee's.
"[The lockout] is terrible for the sport," said Lewis, who was drafted in the second round by the Atlanta Thrashers in 2004. "The owners are trying to make up for ten years of mistakes and overpaying players in one year -- it's just not going to happen."
Jessiman, drafted 12th overall in 2003 by the New York Rangers, agreed with Lewis' sentiments. "I fear that fans will lose more and more interest in the game as the lockout continues," said Jessiman. Both Jessiman and Johnson voiced their disappointment with having no hockey to watch on television.
Coach Bob Gaudet analyzed the situation from a more financial standpoint. "Some of the players and owners have the financial resources to live comfortably for an extended period of time or have the marquee value to play for good money in Europe, but there are a lot of people who are really going to be struggling if this continues including the players that are not currently in the top tier, rink workers, concession people, and local businesses," said Gaudet.
Only Jessiman confessed to thinking about the impact of the lockout on his immediate future. "It is my dream to play in the NHL as soon as possible and obviously the lockout doesn't give me that option for the time being."
Stempniak, a senior who was drafted in the fifth round by the St. Louis Blues in 2003, explained that he has "not paid attention to the NHL lockout at all really, except for hearing about it on Sportscenter."
"I almost never think about playing pro hockey and have been focusing on this season," Stempniak said, staying true to his role as a team captain. "Our team has the ability to be great and we're just starting to play to our potential, so all of the guys are preparing for the games each weekend and not looking ahead."
However, teammates Johnson, Jones and Glass all admitted to contemplating their prospective futures in the NHL.
"It's been my dream since I was little to win the Stanley Cup and play in the NHL, and that's why I still play. If you love the game, you want to play at as high of a level as possible, and the NHL is pinnacle," said Johnson, who was a third-round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2004.
Jones found a way to tout his Dartmouth education while affirming his aspiration of one day playing in the NHL. "I have always wanted to play professionally, and I continue to work towards that level," said Jones. "It has always been my goal to play in the NHL, and receiving a Dartmouth education while playing at such a high level is an incredible opportunity." He also added that, "Because of the lockout they have had more chances to watch me play, which is definitely motivating and one positive to the lockout."
Glass, who was the ninth-round draft pick of the Florida Panthers, expressed a similar attitude towards the lockout, noting, "It might be a good thing. I think a lot of the older players will take this chance to retire, as well as some of the European players might not come back to the NHL after playing in their home countries. There might be more spots available."
Commenting on his particular situation, Jessiman said he "decided to stay at school this year instead of turning pro, so a lot of people ask me if I regret my decision. I knew that I was going to essentially lose money on my first contract by making this decision because the new CBA will most likely have a greatly-reduced rookie salary cap, but I don't regret anything. I am happy to be here continuing my education and being part of a special team. I think that once the lockout is over, I will review my options again and make a decision from there."
For now, Dartmouth's hockey stars must focus on the conclusion of their season and worry about post-season play rather than concern themselves with the doings of the NHL bureaucracy. In the end, they are all still fans of the game. "It is such a great sport with so much potential to be even better. I just hope that both sides can come together soon and make the compromises necessary for the good of the game," said Gaudet.
