In between sessions of NHL 2K6 and NHL 06, where will you be heading for a dose of televised hockey? Not, ESPN, ABC, or Fox, that's for sure. Instead, puck fans looking for the real thing will be heading to the home of the Tour de France, the Outdoor Life Network. The Comcast-owned OLN secured a two-year deal with the NHL, agreeing to televise its games for a reported $65 million during the first year, and $70 million in the second. Considering TV revenue is shared among all thirty teams, that means approximately $2 million per team or, in San Jose Sharks terms, "about one half of Patrick Marleau's yearly salary." It's strange to think of televised NHL without the likes of Gary Thorne, Bill Clement, Darren Pang, and Barry Melrose's hair. And considering the mess the Stanely Cup Finals will be (the first two games on OLN, the final four on NBC), I can't help but wonder if the NHL will have much luck gaining traction with this deal. Still, it's a start--a meager one--but a start nonetheless. After the developments of the lockout and its fallout, I suspect that NHL and its players are happy just to be back in the game, even if they have to share the screen with Lance Armstrong.