For the first time in months, the NHL had some semblance of business-as-usual with the draft lottery on Friday night. Instead of debating endlessly about the possibility of the NHL’s return (which looks ever grimmer as the number of COVID-19 cases per capita is once again on the rise and NHL teams struggle to even hold training camps) fans finally had something tangible and exciting to talk about, a sign that eventually, things will get back to a resemblance of normal.
The NHL draft lottery should have been a celebratory event, an emphatic confirmation that yes, we need sports because they are uplifting and exciting and have real stakes.