The biggest problem for the National Hockey League isn't that this season is now cancelled. It's the massive PR problem evidenced by a recent poll on Yahoo! Sports--almost 2/3 of people said they didn't care if the NHL came back next season.

Even accounting for the unscientific nature of this poll, it is impossible to imagine the same results for a poll about Major League Baseball or even the NBA.

I'm probably a casual hockey fan and can really get into a tight playoff game, especially one that goes into overtime, regardless of which two teams are playing. But it doesn't feel like anything is missing without the NHL in action. When baseball was on strike, there was a palpable absence from the sports pages; the lack of hockey news has simply occurred without being very noticeable.