from Neil Best of Newsday,

This won't make NHL fans feel any better about another lost autumn, but know this about two of the key television executives charged with bringing hockey back to you:

They feel your pain, not just as businessmen but as fellow true believers.

Dan Ronayne, MSG Network's executive vice president, grew up playing the sport in Michigan and on Monday called it "the greatest game ever invented."

Sam Flood, NBC Sports' executive producer, grew up playing inMassachusetts, where his father was a coach, and said, "We love the game, we love covering it and we are going to kick butt and push to get this thing back to where it needs to be."

The question is whether and /or when their audience will move past the labor disruption.

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