Our View: Thumbs up to the NHL’s puck dropping

Thumbs up: To the return of NHL hockey. A monthslong lockout initiated by owners finally was settled, leaving the league with a shortened, 48-game season. It’s the second time in 20 years a season has been cut short because players and owners couldn’t come to a contract agreement, and the league is the only major sports league in North America to have an entire season lost to a work stoppage, in 2004-05. The hope is the NHL and its players union have finally gotten things worked out – this might be the last labor stoppage the league can survive. That said, many hockey fans will be watching at 2 p.m. today when the Blackhawks start their season at the Staples Center, facing the defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings in a nationally