Was Bill Daly serious about saying there would be a season?

NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly caused a bit of a stir the other day when, while put on the spot with a “yes or no” question, he said he believed there would be a season.

So was that a guarantee?

Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun, in a lengthy Q&A with Daly, asked him to clarify what he said.

“I only had two choices: Of course, I was going to answer ‘Yes’,” said Daly. “Yes, I do (have optimism). That’s more my nature. I don’t understand to a large extent why we’re where we’re at. I still think at the end of the day we should be able to get deal.”

Optimism sure is nice to have and it would be great if his instincts play out correctly and a shortened season does occur. That said, it’s tough to have optimism when the NHL has canceled games through January 14 and it would seem like if there’s another cancellation it’ll be for the rest of the season.

But hey, if the NHL’s second in command feels like there’s going to be hockey that’s good… Right?