Tuesday is Judgment Day for the NHL. Monday night, the erstwhile league will televise the championship game it covets: Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Gretzky’s old team vs. Team NASCAR. And Tuesday, the Nielsen ratings will dictate the future of the sport.

Hockey’s lockout hastened the decline of my favorite sport. Popularity was already on the wane, but gracefully, and there was always hope a David Stern could rejuvenate what was once the fourth major sport in America. But a year without hockey broke the habits and the patience of fans.

ESPN chose not to renew its contract with the NHL, leaving weekly games on OLN and Saturdays on NBC…in a spot the NHL had to pay for. Money drives these leagues, and I understand that. New York City has three (three!!!) regional sports networks, so I can always get the local games.

Monday night represents the league’s best opportunity to show its strength. Or weakness. For Game 7 of the Finals, every hockey fan will, in theory, turn off the reruns on the other networks. Which means that Monday night is the best that national hockey can do. Monday night will make or break televised hockey in America.

Monday night’s game is on NBC at 8pm.