Did you know “the doldrums” were an actual physical location? According to NOAA, the official name is the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone and is “a belt around the Earth extending approximately five degrees north and south of the equator.” Basically the trade winds from the north smack into the trade winds from the south. Pair that with some other atmospheric conditions and it leads to minimal surface winds which would really bum you out if you were in a sailing vessel.
While hockey may not be played on the high seas, the NHL has entered into it’s doldrums as there isn’t much happening on or off of the ice.