Friday, January 4, 2013

NHL and NHLPA squabbles and I am nearly broke - sheesh


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NHL and NHLPA squabbles and I am nearly broke - sheesh
For the past half hour I have been reading through the twists and turns of the National Hockey League(NHL) and the National Hockey League Player’s Association (NHLPA).  And I have been trying to understand what is at stake for each party.

What I am sure of is the fact that they are not agreeing to what the other party is offering.  The issues also change with each offer and counter offer – and still no one agrees with the other even though they have changed their stance.

From what I have read the average salary of an NHL hockey player is $2.4 Million.  Well if I am right or wrong with that number I could care less – really. It is all that I could find – quote from The Star – “The difference in those two potential formats alone would cost the average player $120,000, based on an average yearly salary of $2.4 million and the gap between their projected pro-rated salaries. The combined loss of 60 extra events in buildings around the league would be even more for owners.” (http://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/nhl/article/1310147--nhl-lockout-players-set-for-second-vote-on-dissolving-union-source-says )

So on one side is a very elite group of young and sometimes a little older men at 30+ that are Millionaires.  On the other side there are the owners of the teams that these Millionaires play on.  And these teams are owned by Mega Millionaires or maybe better said Billionaires that want even more from their investments in these Millionaire Players.

And if I understand it correctly from the reporters that have tried to clear up what is happening… there will only be 48 games in the NHL mini season if they go back to work playing hockey by January 11, 2013… which is 7 days from now.

To top it off the NHLPA is about to wipe out their own union and all that it means.  And if that happens the individual players will begin a long and serious run of lawsuits against the Billionaire Owners for failing to hold their part of the bargain/agreement when the super star hockey player signed up with the billionaire.

Lawyers will be smiling from lawsuit to lawsuit getting an average of 50% of what each lawsuit is settled for…

But who needs to play hockey if you can settle court case that will give you $20 - $40 Million now – even if you have to give the lawyer some of it!!!?

Now as of yesterday’s reports, the NHL (the Billionaire group/employers) are going to court – or have gone to court to prevent the NHLPA from disbanding the Union – for simple fear that the Lawsuits that will be coming their way will be so huge that they could be broke and out of business if this happens.

In what other business do you find the Employer demanding that the Union not be allowed to be pulled apart or disbanded?

This is the strangest thing that could possibly happen.

The arguments are over $60 Million here - $75 Million there – a billion there a gazillion here.

But whose money is it anyway?

It is hard earned money that the local fan has made at his shaky job in the shaky economy of the USA and Canada.  It is speculated money that will possibly be spent on a game that isn’t happening.  It is real money that may not be in the pockets of real people – that may never return to another hockey game ever.

I am writing this on January 4, 2013.  It is not prophetic in anyway.  It is simply that I no longer care about hockey or the NHL. In fact from the start of this disagreement between two very rich people I didn’t like the NHL – or the people that run it.  It is a TOTAL TURN OFF.

For 111 days now I have not had to change the channel on my TV to avoid the NHL games.  I have felt sorry for some of the young people that have placed so much hope and effort into their future of playing hockey – to the avoidance of a University Education and a better opportunity of employment outside of the hockey world.

Do I hate hockey? Nope – not at all.  My grandsons play hockey and I go whenever I can to watch the most amazing young men in the world fly across the ice.  These young fellows are real good… and I love what they do.

But the difference is THEY PAY to Play… they are not PAID TO PLAY.

I think that the NHL has lost the fan base in this economy and in this world of entertainment mass market.  There is way more to do and see beside NHL.

I predict that the NHL is dying… or maybe even dead as I write these words.

Ooops I am prophesying!

I am a retired Minister. My annual income is just around $30,000 from what I remember from last year’s income tax statements.

My pension is frozen and for the third year I have not been given so much as ONE CENT raise by the Pension Fund people at our church’s head office. There is no money being made now, no investments of that Pension Money is producing anything at all.

The letter that I received from the head office of our church used words like “solvency” and I think that is closely related to “insolvency” which is closely related to “bankruptcy” talk.

It could come to a time when I will have two real choices DEATH or Live on the Streets.  Food Banks could be my next source of food stuff.

And the NHL and NHLPA can’t get their act together.  And somehow I just don’t care – at all!

~ Murray Lincoln ~
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