Another Strike?

By Rochelle Bergman

It is Friday August 10th and I am sitting in my garden. The sun is shining and hockey is the most remote idea in my mind right now.  I am reading a daily paper.  I usually pass over the sport section in August but the Olympics are on so I am looking over the section.

I turn a page and to my surprise there is a picture of the NHL Commissioner, Gary Bettman.  The title of the article reads “Bettman warns of new NHL lockout”  This can not be, it seems like yesterday when the players went on strike, the last time.  The magic date this time is September 15th.  If there is no new collective bargaining agreement by this date, then the season will not start.  The regular season starts on October 11, 2012.

There have been talks going on between parties.  The league did make a proposal to the players association which included a new revenue-sharing system.  The players declined this offer.

The player association stated that all the proposals so far would be paid by the players in salary reductions.  Bettman states that the teams might need to start “paying out less in player costs”

To me, the players are just greedy.  Or is this just a joke?  All I know is that the world is in trouble.  Countries are being bailed out, the euro is up then down and so many people have lost their jobs due to greed of a few big players.  You can look at any country and you will see lost jobs, droughts, odd weather and other things that are making our lives hectic and sad.

Players in the NHL today make in the millions per year.  Even with the cap on, the millions just flow.  So with everything that is happening in our world, it is not surprising that I for one do not care this time around.  To me this is cow pucks!  Yes there will be people out there who will care and think this is huge news.  But others will frown on this and like the other strike, some will loss respect for the game and for the players.