Dodgers Blue Heaven: NO Lockout!

Friday, September 07, 2012

NO Lockout!

We are a little over week before the NHL owners imposed deadline for an agreement with the players association, and I'm sick to my stomach. After an invigorating past season, I may now have to go without hockey, and it makes me sick.

I had promised myself that I wouldn't fret and scream, but I can't help myself. I want hockey to start when it should!

I've kept a watchful eye at the news reports about the issues and developments, and can't help myself in blaming the owners for this mess. The last time around, the owners got nearly everything they wanted. Now, with league revenues going through the roof it appears they just want more. The players appear to be willing to accept lowered salaries (rollbacks), but want a real revenue sharing plan that will help struggling franchises. They want a system that will forever negate a lock-out in the future. The owners appear willing to go through this exercise every 5 to 6 years.

I don't get it. It just makes me want to scream, "I'm Mad as Hell, and I'm Not Gonna Take it Anymore!"

Man-Alive, I really envy the labor peace that has existed in Baseball.

Anyway, this leads me to a video made by a Finnish NHL fan named Janne Makkonen. See it below. His work has been the talk of the league and it has gone viral with hockey fans. BTW, Hot Takes was able to track him down and briefly interviewed him on their blog. Check it out. Below are a couple of choice quotes.

The fans were my biggest inspiration. I’ve never really experienced anything like the fans’ agony in the social media during the last few months. I wanted to find a way to express myself and I thought that this was the best way.
...
I’m really humbled by the feedback. Mostly I enjoy seeing almost every fan on the same level. No one’s talking about the team they support, or ones they don’t support, because everyone is supporting just one cause together!