I don’t know about you but I have had it with professional sports leagues going on strike. The latest to threaten is the NHL of course – a league which apparently didn’t take notes the last time this happened because if they did we wouldn’t be talking about a strike.

I will refresh their collective memories as a public service.

Both sides might recall the damage done to those people who work in the arenas around both countries. Many are doing so as a second or even third job in order to put a child or two through university or college so they don’t have to work two jobs when they graduate.

There are those who are working there in order to keep an elderly parent in a long-term care facility. There might even be some who just need the extra cash to simply make ends meet.

You may also recall many of the charities who used the NHL pools as a fundraiser. The strike left many in limbo and with their coffers empty.

But it seems all that falls by the wayside when the owners and players decide enough is enough. We are not going to reach a deal so all those people who really suffer from a strike, will now suffer from a strike. This seems to be the logic.

Do these people have any idea of the size of the eight ball they are placing the average Joe and Joanne behind? I understand the need to get a deal done so players and owners get what they deserve but what about the collateral damage? Is that the cost of doing business?

I also have a problem wrapping my head around the timing of this bad one-act play. It’s almost as if someone in the NHL offices looked at the calendar and was gob-smacked to realize the current deal was about to expire with a new season almost ready to start. Kind of snuck up on you guys, huh?

Heaven forbid you should work on a new deal while the game is still being played.

No, that would mean any leverage would fly out the window faster than common sense did moments beforehand.

I for one do not begrudge the money made by pro hockey players and the profit gained by owners. Both deserve what they get but the hard-working folks in those arenas do not deserve another kick in the paraphernalia by the billionaires and millionaires. Unfortunately, here comes the skate and those people aren’t wearing a cup.

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