I scratch my head a lot these days which might explain the sparse ground cover up there apart from the O’Byrne hair curse inherited from my mom’s side of the family.

Lately though the source of the head scratching is the NHL lockout and it seems to be a never ending source of puzzlement, amusement, laughter and there is generally a rise in blood pressure when one looks at the financials of them versus us.

Both sides are currently tired of taking direct shots at each other and instead are focused on the fans of this game.

Each side is trying to make sure the public knows who is wearing the white hat so when the puck gets dropped at some point, we the fans will forgive and forget them while holding a frozen grudge against the other.

The man who said he would not negotiate in the media did exactly that when publishing the league offer, the highlight being the 50/50 split of hockey related revenue (a phrase I personally am getting tired of hearing).

The NHLPA responded with no measurable response if that makes sense but then this whole scenario has not made sense from the start in my opinion.

Last week one player was quoted as saying they are not interested in winning the public relations war, they are determined to dig their heels into the ground in order to get paid what is deserving to them and they’re not about to break ranks.

So in looking at this closer, this battle is not about the money although it seems as such. It’s about giant-sized egos which are being fed by even bigger ones in the form of Donald Fehr and the 30 owners who hide behind Gary Bettman.

Ask the baseball owners if any of them sent a Christmas card to Fehr since they had their little tiff. This man negotiates with one thought in mind and that is coming out on top at all costs.

As for the NHL team owners, one only has to look north to see what the Oilers boss thinks of people beneath him.

Trying to move these massive egos back to a common sense level is like trying to stick handle with a 200 lb puck. It can be done but it will take loads of time in order to move it to the right spot.

I fear this dispute will not be settled in time for a season to begin and no matter which side claims victory they will expect the fans to welcome them back with open arms because as Canadians we can’t hate hockey.

That’s what egos do.

sports@reddeerexpress.com