Hockey officials threaten the game

I will admit in the past when pro athletes and their team owners engaged in a strike/lockout event, I most times sided with the owners because if the players didn’t like the rules they could find something else to do to earn a living. This latest one with the NHL has caused my thinking to change.

As I understand it, the owners mainly are trying to further cut the players’ benefits and salaries. It has caused me to wonder: Who or what made the owners, specifically the ones for the Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators and Philadelphia Flyers, spend all that money for two free agents (Minnesota), and pay over $110 million for their own player (Nashville) and offer the same amount to match that offer (Philadelphia)? There are many others throughout the league, but none of this makes any sense.

Commissioner Gary Bettman and his gang also want to cut the salary cap ceiling. If they are successful, there may be a few teams that cannot afford to dress 18 players for a game because they are paying their stars too much and there won’t be enough for fringe players.

These guys canceled a whole season once and parts of a couple of others. They need to wake up. They have been close to not being classified as a major sport before. This situation is going to cause that to happen again. I love hockey and would hate to be deprived of watching it.

John Abraham

Bartlett