Hockey Smockey - I want my newspaper back!

If you're a hockey fan you're not going to like this, I'd skip to the next post...

In the interests of full disclosure - I don't play hockey, watch hockey (never been to a game), skate, wack frozen bits of rubber on ice or out front on the street, hip check people (except when attempting to dance), drink beer, or subscribe to any sports TV channel or web site (the concept of 'sports reporter' is a joke, I don't even read the section of the paper that says sports) - the only reason that I'm commenting on this at all is because this nonsense is invading the front page of my newspaper and my websites - that makes it fair game.

The NHL players recently offered a 24% pay cut for their players. Now let's understand some statistics; for a player making 17 million in 5 years that reduces their income from 3.4 million to 2.58 million dollars per year.

And now a couple of questions: a) why does any one doing anything need to make that much b) The 2002 average Canadian income for a two parent double income family with kids is $67,700 (2002 dollars Source: Statistics Canada) that means that this player makes 38 Times as much and he (note that this is a male-only sport at this level) gets to do what he loves to do - play hockey.

And they are offering a 24% cut - humm this is a little like the sales at Canadian Tire, Sears etc. An item comes in and sells for 59.99 - eventually it drops to $19.99 (or less) on sale. As these companies avoid (not absolutely but generally) selling anything at a net loss that means that the wholesale price was under $19.99 to begin with and they started at a 200% markup.

I wonder - if players make 3.4 million, and they've put themselves on sale for 2.58 maybe we should just wait a while and they will eventually drop to a level that makes more sense - maybe in the 200K range.

Please everyone that is worried about Hockey - get a life - go to the library, buy a book, build something, play soccer (most of the rest of the world does), play Quidditch (if you read you'd know what that is) , take a trip someplace warm (without hockey) the world will NOT end if you don't see Don Cherry (don't even get me started on him)

Sigh...