Originally Posted by
ink
I've been in a lockout situation and believe me I didn't side with management, even though I was just this side of management. I was also on the high side of the pay scale of those locked out and I know that they were very concerned about every penny, every benefit, and every bit of contract leverage the may or may not lose. They generally felt underpaid and financially/contractually insecure and management's lockout position was seen as a very strong threat to them. Even if they heard that the cut would be small, they still knew they were relatively underpaid and without the security they felt they should have. As their "boss" I saw what it was like for employees to be locked out and they saw the entire thing as a threat to their families. I think it's very comparable to the foot soldiers of the NHL, the guys who go up and down between the minors, ride the buses, come in for a game or two to crash the net, or smash someone's teeth. They know that their time in the NHL could come and go in a flash and they want to make a few bucks when they can. So you're not going to get any sympathy from them trying to tell them that they're "likely" not going to take a cut. They know there are no guarantees and they have learned (because of the hardline *** hole approach he takes) to totally distrust Gary Bettman. It's sad but true; he has alienated the employees that work for the NHL to such a degree that they can barely contain their disrespect. It's gotten that bad.