I sat down a couple of years ago and watched what I thought was a 15-year-old watching an NHL game.
It looked real enough. Turns out that it was a video game version of the NHL that he was playing with his buddy across town, with their headphones on, chatting back and forth doing their own play-by-play, colour commentary and the like. And the way things are looking, they'd be better off sticking to that format for themselves.
Because if there is another NHL lockout, it’s just as well to write off and forget professional sports. Every athlete has a money-hungry agent behind him/her wanting 25 per cent. After two or three seasons they have enough money made to have a house bought and paid for, a near-lifetime savings bank account and money to invest.
The rest is just gravy.
It is costing a fortune to maintain a structure like this, with owners wanting billions to offset the millions they have to pay in salaries, infrastructure, shareholders and risk.
And Joe Blue Collar, the real fan, can't afford to get into a game.
If this, or any other season, gets screwed up because of these issues, shut it down for good.
Join a recreational league for your own entertainment and good health, and go home and watch your kids play NHL2K13 on the $400 XBox that you bought them.
The days of playing for the love of the sport no longer exist in pro sports.
Chris Decker
St. John’s
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