A Lunch Date With Classless Arrogance

September 12, 2012; New York, NY, USA; NHLPA executive director Don Fehr during a press conference at the 2012 NHLPA summer player meetings at the Marriott Marquis. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-US PRESSWIRE

After having a successful (But not successful enough) meeting on Friday, the NHL and the NHLPA met today for an informal lunch. It’s reported that they got through the meal with out a food fight. Isn’t that sweet. Local businesses are shutting down due to the lack of hockey traffic, and they’re having informal lunch dates. I hope it tasted good. Next time, how about having food AND discussions? Yesterday Gary Bettman said that they are open to meeting whenever the NHLPA are.

"“We’re waiting to hear back from them, and whenever they’re ready, we’re prepared to get back together,” Bettman said."

I’m sorry, I know I should be updating seriously about the CBA. But I get so distracted by Bettman’s pompous arrogance of an attitude. It’s no secret that I don’t care for the guy, but I don’t blame him completely for the lockout. He’s in place for a reason. The owners have him as their representative. He’s doing his job, I guess. The way that he speaks with his nose and chin up in the air screams “I’m better than you and you and I both know it.” It’s all about the body language. There’s a difference in holding your head up high with confidence and talking down someone at the end of your nose. Even if you’re only as tall as a troll and you have to hold your head way back to do so. The way he has that smirk on this face while bobs his head back and forth makes me want to smack him, like that Whack-A-Mole game. Enough about that, he basically says a whole bunch of nothing in this video. To be fair, he does warn us of that as his opening statement. He doesn’t want to comment on what is going on, or what is being said. That’s just part of being a businessman. We, as fans, don’t need to know all of the details that are going on. We just need to know one of two things: Yes, there is hockey. No, there is no hockey. In my opinion, Bettman is handling this well right now *gasp* Yes, I know. However he doesn’t have to do it with such arrogance.

Donald Fehr was a bit more talkative yesterday after the meetings, as this is all a blame game. He comes out with a wall of players standing behind him like as if to say ‘We are here, we are ready to get this thing done and play.’ Where are the owners standing behind Bettman? Fehr said that they thought they were closer than they were in the numbers, and blames the NHL for making the gap wider than thought. Fehr let us know just enough about what happened in the meetings to make the players look like the innocent victims, completely one-sided. He said basically that even if the players were to agree to everything in the proposals right now and sign, they would have to give up all of their rights that are in their contracts. They shouldn’t have to give up any of the rights in their contracts. A contract is made to be kept, so people can’t go back on their words. Why sign anything at all? Why not sign people up to teams based on verbal agreements?

In this case, I do believe that Gary Bettman is handling this with better class than Donald Fehr. I know, I can’t believe that I said that either. I’ve been sick over the past month, but I promise I’m not delusional. Much. Bettman, though a pompous arse, is not one to kiss and tell. He’s just saying ‘It’s not done and we’ll let you know when it is.’ While Fehr is “explaining” what is going on, he seems on the verge of whining. I’m surprised they don’t have a few more Penguins standing behind him. He’s not informing us of what is going on truly, he is crying just enough to make us feel sorry for the union and be angry at the players. I’m surprised that he doesn’t have a bunch of starving children from a third world country with bloated bellies standing beside him, while he says that the player’s can’t donate money to help feed these children because the NHL is being mean and not letting them play.

Get your junk together guys, and get those warriors back on the ice. There are forum workers and local businesses who need you to come to your senses.

Dolly Dolce
@HulaDolly