Man. That's a lot of money. Lots of cash lost for the well-to-do small business owners in Detroit. They've been rolling in the cash for years, so losing out on millions shouldn't hurt, eh? And 75 million for a rich region like SE Michigan? Shittttt....whatever. They'll make it up somehow, right Gary? And if they don't? Screw it. The NHL's due to lose right along with them, right? If you can't share the wealth, share the pain, eh?

For one thing, NHL operations people haven't been to Ann Arbor since September and don't have any visits planned for November, the person said. Also, the NHL would lose only a $100,000 security deposit if the game is canceled by Friday, whereas the amount would increase if a change was made afterward.

That's Helene St. James moonlighting for USA Today, probably because the Free Press won't pay her to write about hockey because there is no hockey and every one of us is tired of reading negative garbage in the Detroit dailies, the same dailies that have seen distribution drop by hundreds of thousands because the rich small business owners and the upper crust in SE Michigan have had to give up luxuries like, you know, newspapers over the years.

I literally have no idea what I'm going to do when the midget lets hockey come back. Part of me says it's just not worth my effort or my stress. Forget my money. It's disgusting that I'm even considering devoting my time and emotions to this charade ever again. But if you pressed me right now? I'd be back.

That's now. Today. If they cancel this Classic, this frigging boon to a Michigan economy that needs it so badly? Then we're looking at a whole new level of prison washroom affection. This is a regional violation. It's a state-wide blueballer that can't be forgiven. We have a whole list of reasons why Gary Bettman is just plain garbage, and that's not even counting the 3 work stoppages. We can look at it from multiple layers and angles: expansion where it's not needed, TV on OLN, suspensions, lack of suspensions, terrible officiating and blatant biases. We wouldn't even have to consider labo(u)r strife when judging the shrew and gauging his ineptitude.

But now there's this. And it's gonna happen. It could be any minute. Bettman's gonna cancel this thing and the impact on Michigan is going to be huge. It's not taking money out of wallets but it's reneging on what could have been. He raised the hopes of our state and the dollar signs starting appearing in front of people who really needed to see them. Now he's going to take them away and he really, genuinely doesn't care what the impact is. And that's the mark of a scum bag.

It's a tough call, eh? If you live in Michigan? It's a tough call. Are you coming back if (when) Bettman cancels the Classic? Maybe.

But maybe not. I'm used to hockey this time of year and there is none. And I'm doing ok, Gary. Telling you to suck it one final time might not be as tough as I thought it would be.