from Jack Todd at the Montreal Gazette,

Worse, for fans who are clinging to the hope that the NHL season will start Jan. 1 and dispel some of the general gloom, this was like taking a 100-mph slapshot in the teeth. In effect, we have the looming threat of a lockout during a pandemic. Thanks, NHL. Nice to know you care.

As always, my sympathies are with the players. Millionaires they may be, but careers are short and they can end quicker than you can say “torn ACL.”

Not only are the owners wealthy to begin with, they’re making money off hockey even when the revenue isn’t there because the value of every franchise is quietly appreciating in value, even when there are no games being played.

Gary Bettman will take the heat, but the blame belongs elsewhere, with the people who are making the real money. The owners want you to focus on salaries, which are high — unless you compare them with the NBA or MLB. Trouble is, the billionaire’s game is not in the income vs. salaries equation. It’s in the value of the franchise.

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