Regarding the NHL lockout of it's players...

I've heard the arguments about Billionaires vs Millionaires.  I have seen people post articles on the internet both for and against either side.

Most recently I have read this article:  http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/NHL/2012/11/06/20336396.html

I HAVE to side with the old guys that would have played these games for free.

Really now...what right do the players have to anything more than that of what the owners of the teams in the league are willing to give them?  They have a union...wtf?  That is a slap in the face to every blue collar worker trying to eke out a better living and abide by a collective bargaining agreement that they fought hard for and does NOT give them MILLIONS of dollars for PLAYING a game!!  In my, and many other's opinions, this NHLPA is an abomination!  How can you seriously expect to be paid the amount of money that you have been paid?  Simply because it has already happened?  That is NOT good enough!!

To start with...

Your contracts are bullshit - no one in the real world gets paid for unrealized events.  We get paid by the hour or by the month or by the year or by the terms set out in a contract for achieving goals.  Whether that is keeping up with making the burgers at your restaurant or realizing your quota in writing parking tickets or driving a truck and delivering the goods or keeping the peace as a police officer or saving lives as a doctor...

NONE of these 'jobs' (as far as i know) offers an <ahem> 'employee' a contract that pays them on POTENTIAL work done as opposed to realized work done.  In short, you have been getting away with too much for too long!  Too many players have been signed to huge contracts and then just coast to the end of said contract.

There is NO WAY that NHL players ought to be paid money in ADVANCE of doing something.  If I fail to deliver concrete when driving my mixer will I get paid?  NO!  But an NHL player will get paid for that ENTIRE YEAR or the length of their contract (esp guaranteed contracts - what an insult to everyone else!!) whether or not they score 5 goals or whatever...and on one way contracts...whether or not they PLAY!

The players in the NHL ought to have contracts based on what they have achieved and NOT on potential.  A basic salary with incentives is in order for the entire league.  Enough of some g00fs earning $5M.yr for 10 goals and another earning $800,000/yr and getting 20 goals and so on...  This is purely illustrative - I am not going to, at this point, get into the nitty gritty since it does not really matter.  It is still people being paid WAY too much for the services rendered!

Perhaps contracts ought to done away with altogether....or perhaps not.  Either way, players in the NHL ought to be ONLY paid for what they ACCOMPLISH!!!    NOT their POTENTIAL.   The current business model has been ridiculous and it's failing miserably...hence the lockout.

Something along the lines of paying a first line center (coaches discretion) X amount of dollars and every goal and assist would get a player a certain amount of dollars and perhaps bonuses for reaching a plateau.  The 2nd line center slightly less and so on... Perhaps even bonuses for game winning goals - provide incentive to perform!  That's the sort of thing worth rewarding!!!  NOT past performances or potential performances in the future!

In closing (for now)...I am tired and need to wake up early for a REAL job.  I have NO sympathy for the players NOR the owners.  You have all got yourselves into this RIDICULOUS mess over a game.  Restructure the nature of employment (ie. contracts) and DROP ticket prices (esp in Canada) or you are going to be revisiting the same bullshit when whatever new CBA you idiots ultimately decide on comes to an end in another 10 years or whatever...