Game #42: Minnesota Wild at Calgary Flames, Saturday January 7, 2012 at 9:00pm (CST), Scotiabank Saddledome [GAME PREVIEW]

Okay NHLPA if you were hoping to get any sort of sympathy heading into the next Collective Bargaining Agreement from the fans and media, your latest stunt isn’t going to garner yourselves any favor.  In fact for many fans across the North America, especially those of us currently in the Western Conference, the backlash should be painful and rightfully so.  As players, even a rookie, makes far more money than any of us can ever imagine.  We are the ones buying the tickets, the merchandise, paying for our own travel (even if it is just across town), parking, concessions, NHL Center Ice, etc. to watch them, which in turn pays their salary.  All we ask for is that we don’t have to stay up until midnight on what seems like a regular basis for a divisional road game.

If the union reps from any particular team should be upset with their union leaders, it should be those from the Winnipeg Jets.  If the NHLPA manages to somehow put this off until the 2012-13 season, the poor Jets (and their fans) will be stuck playing an Eastern Conference schedule in a Western Conference locale and timezone.  However, having grown up in a union household and married to a union member, you very rarely (if ever) publicly speak against your leadership.  Unfortunately, I believe that the players themselves are getting poor advice and leadership from NHLPA Executive Director, Donald Fehr.  I believe the sole reason the NHLPA has even pulled this, is that they simply want more out of the next CBA, and by more, I mean simply more MONEY when it comes to profit sharing.  Yep, because millionaire simply need more money, right?

Reading the statement from the NHLPA on their reasoning for this move, I have to laugh.  If they actually believe that travel is going to worse they have to be out of their minds.  The truth of the matter, is that the NHLPA is probably catering to the whining coming from current Eastern Conference teams, especially the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens who will find themselves in a conference with the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning.  Yes, there are current Eastern Conference teams who will find themselves traveling more, but to that I say “it’s about time.”  They will finally feel what it’s been like to be the Minnesota Wild or Dallas Stars (not that I care too much about the Stars) with their travel schedule.  Even with the extended travel between eastern Canada and Florida, they’re still in one time zone.  They’re not going to be continually losing and gaining hours on their travel.  The other whiny complaint is that of “increased border crossings.”  To that I say, so what.  Yes, they all have to be screened, but you know as well as I do, that they’re not standing in the same lines you and I are when we travel outside of our home countries.  Plus, as long as you follow the rules and keep your immigration paperwork in order (especially for the European players), this should not be a problem.  I would hope that every team has someone on their payroll, where their only task is to deal with immigration concerns for their players.  There is no excuse why a player should find themselves unable to travel because they failed to renew their visa.
 
To the NHLPA and its members, quit your posturing.  The move to realignment will be better for all around, especially for the fans.  I hope you do remember that we exist.  If it wasn’t for us, you wouldn’t have the job you’re doing.  In fact, you would have to get what the rest of us do…get a REAL job, and one that doesn’t pay even close to what you earn currently.  Stop your whining and get the proposal for realignment passed.  Post-lockout sentiment may have been with you the players, but now, all bets are off.

Injury Report:

Minnesota:     Jarod Palmer (upper body), Guillaume Latendresse (concussion), Clayton Stoner (groin)

Calgary:  Brett Carson (back), David Moss (ankle), Mark Giordano (ruptured leg tendons), Henrik Karlsson (sprained right MCL), Matt Stajan (sprained ankle), Alex Tanguay (upper body), Derek Smith (high right ankle sprain), Scott Hannan (upper body, questionable), Rene Bourque (suspended) 

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