If I were in charge of the NHLPA, I would be concerned about how the fans are reacting to the NHL lockout, and do my best to at least get them on my side in this battle of millionaires vs millionaires.
My remedy, I would get all the players in the NHLPA, group them into herds of 20 players and send them across country for a solid month.
A month of playing charity games in small town Canada, along with local celebs or community volunteers.
Then spend a couple of days with the minor hockey associations in those small towns and then move on to the next town and do it all over again.
Can you imagine?
Forget the Vancouvers, Calgary, Edmonton.etc. The players do as much as they can in their towns during the season. The rest of Canada, the true hockey fans, would embrace this.
The barns would be packed watching Iginla, Bieksa, Thorton, Price as they played fun, entertaining games and in the eyes of a child, a night they will never forget.
The local charities would strengthen with these much needed and appreciated dollars – something they have missed since the NHL teams no longer have their staggering 50/50 draws each game.
The fans, who the players always say how important they are, would feel important, feel like a kid again as they too get to watch their favorite player at the game or skate along side them at the morning minor hockey practice!
Far fetched? Not really. Just takes a bit of thought and planning.
I can’t imagine any town not wanting to take part.
Ben PostmusFruitvale
