A Positive Type of NHL Protest

There should be hockey all over the television right now. I should be waking up to last night’s scores and highlights, but I’m not. Instead, I have to watch dour predictions and explanations of an incredibly boring labour dispute. Forgive me for being low on sympathy, but I don’t care which incredibly rich group of people is on the right side of the disagreement. All of my sympathy is reserved for the real victims of this lock-out: the arena employees, the hospitality workers, the hard-working regular folk who depend on the NHL season for their livelihood. The overall economic impact is massive, and will create considerable suffering and hardship for people who are innocent bystanders.

We’ve all grumbled about the lack of hockey, and I’ve heard talk of boycotting the league when play finally resumes, but take a minute and think about that. The only people who would feel the effect of that kind of boycott would be the same ones suffering now.

Here’s a better way to protest the lock-out: take your business elsewhere. Take the money that you had planned to spend on NHL hockey and hockey-related activities and instead, pump into your local economy. There are a wealth of other, great entertainment choices right in your own city, and they would all love to see you come through the doors. Don’t worry about showing the millionaires (and billionaires) that you’re displeased with them. Go have a good time in your own neighbourhood.