Nice piece by Rob Parker of the Detroit News this morning on how the NHL lockout has left a void that not even the NBA can fill. Amen to that!

That's followed by a fan piece at ChicagoSports.com: View from a Blackhawks Fan. You may have to register to see it. The interesting thing is that common sense almost always cuts through the issues:

The players are responsible because they cannot seem to live on earning more money in one season than most fans will earn in a lifetime. The average player earns more than $1 million a year. Those that make less than that still make hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.

Ordinary folks feel that they deserve a certain pay level but also have to accept salary limitations. They don't expect employers to exist solely to pay salaries. Sometimes one has to take what they can get. Would it kill the NHLPA to do the same?

In short, the NHLPA has its hands around the neck of the golden goose and they seem to be doing the best to strangle it.

Amen again!