Some questions during ‘Hockey Blight in Canada’

The three-month NHL lockout — which I call “Hockey Blight In Canada” — has got me asking some serious questions: Why are the Toronto Maple Leafs the most highly valued franchise — worth $1 billion — when they are a consistently losing team that hasn’t won a Stanley Cup since 1967? Why haven’t any of the owners, who keep talking about how important “our fans” are, taken the lead and put their team’s merchandise on sale or opened their arenas for a free skate during the lockout? Why is the Hockey Hall of Fame such a great reminder of hockey’s glorious past, while the present state of the game looks so gloomy? Wouldn’t it be sweet if Gary Bettman, Don Cherry and Ron MacLean were eased out of their positions sooner than later? I can dream, can’t I?

Barry Beloff Montreal