"Hi, I'm Sean Avery, and I can't shut my yap."

In the last couple weeks, a lot of NHL players have been joining teams in the United Hockey League, a North American minor league that employs a salary cap. How hypocritical is this? Those NHLers claim that they just want to get some ice time playing some actual competitive hockey, but they're playing under the same system that they won't accept from the NHL. Besides this, UHLers make a few hundred dollars a week, so the ones who are losing ice time are understandably ticked off. No matter what your opinion is about players joining so-called "elite leagues" in Europe and bumping other professional players off the roster, I think everyone can see how these guys, who are playing minor hockey and making just enough money to get through the season so they can go home and work regular jobs in the summer, would be angry that professionals are climbing way down the rungs of the competition ladder because they were bored of playing shinny with each other.

One of the NHLers who has joined the UHL's Motor City Mechanics, Sean Avery, also recently revealed himself as a callous hypocrite for his comments regarding the UHL and the state of the NHL. Any angry UHLer should "work harder until he's good enough to make the NHL then I won't be able to take his job," Avery stated. Funny thing is, he must have figured out that this is the highest level of hockey most of these guys will ever attain, and they have families to support off their $500-per-week paycheques. If you're going to play with these guys, fine, but don't say stupid things like that to justify your decision. Instead, follow their example and find the most competitive hockey you can play; we know the money doesn't matter at this point (why else would you play under a salary cap?), so step aside for the people to whom the money does matter. Avery went on to say that the NHL "can eliminate a lot of Europeans who are mediocre and are taking a lot of jobs." Huh? Seems to me that if they're good enough to make the NHL - like these UHLers should apparently be trying to do - then they've earned the right to stay, haven't they? Whose jobs are they taking? Maybe the players who aren't quite good enough to make the cut? I mean, at this point I'm just blogging about this for the sheer joy of it; this guy writes articles all by himself. I wonder who does his material?

Moving on, a sports writer by the name of Jim Kernaghan stated in a recent column that UHL players should be more than happy to play alongside NHLers. Well, that's the impression you get from the headline, anyway; he mostly goes on about how neat-o it is that these big-leaguers came down to play with the little people, and this one goalie is glad because his team has NHL defensemen, so obviously it's a great idea! "The UHL has never seen as much media attention and full houses for a last place visiting team is a clear bonus. It's players ought to enjoy it while it lasts," Kernaghan writes. Call me crazy, but I'm pretty sure that a big crowd isn't going to make sitting on the bench feel any better. As for the home team when the Mechanics come to town, well, they're no longer going to think they're the home team when everyone's cheering for Chris Chelios and pals, are they? Now, you could understand why the owners might appreciate the business the Motor City Mechanics bring with them. But Mr.Kernaghan, when you inform a player that he should be glad to either sit on the bench if he's a teammate, or to be made to look like a fool when one of the world's top hockey players stickhandles effortlessly past him, you're kind of reaching. And I'm pretty sure there are a lot of players in the United Hockey League who would agree with me.