Jean-Charles Lajoie was merciless in his powerful message to Geoff Molson and the NHL.
He addressed head-on a topic often avoided by team owners: prioritizing profits, even at the expense of player safety.
In this context, Lajoie made a clear call: it is high time to abandon the frantic race for revenue from preparatory matches to protect star players, the same athletes who, ironically, keep this sports industry alive.
Lajoie highlighted a blatant hypocrisy that reigns in the world of professional sports.
“The explosion of salaries for professional athletes and the multiplication of revenues for professional leagues have transformed sports into an industry whose main objective is to print dollars”he insisted.
This race for profits seems to know no limits, even when the safety of the players is at stake. Indeed, during the preparatory matches, the players are not yet paid, but the teams, like the Montreal Canadiens, fill their pockets with organizing several home games, to the detriment of the physical condition of the players and their safety on the ice.
Lajoie went on to criticize the NHL for its “laxity” in the management of preparatory games.
“The NHL is still a long way from its big brothers, the NFL, the NBA or even the MLB”he stressed.
According to him, these leagues have understood the importance of protecting their star athletes, their main investment. Examples like the NFL, which has drastically reduced the number of preseason games to limit the risk of injuries, contrast sharply with the NHL, which continues to demonstrate “willful blindness.”
When speaking directly to Geoff Molson, Lajoie was scathing. He denounced the Canadiens owner’s decision to maintain a busy schedule of six preparatory games, including four at home, emphasizing that this approach unnecessarily exposes players to injuries, as seen recently with the incident involving Cédric Paré and Patrik Laine.
According to Lajoie, these matches feature low-level players, not to mention plumbers, who increase the risk of unsightly and dangerous actions on the ice.
“Clearly, if Geoff Molson decides that the Canadian can and must play six preparatory matches, including four at home, Bill Daly and Gary Bettman respond: “Great good to you Geoff, and we will take our share of the pie from the collective fund of league revenue.” insisted Lajoie, referring to the purely economic motivation behind the organization of these matches. (credit: TVA Sports)
“I’m sorry, but this reasoning is primary and damaging”insisted Lajoie, referring to the purely economic motivation behind the organization of these matches.
According to him, teams prefer to collect immediate income rather than think long term by protecting the health of their star players.
The result is clear: low-level players who will likely never play a single game in the NHL find themselves competing against established stars, significantly increasing the risk of injury.
Lajoie concluded his message by issuing a warning to the NHL and its leaders, notably Gary Bettman and Bill Daly.
“This economic fragility takes away a little of the balance of power of the league management office towards its table of governors. »
It is obvious, according to Lajoie, that as long as owners like Geoff Molson prioritize revenue from preseason games, the NHL will continue to turn a blind eye to player safety.
For Lajoie, it is time for the NHL to follow in the footsteps of its counterparts in the other major North American leagues and reduce the number of preparatory games, or at least ensure better management of these meetings.
The protection of star athletes, the raw material of this sport, must come before profits, otherwise it is the fans and the industry itself that risk paying a high price in the long term.
It’s time to abandon greenbacks…in the name of “SHOW”…
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