NHL Lockout: Rumblings in the Players' Ranks

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The Latest on the NHL Lockout
NHL Lockout Basics

How can you tell when someone speaks honestly during the NHL lockout? When their comments are followed by a flurry of denials and so-called clarifications. You can bet the NHL Players' Association will be quick to downplay the talk from several Florida Panthers, who say they would consider returning to work if the NHL looks for replacement players.

"This is really hard for the young guys," says Juraj Kolnik, a young forward who scored 25 points last season. "They don't care how much they're going to make. They just want to play. The guys making $10 million want to make even more. That's a little crazy. Why do the young players have to (suffer) for that?"

"If the league drew a line and said the players and owners have finished negotiating and this is the best we can do, I would be there," says Paul Healey, who has spent a career bouncing between the NHL and AHL. "I definitely would be there in a heartbeat."

It's about time sports writers started talking to the Kolniks and Healeys of the hockey world. Up to now, the media has focused on stars like Chris Pronger (who recently wrote a column in the Hockey News) and NHLPA president Trevor Linden (who told reporters he'll spend the lockout overseeing renovations to his house). Those guys have already made millions of dollars, so it's easy for them to sing "Solidarity Forever."

It's different for those who fight for every NHL dollar. Kolnik, drafted in 1999, finally made it as an NHL regular last season. He'll be 24 years old next month. He's been working towards the big payday his entire life, and now it's been snatched away from him just as he was getting started.

Healey has played 75 NHL games during his career, and will be 30 by the end of this season. He'll likely never make a million dollars. Every NHL call-up represents a huge boost to his bank account. Why wouldn't he consider breaking ranks in the event of a labor impasse, especially when he sees so many NHL players taking away jobs in Europe and the minor leagues?

Update: As expected, Kolnik is already backing away from his statements, a sure sign that he was speaking from the heart. "Whatever was said, I'm pretty sure half of it was not true", he says in the latest version of the story.

Update (2): Minor league veteran Lonny Bohonos says he wouldn't think twice about taking an NHL job. "I can tell you that right now. If they want me to be a replacement player, I'll play," says Bohonos, who recently lost his job in the Swiss National League because of an influx of NHL players.