Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Tough Being a NHL Player During The Lockout In Toronto

Joffrey Lupul is a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs.  He decided that he wanted a meal at the Real Sports Restaurant.  However he was one of a few patrons that are not being served in the restaurant.  Why?  The Real Sports Restaurant is owned by the Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Company, who is the owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs.  So what do you do when a locked out player decides to eat at your establishment?  You don't serve him.

But hey, if you're frustrated, Real Sports remains a great place to eat your feelings. Hockey or no hockey, at least you can still make a reservation to get together with a group of friends and eat a half dozen tiny burgers.
That is, unless you're a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs. As Joffrey Lupul just discovered, membership in the NHLPA means the lockout extends to the restaurant next door to the Air Canada Centre.
                                                                                                                      "Real Sports is not allowed to take reservations from Leafs players during the lockout," a bemused Lupul tweeted Sunday, "but will continue selling our jerseys for $300 a pop."

And it's not as though Real Sports is just using the lockout as a lame excuse to refuse Lupul a reservation because he's a bad tipper or something. James Van Riemsdyk corroborated Lupul's account. "Same thing happened to me a month ago," he tweeted in response (although both Leafs forwards have since deleted the tweets).
 
Talk about no respect.  Rodney Dangerfield would be appalled at that lack of respect.  The players and owners have staked out their position and the owners, at least up in Toronto, have said that they don't want money from the players to eat in their establishment.  Maybe that is why the Maple Leafs look like an expansion team.


 

1 comment:

Zebster said...

In the first place, it's small and petty but it's worse when you realize they're still willing to make money off the players. (none of this having to do with my opinion on who should cave)