Add Edmonton Oilers captain Shawn Horcoff to the growing group of players whose lockout gripes seem largely directed at Gary Bettman - including addressing him as “Gary.”
Horcoff supplied ESPN’s Craig Custance with a resounding round of vitriol.
“It’s the same thing every time with the owners,” Horcoff said. " ... Gary has forced the players’ hand into this situation and frankly, he’s [ticked] us off. I think at the start, that first offer they gave out, that was a big, big mistake on Gary’s part.”
He also doesn’t believe that the Bettman’s side cares about fans’ frustrations.
“I sit there and read Gary and Bill’s comments about, ‘We feel sorry for the fans.’ Well, I find that really hard to believe,” Horcoff said. “I think it’s a blatant lie, personally. I don’t feel they feel sorry for the fans at all. Gary feels like no matter what, [the fans are] going to come back and couldn’t care less if they’re frustrated with this. He’s going to do what it takes to get the best deal and couldn’t care less what they feel.”
His comments include a noteworthy amount of bitterness, but his message is becoming more common.
Horcoff did provide a little extra insight on what might just break up some of the impasse, though.
“The league needs to state what they want most,” Horcoff said. " ... If we knew what they wanted most, we could probably do something. But right now, they want everything and it’s not going to happen.”
Wild guess: more money will be high on the list.
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