570News - Gary Doyle

The Kitchener Rangers rewarded their players with an off-shore vacation. The local paper wants detailed billing. Why? Players do get play-off bonuses. My friend Terry Doyle outlines all that on his webpage. ( www.loosepucks.com ) Do enquiry minds need to know what the cost was? It was in the team budget and the dollars were there. The fact the OHL doesn’t like it much is too bad. It’s unfortunate that not all twenty teams treat their players as well as the Rangers treat theirs. Some can’t afford it. Most opt not to. When the Rangers are in an NHL city like Detroit, Toronto or Ottawa on an off-day the team tries to get tickets to the NHL game as a treat for their players. Trust me, those tickets can be airfare expensive. The point is, the team should be allowed to make those decisions without issuing a news release. The paper already pointed out the Memorial Cup brought in about ten million dollars to the local economy. The only thing upsetting about the trip for me, is my personal exclusion.

It was good to get away. My wife and I left the city and spent four days reading, lying by the pool, soaking in the hotel hot tub, shopping and walking. It was good to re-connect. I come back in today to 183 e-mails, but only 4 phone messages, 3 books a-waiting 2-much paperwork and ONE rumour about Peter DeBoer. It’s like a never left.