Governor Christie placed the blame for the continued cancellation of National Hockey League games on league leadership and said the lockout is taking a toll on the state’s largest city.
“When you can’t have a good relationship with your folks, your labor, three times in a row now to the point where you lose most of or entire seasons, it reflects I think on management,” he said. “I mean listen I worked it out with state workers they come to work every day.”
With the Prudential Center, where the New Jersey Devils play, in the heart of downtown Newark, Christie said he’s concerned about the impact no season at all would have on the region.
“A lot of restaurants and other attractions have built up around the Prudential Center,” Christie, a New York Rangers fan, said. “They’re very dependent upon the fans who come to watch the Devils, a lot of folks employed at the Prudential Center and these businesses. I’m concerned about it.”
Christie also noted that the Devils have had their own financial problems and a lockout between the players union and National Hockey League leadership isn’t helping the situation. He puts blame on the league leadership, because this isn’t the first time they’ve been unable to reach an agreement with players.
“It’s funny, it’s another one of these typical fights between billionaires and millionaires that can’t figure out how to divide the money up and you’ve got to wonder about the leadership of the National Hockey League,” he said. “This is the third time this has happened in recent memory. You know, that’s bad management.”
