Not often that I get to mix a little of my favorite sport into this education blog. But teachers and others in education might be interested to know that a former National Hockey League defenseman has used his twitter feed to blast Chicago teachers for going on strike.
@BrentSopel shared the following opinions this morning, all 140 characters or less:
“CPS teachers strike during this economy. Be happy you have a job in a profession YOU chose. #wasteoftime”
“All who would like to throw out the hockey comments because of my CPS comments just remember that hockey isn’t funded by tax payers. #truth”
“Go ahead and hate me because I have an opinion. I donate countless hours to charity and put my money where my mouth is. #securewithme.”
“Yes arenas are funded with tax payer money. Along with that they bring jobs and revenue to the cities. Gov. money doesn’t fund our pension.”
Sopel, 35, is a native of Calgary who played last season and is playing again this year in the Kontinental Hockey League in Russia, so if you are inclined to attend one of his games and boo him, that probably isn’t a very practical idea.
He played in 659 games in the National Hockey League for a bunch of different teams, including as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup-winning team in 2010. The timing of his broadside at Chicago teachers comes at an interesting moment from the standpoint of labor.
The NHL may lock out its players at the end of this week if it cannot reach a new collective bargaining agreement with its players. By the way, Sopel earned a total of $7 million his final three NHL seasons.
