The Montreal Canadiens and Geoff Molson should pay their staff

COVID-19 has left NHL employees without work, but NHL teams have found ways to ensure their staff is paid, the Montreal Canadiens should do the same.

It’s been two days since the NHL made the decision to pause the 2019-20 season. If things were normal, the Montreal Canadiens would’ve taken on the Buffalo Sabres while the rest of the league would be preparing for another bout of Hockey Night in Canada. However, that is the reality we live in, with the NHL being shut down via COVID-19.

Besides not having hockey to watch, another downside of the pause is the countless amount of NHL staff who are without work. Practice facilities aren’t being used, and training staff are being sent home in the wake of the authorized self-quarantine.

NHL players are still being paid as it was announced yesterday that they would receive three paychecks for March 13th, March 30th and April 15th. But those same staff members are getting polarizing answers to those questions around the league.

As it stands, only 12 NHL teams owners have made it clear that they will pay their staff, at the very least, until the end of March: The Anaheim Ducks, Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators, New Jersey Devils, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, San Jose Sharks, Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Washington Capitals.

The Panthers stepping up to the plate was a bit bittersweet as it took the initiative of Sergei Bobrovsky to get things going. The two-time Vezina winner pledged to donate $100,000 such that Panthers staff could get paid, and owner Vincent Viola stepped to the plate afterwards.

Unfortunately, there are more omissions than additions. The Winnipeg Jets have made it clear they will not pay their staff via some insensitive words from owner Mark Chipman.

Days later, it was made clear the Calgary Flames wouldn’t be paying their staff either.

What is disappointing has been the lack of response from the Montreal Canadiens ownership group. A report came out in December of 2019, listing the Habs as the third most valuable team behind the New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs at $1.34 billion.

Geoff Molson is losing the PR battle, but on a personal note, he’s not doing the right thing. I understand that there are likely hurdles that have to be approved. As Eric Engels pointed out in a tweet, we must have a lot of hours stacked up to qualify for unemployment benefits. But it’s times like these where those things need to be turned aside for the greater good.

The Montreal Canadiens provide one of if not the best home game experiences in the NHL. This is accomplished off the backs of these employees who work their hardest to ensure it. And who knows, perhaps the organization is working on those details as we speak, which would be incredible.

Some have motioned for the players to step up and do something. Carey Price, Shea Weber, and Jonathan Drouin carry the highest cap hits on the Habs at $10.5 million, $7.85 million, and $5.5 million, respectively, but it shouldn’t fall on the hands of the players to do that. Would it look great? Definitely! Nevertheless, it doesn’t change the fact that it should be on the shoulders of Molson to get this initiative started.

I hope the Montreal Canadiens and Geoff Molson do the right thing. If you take care of the ones who are responsible for keeping your business running, then they’ll take care of you. That’s the business side of it. On a personal level, these are people we’re talking about here, and they need your help.