Henrik Sedin wonders if owners think players are “kids” or “stupid”

Henrik Sedin isn’t normally the source for controversial comments, but he hurled some eyebrow-raising venom toward the owners’ side of the lockout, the Vancouver Province reports.

“I think from Day 1, this has fallen into what we really thought was going to happen,” Sedin said. “I don’t know if they [owners] think they’re dealing with kids or that we’re stupid or think the fans are stupid. It’s a little mind-boggling when you see what’s coming out of their side. I want to hear a change, that they’re actually going to give us something in return for the things we’ve given them.”

Some hope that such “change” might come from upcoming meetings without Gary Bettman and Donald Fehr, but Sedin only provided guarded optimism.

“I doubt that may happen tomorrow [Tuesday] but it’s a start,” Sedin said. “It’s good to see that there are new owners coming into the meeting, but the bad thing is there are still some of the tight group that has been there since Day 1. That’s a concern.”

Sedin’s teammate Manny Malhotra ends up summarizing the attitude many players have.

“You never know what to expect,” Malhotra said. “We thought there were a few key dates for them [owners] where there may have been a deal done. This will get done when they feel like getting it done. I certainly hope there’s room to gain some traction and that it’s not just a dog-and-pony show.”