Beam Me DOWN Scotty!

A hockey player is a hockey player -- right?

Not when there is a NHL lockout going on and NHL players are going elsewhere to play.

Scott Gomez, a star NHL forward with the NJ Devils, has signed on with the Alaska Aces of the ECHL. The ECHL is a AA minor league hockey league, filled with veteran minor league players along with some NHL prospects.

At first it sounds cool, a NHL star playing in small cities in a minor League and getting a small paycheck like the rest of the ECHL players. But the coolness wears off once you realize Gomez is taking up a roster spot that would normally be occupied by a struggling hockey player just lookin to make a living or work his way up.

Obviously, most NHL players would be pissed if an ECHL player came to the NHL and played as a "scab". So you can imagine that there are some pissed ECHL players out there after learning about Gomez (what do you think the Hanson Brothers would do to Scotty?).

I do have to admit though. I am excited to see Scotty play here in Fresno against our ECHL team the Fresno Falcons.

I will feel totally bad about it though ECHL players...really. I'll like only cheer when Scotty gets checked real hard against the boards.

I guess a hockey fan is a hockey fan...eh?