Earlier, we brought you the statements from the Minnesota Wild and the NHL. The NHLPA has now answered with their own, and you have to imagine it is going to be accepted much better than the other side's messaging. The PA has a supreme advantage. There isn't a single fan that owns a Craig Leipold or Gary Bettman jersey. No one screams when Jeremy Jacobs walks through the gate in Boston.

These are the faces of the game, and the PA has figured out something the NHL has yet to. Market the players. Put the players' faces on the message. Letting the players speak directly to the fans is something the NHL doesn't have, and it makes them human.

This, while the NHL threatens heavy fines for any owners talking to the media. And you wonder why the NHL side is losing the PR battle. It will be interesting to see how the sides progress through this, and if the NHL tries to find a way to humanize their side or not.