Because the spread of COVID-19 has caused the National Hockey League to temporarily suspend gameplay, thousands of arena employees are currently left without work.
The good news is that 30 NHL teams have stepped up to the plate and committed financial support for those employees during this time. The bad news is that only one team has yet to do so – the Boston Bruins.
Jeremy Jacobs, the principal owner of the Bruins for over four decades, also owns Delaware North, one of the largest food service companies in the world. And yet, no financial support has been given to employees of the TD Garden, home of the Bruins.
A Go-Fund-Me account has been set up for them, and has even received contributions from Bruins players like Tuukka Rask, Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron. But the lack of support from team ownership has been incredibly frustrating for the employees.
And now, some of them are speaking out about it.
“This experience has been hell for me personally,” said a server at the Legends restaurant at the Garden. “My biggest fear is always being homeless again.”
“I’m also super embarrassed about the GoFundMe set up,” said one employee.
Last Friday, Bruins VP of marketing and communications Matt Chmura released a statement:
“Delaware North at its core is a family company and our top priority is to provide our associates, and their families, with the assurances they deserve during this difficult time. We are actively exploring support options and will have further information in the coming days.”
There were six more home games scheduled for the Bruins for the regular season, with at least another two playoff games due to the fact that they were one of the Eastern Conference’s top teams before the mandated shutdown. All of that is out the window, at least for now.
Other workers said they felt “gutted” by the lack of information being given.
“This entire situation has made me reconsider (being a part of) the Garden after the COVID pandemic ends,” said another employee.
As of earlier this year, Jacobs is worth a total of $3.6 billion.
– – Quotes via Marisa Engemi of The Boston Herald Link – –
