The Edmonton Oilers returned back to North America after starting the season in Sweden for the 2018 NHL Global Series.
The Oilers fell 5-2 on Saturday afternoon, and on Sunday they flew into Boston ahead of their first game back on an NHL ice surface when they face the Bruins on Thursday.
Upon arrival after a long flight over the Atlantic, the Oilers checked in at the Ritz-Carlton in downtown Boston, a Marriott hotel. As they got off the bus, the team was greeted by a group of hotel workers on strike.
With the workers picketing outside of the hotel beside the main entrance, the Oilers crossed right through the line carrying their bags and sticks, which left a sour taste in the mouth of hotel employees on strike.
Talk about a zone entry.
The Oilers weren't the only professional unionized sports team cross through the group of protesting workers. Last week during the first two games of the ALDS, the New York Yankees also stayed in the Boston hotel much to the displeasure of the workers.
Organizing a hotel to accommodate a full team of players and personnel and making sure they're all properly accommodated was likely planned well before any information on the strike was released to the two teams.
While there were likely alternatives routes they could've taken to gain access to the hotel, it seems a little farfetched for sports teams to know about labour relation issues in cities other than the one they play in, especially after a long flight like the Oilers were on where the players probably just wanted to go up to their rooms and rest.
