What would you do?

[Patrick67 1]

I 2nd Macks remark, more times than not you'll only get in trouble bringing his stick back after cutting it... Unless the guy is a class act nothing good will come of it, most likely he'll think you stole it.

If you decide to return it, don't do it in person, but give it to management and say you found it laying around (which isn't untrue).

Here are the thoughts the person will probably have if you try to explain/give it back....

"I have to say though, that I have a hard time believing that a unbroken stick could be left at a rink for several day's untouched. I find it more likely that you actually took it the first time around, felt remorse, and then conjured up up a story about it beeing untouched for day's and then finding it in the trash can afterwards..."

[JR Boucicaut 3768]

If the OP hasn't done it by now, it's pretty much pointless to.

[chippa13 1844]

Crap move to keep a stick when you know it belongs to someone else.

[_HSB_b345t 0]

Interesting.

I figured the majority would say to keep it. I don't know if I fully believe those who say they'd return it.

Anywho.

The stick was a Vapor XXXX. I told one of the owners the deal and he said it was probably one of the guys on staff who tossed it. They don't have a janitorial service. The rink attendants clean the locker rooms. He was shocked that none of his guys jumped on it being a very expensive stick. His take: If the original owner didn't notice he left behind a $200 stick in the time it took him to get to his vehicle, drive home, spend over week doing whatever it is they do, never contact the rink about it, and no one else took it from the locker room, it is fair game. He did go on to say that if the original owner contacted him, he would have made an effort to recover it.

I did, in fact contact the owner, and told him exactly what happened. He was obviously not happy, but admitted he didn't even notice it missing until the following week when he went to pack his gear and purchased a replacement. Since I contacted him, I told him that if he really wanted it back, I'd return it. He bitched about the fact that it had been cut and demanded compensation. I told him I was not about to give him anything save his stick and that I should not be responsible for someone else's incompetence. If I were in his shoes, I'd be kicking myself and chalking it up. If I leave something behind, hockey equipment in a locker room or any other object and circumstance, I don't expect it to be there a week and a half later! If it's lost, figure it mistake tax. He bitched and moaned some more, but eventually said to keep it.

[chef_ducky 0]

Look at it this way, if the guy waited that long, he is just plain Lazy. Espeacially if it had just been sitting in the DR, then in the garbage with out him coming back and noticing it, I would say it is your stick. If I lost or forgot a stick I would be prompt do go back and check for it, not wait those many days. I would say keep, and enjoy!

Just because the guy couldn't get back to the rink for a few days doesn't make it your stick.

But as mentioned, he could have called!

[chippa13 1844]

Interesting.

I figured the majority would say to keep it. I don't know if I fully believe those who say they'd return it.

Anywho.

The stick was a Vapor XXXX. I told one of the owners the deal and he said it was probably one of the guys on staff who tossed it. They don't have a janitorial service. The rink attendants clean the locker rooms. He was shocked that none of his guys jumped on it being a very expensive stick. His take: If the original owner didn't notice he left behind a $200 stick in the time it took him to get to his vehicle, drive home, spend over week doing whatever it is they do, never contact the rink about it, and no one else took it from the locker room, it is fair game. He did go on to say that if the original owner contacted him, he would have made an effort to recover it.

I did, in fact contact the owner, and told him exactly what happened. He was obviously not happy, but admitted he didn't even notice it missing until the following week when he went to pack his gear and purchased a replacement. Since I contacted him, I told him that if he really wanted it back, I'd return it. He bitched about the fact that it had been cut and demanded compensation. I told him I was not about to give him anything save his stick and that I should not be responsible for someone else's incompetence. If I were in his shoes, I'd be kicking myself and chalking it up. If I leave something behind, hockey equipment in a locker room or any other object and circumstance, I don't expect it to be there a week and a half later! If it's lost, figure it mistake tax. He bitched and moaned some more, but eventually said to keep it.

As I said before, its nice to know that honesty and integrity mean nothing these days. I suppose that it never occurred to you the first time that you saw the almost new stick in the lockerroom to merely drop it off at the rink office with a "Hey, somebody left this stick in the room." Nah, that would have been too easy.

[chef_ducky 0]

"Don't touch things that don't belong to you" - Just about every mother, telling her kids growing up!

[_HSB_b345t 0]

As I said before, its nice to know that honesty and integrity mean nothing these days. I suppose that it never occurred to you the first time that you saw the almost new stick in the lockerroom to merely drop it off at the rink office with a "Hey, somebody left this stick in the room." Nah, that would have been too easy.

Don't judge me, bud.

I'm not going to sit here and debate morality with you. I made no assumptions about why it was there. There is an infinite number of circumstances which could have lead to that stick being in that locker room. It is not my responsibility to ensure that grown adults are able to keep track of their belongings. Granted if it were something more important (ie wallet, cellphone) and vital to one's well being, I would most certainly would have, and have in the past, made sure that it is returned to the owner. However, we are talking about a hockey stick. A luxury item. A piece of property purchased with disposable income. Do I feel remorse for acquiring it from a collection of similarly discarded items in which no one, up until that point, had no use or desire for? No. If the tables were reversed, would I think ill of individual who came across my stick and did nothing to return it with absolutely no way of knowing who it belongs to? No.

If the stick had belonged to you and you came at me with exactly the response you just gave, I would have done the exact same thing I did for the other guy: Offer to return in light of it being your OWN damn fault you lost it to begin with. If you rely on others to rectify your mistakes, then you are in no position to judge their integrity.

Someone close this. I've said all I need to.

[chippa13 1844]

Something to think about, why did noone else swipe the stick for the week it sat in the room? Gosh, maybe because they knew it wasn't their's and figured that sooner or later the rightful owner would realize his mistake and come looking for it.

Again, why didn't you just drop it off at the rink office when you first found it or any of the other times you saw it after that before you decided it was Christmas in July?

[JR Boucicaut 3768]

Chippa - he did say it ended up in the trash.

Regardless, as a former rink employee, I would've taken it to the desk and dropped it off as I've seen this happen time and time again. HSB - can't get upset about being called out on judgment when you and the rink owner judged the stick's owner and his actions. Some people don't hold values onto equipment like others do. That's not his fault.

[Aussie Joe 0]

HSB: If i was returning the stick and he'd said that to me I would have told him if he wants the stick back he can find it back in the bin I found it in, snapped in half. Seriously people need to learn how to be grateful when a person is showing kindness. It stuff like that, that makes you believe some people's souls are dogshit.

[Zac911 317]

good to see that most of us here have good morals. nice job boys.... remember how would you feel if it was your stick that was gone?

[RadioGaGa 162]

If I had seen it in the room on Day 1, I would have brought it to the front desk...If I had seen it in the garbage...not knowing how long it had been around, I probably would have taken it. But, if I saw it in the garbage...knowing it had been around for 2-3 days I would not have taken...can't really explain why.

[Cleophus 0]

I'm with HSB on this one. I'm glad to hear he called the original owner and offered to return the stick. And it ticks me off to hear that the original owner gave him grief -- and wanted compensation -- when HSB came clean and offered the stick back.

[Dougie8 0]

good to see that most of us here have good morals. nice job boys.... remember how would you feel if it was your stick that was gone?

Not so sure Drew would mind...

[Drewhunz 3]

I would mind. If I see someone needing a stick, I'll give them one. If someone takes it, they're liable to get their ass handed to them.

[thorpedo26 0]

Interesting.

. He bitched about the fact that it had been cut and demanded compensation. I told him I was not about to give him anything save his stick and that I should not be responsible for someone else's incompetence.

i cannot beleave he would even ask that, thats just plain stupid hes lucky you were kind enough to offer it to him.

i would have been thankful just to get it back and put a plug in it myself

[start_today 760]

What's interesting is that the guy complained so much, but then eventually just said to keep it. Who gets that mad over such an expensive stick, then just gives it up. Unless you cut like 6" or something off, why not just suck it up and put a butt end in it. Or, even if it had been cut so much he couldn't really use it, get it back and sell it to make back some of the money.

This is pretty late in the game, but what I would have done was just pick up the stick and take it home, and then put up fliers that I'd found a stick, with a real general description. If they owner can describe it, they can have it back. I worry about turning stuff like that into the lost & found, because sometimes people with access to those get sticky fingers.

On a somewhat unrelated note, I gave a kid a ride home from the rink late one night who got stranded there because of a family problem. He had a dollar in change to offer me for gas money, and it wasn't on my way at all. Once we were about half way to his house, he offered me three blades, and a shaft, but the shaft was too short. He also offered to get me high, but I don't smoke. Dude totally hooked me up way more than need be. People are pretty nice sometimes. People are also pieces of garbage lots of times.

I've been thinking a lot lately about the idea of a hockey rink as a community. How many times a week do you see the same guys, either going in and out of locker rooms, or playing against them, but we don't know anything about each other, except who maybe took a cheap slash two years ago. Obviously, we already have hockey in common, and probably other stuff, if we're willing to give up our nights and free time with family to go play. I know that competition usually gets in the way of this "community," and a lot of times we're more concerned with being pissed off at opposing players than trading nicieties before/after the game, but it seems like something positive should be able to come out of this. I'm not really sure where I intended to go with this...so...I dunno...say something nice to some guy you don't know who has cool equipment you can talk about.

[chippa13 1844]

Depends on the league. One of the leagues that I play in we've had most of the same teams and/or guys for a few years so things get a little looser. Guys stick around for beers, fill on for the late game if a team is short, you yuck it up a little between whistles, etc.

[15yearsofhistory 0]

good to see that most of us here have good morals. nice job boys.... remember how would you feel if it was your stick that was gone?

Honestly, I don't let my main stick out of sight. But if it were one of my backups, I wouldn't really care. After all, they are just that.

[sitzlejd 0]

I can't believe he gave you grief for cutting the stick down. Classic case of diverting blame from oneself. The guy left it, made no timely effort to secure it, and then wanted to blame someone else for his mistake.

HSB don't for a second think you did anything wrong.

IT WAS IN THE TRASH! Nuff said.

[nickerjones 8]

Hsb in my opinion you did what you should have. I wouldnt have taken the stick to the front desk, i would have figured a guy was showring or what not ....... You didnt steal it , you just picked it up after a week and it was in the trash bin. You offered it back to the guy and he said no...... I think you did the right thing and youg ot rewarded with a sweet stick

congrats!

[kilner 0]

Personally i wouldn't even think about using a stick that i'd found in a rubbish bin, but then again, everyone to their own.

[JR97 2]

I didn't read every post in this thread, but I'd let dude know what happened. It was destined to the land fill so he should be grateful. If not, cross check him in the mouth and say that if you hadn't come along, the stick would be in the land fill, he'd be minus a stick, and still have some teeth left. ingrate mo*fo*. j/k. but seriously, cross check to the face.

Forgot to add that I would have turned the stick in to the lost and found or something. I really come down hard on my kids when they find stuff and figure finders keepers losers weepers. Even if said stick was in the trash, the rink would probably have a lost and found. I know the 3 rinks I frequent do and I was appreciative when items of mine have shown up.

[tyson_two 0]

i'd say give it to management, but at this point, you've already cut it.. after u waited long enough to see if it was claimed. i doubt the original owner would want it back.. so keep it.