Roch Carrier, the man who wrote the Canadian classic children's storyThe Hockey Sweater, says the parties involved in the NHL need to remember what the sport is really about.

"What's happening around hockey and with the NHL is something very sad," Roch said on Monday in St. John's, where he was speaking to high school students.

He said hockey is a great game, but he does not know how the fans will react if the lockout continues.

"If the business people who are making money off of hockey forget that hockey is first a game for fun, then the game will suffer."

Carrier compared hockey to a faster game of chess that can make a kid feel like a hero.