I'm very much in the camp of them being real humans and hockey is a job that they have and all that. That's why I don't tolerate personal abuse on here over losing a game.
That being said, this whole thing about losing friends in trades and what have you -- THAT HAPPENS TO REAL PEOPLE!!
My company laid off a good friend of mine recently for no reason. They thought they were making cuts, and then we overperformed, and actually ended up hiring a bunch of people. They laid her off anyway because "ah f*** it, we already decided." They uprooted somebody's life because they're f***ing idiots.
I still have to come here and perform. And you know what? I'll get over it. We can text.
Not being paid is a real issue. Not having your health expenses covered is a real issue. Abuse and bullying is a real issue. Your co-workers leaving is just work. All things end.