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Being the hockey aficionado I’d like
to think I am, I’ve often taken the Forrest Gump approach – hockey is like a box
of chocolates – you never know what you’re going to get. Think of a bad hockey
game like a bad pizza – even if it’s bad, it’s still pretty darn good. Where
else can you watch twelve guys on skates try to pulverize each other trying to
get a round piece of vulcanized rubber into the other team’s net more times than
the other – with a stick? Fun – right? Always has been for me.
But,
I digress, and I’m sorry to say this,
folks, but this season I’m just not feeling it. Certainly, like every year,
there have been those stand still moments – like Martin Brodeur beating and
continuing to set the all time record for shutouts, or the site of Bobby Orr
taking a warm up skate on the outdoor rink at Fenway Park in Boston – I mean,
sure, how could you not get goose bumps seeing that? I’ll tell you what,
though, and I’m embarrassed to admit this, but my top three favorite games so
far this season were all Junior Hockey games – all of them played in the past
couple of weeks in a little town called Saskatoon. Thank God for the IIHF and
the annual World Junior Championships!
Even
though I’m a heartbroken Canadian in
the wake of a Team USA overtime victory and the dreams of a sixth straight gold
medal shattered – I still have my pride. Any American who follows our great
frozen sport should hold their head up high – those young men put on one hell of
a show and were full marks for their Gold Medal performance – and nine of those
young men can return to defend their title in 2011 in Buffalo NY. What are you
doing New Year’s Eve? Well, if I have my way – I’ll be (again) right in front
of my TV with my Rickard’s Red and chicken wings, hopefully watching yet another
Canada-USA classic. For those of you who have no clue what I’m talking about,
let me just say you don’t know what you’re missing.
So,
while the future of our game is so
bright, I have to wear shades, the debate on whether or not the NHL could,
should or would participate in the Olympics moving forward needs to end now.
It
shouldn’t happen ever again.
Wh-wh-what!?!
But
I just finished saying how much I
enjoyed the World Juniors, and there’s another big tournament coming up in just
over a month in Vancouver?!
You
heard me correctly.
The
NHL, after Vancouver 2010, needs to
end their association with the Olympics once and for all.
Now,
don’t get me wrong. I have thoroughly
enjoyed the previous three Olympic Games where NHL players were involved,
especially Salt Lake City 2002. Vancouver 2010 should be a good tournament, yet
again. But, at the expense of a mediocre NHL season? No way, San Jose.
Having to endure a schedule where
teams are playing at least every second night, and often three games in four
nights was supposed to give a playoff aura every night. It hasn’t happened. In
fact, what it has done is open up the injury can of worms. Alright, I’m not
naïve. I know injuries are going to happen no matter what – I get it. But just
look at the long list of the walking wounded on any given day, and it’s a wonder
the NHL can still manage to put games on the ice. Sure, the players are in
better shape and conditioned far beyond what I can ever hope for. But let’s be
honest folks – unless you’re Robocop (or unless your name is Chris Chelios),
there’s no way anybody’s body can put up with a schedule like what the NHL puts
forth during every Olympic year. They refuse to make amendments to the training
camp schedule. The regular season starts a week early and ends a week late,
which means it’s almost July before we see the Stanley Cup. Perhaps our saving
grace is we don’t have to watch Gary Bettman give a yearly recycled state of
affairs address at the yearly popularity contest, um, I mean, All Star Game.
More than likely, however, “The Count” himself will be somewhere in Vancouver
taking it all in like a kid at Walt Disney World.
Let’s be 100% fair here – the whole
point behind going to the Olympics in the first place was to watch the World’s
best players. But I ask you – how can we watch the world’s best players on the
world’s biggest stage, when a good portion of them are hurt? The number of man
games lost to injury this year for many of the NHL’s top players is staggering
at best. Some teams are even missing their entire top scoring line! It will be
a miracle if the players who have been named to go to Vancouver actually get
there in one piece. Then, when the dust settles at the end of February, we
still have the final third of the season to play! Just to give you an idea of
how bad it is? Jeff Marek on Hockey Night In Canada Radio plays the “Theme from
M.A.S.H.” every day when he goes over the injury lists, and most days ends up
having to play it twice.
As
Forrest Gump would say – “And that’s
all I have to say about that”.
THE DEBATE ON HEAD SHOTS
OK,
so I’m about a couple of months late
with this, but whatever. Many of you have asked for my take on this, so here
goes.
Here’s a news flash for David Branch,
commissioner of the Ontario Hockey League: Hockey is a fast, dangerous, and
often times vicious sport. I’m sorry to point out the obvious, but it’s evident
to me you either A) Haven’t realized this yet, or B) You’re protecting your job,
not to mention your league’s reputation. Bob McKenzie from TSN has even gone so
far as to call you courageous, but I don’t buy it.
For
those of you who have not yet seen the
Michael Liambas hit on Ben Fanelli, do yourself a favor (or not) and either
Google it or check YouTube. A word of warning, the faint of heart need not
apply.
It’s
just an unfortunate incident all
around. While Fanelli rests comfortably in hospital, Liambas’ hockey career is
essentially over – unless there’s a team in Alaska, Antarctica or Greenland
willing to take a chance on him (Palin’s Puckers, anyone?). And to this I say
Boo and give a huge thumbs down.
And
don’t come to me with the whole “well
if it was your kid you’d be happy the league had enough balls to do something”.
I admit, it was a vicious hit. Fanelli left the ice on a stretcher with a
broken skull and orbital bone and will take a long time to recover, and is
probably lucky he didn’t get killed. I get it. I also get the fact the OHL is
not only competing with the rest of the Canadian Hockey League (aka the QMJHL
and the WHL), but also competing with the NCAA and various other rungs of
college hockey. I get how hockey parents will see this hit replayed on TV
screens from coast to coast and will get a little uncomfortable over the
prospect of their boy going to play the most dangerous sport on ice (aside from
maybe bobsledding).
The
reason I have an issue with the length
of the suspension is because the OHL has effectively become a breeding ground
for future NHL (and AHL ) talent. When you have players in the NHL already who
are still playing after having done a lot worse than the Liambas hit, I question
the message we’re trying to send. It’s quite simple – if you’re afraid of
getting hurt – don’t play. I don’t think I need to mention the injury epidemic
in the NHL again.
Anyhow, there isn’t much a die-hard
hockey fan and occasional internet blogger, like me, can do about it. One can
only hope this doesn’t set a precedent – let ‘em play for Heaven’s Sake!!
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So
now, I’d like to take this opportunity
not only to welcome you to yet another new year, but wish all of you reading all
the best for 2010 and beyond. I’ve committed to writing something at least once
a month or more, and I promise you readers I won’t let you down. I have big
plans for both this column and the website, so stay tuned. Who knows, as the
world’s best players start to get better and return to the game they love to
play, and as the division races heat up, maybe I’ll start feeling it once
again. One thing you can be sure of, though, as disappointing as the season has
been for me so far, you can be sure I’m still watching and observing, because I
know it can only be downhill from here. At least I’m lucky in one area – worst
case scenario, I can go watch the Ottawa 67s for inspiration. I’ve become
somewhat of a good luck charm for them – they haven’t yet lost when I’ve gone to
see them play live. As for that team out West whose name I won’t mention?
Well, there’s always next year…
More Puckin' Around...
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