Big weekend for sports news with 2 Canadiens players getting hauled into the pen after a crazy night partying topping the list of headlines in this city. Am I missing something here? Are the Florida cops so hard up for action that this warrants (ha ha get it?) an arrest? Last time I checked Florida has a pretty severe drug problem so how do these cops just happen to be on hand to arrest 2 drunken athletes? And what kind of training do you have that you can't simply diffuse this situation on the spot? I certainly don't condone whatever it is these guys were up to a 3 am in a Tampa bar but I will say this:
A) I would never let my purse out of my sight while out a a busy nightclub and any chick that does, pretty much deserves to have it stolen.
B) Grand theft? Are you serious? Consider the effect this may have on O'Byrne's life. Is it worth ruining someones career because some slag cant keep track of her purse and some drunken hockey player decided to play a prank on her?
C) The fact that they have been lambasted in the media for being out at - heavens no! 3 am!! Anyone up on their high horse should remember that, they were not playing the next day and this was the tail end of their rookie dinner which is supposed to be a partay- Yes. Obviously things got a little out of hand but who hasn't had a few too many IN THEIR EARLY 20'S and woken up with a pile of regrets the following morning. Wait is that just me? And what better time to tie one on than following a 6-1 loss at the hands of the league leading Sens. If that is not a reason to drink I don't know what is.
Anyhoo Moving on! Richard Zednik remains in intensive care today after Ollie Jokinen's skate severed an artery in his neck on Sunday. Crazy, crazy injury. Thank God he is ok, I for one do not want to witness a death on the ice. However if players and decision makers continue to macho themselves into dangerous situations this could become reality. I don't mean to imply that this is the fault of Zednik or Jokinen however I can't figure out with the speed of todays game that there are still really simple safety precautions that are not being put into place. Visors for one seem to carry with them a connotation of wimpy-ness. Thank you Don Cherry. What is wimpy about not wanting to go through the rest of your life blinded or worse? And trust me, I like fighting in hockey, when it is spontaneous and for an actual reason. Heres an idea: wip off the helmet if you want to fight. Couple it with dropping the gloves.
Granted the visor would not have helped Zednik in this situation but a neck guard would have. Obviously we need to start re-thinking hockey equipment if we are serious about keeping the players safe.
A) I would never let my purse out of my sight while out a a busy nightclub and any chick that does, pretty much deserves to have it stolen.
B) Grand theft? Are you serious? Consider the effect this may have on O'Byrne's life. Is it worth ruining someones career because some slag cant keep track of her purse and some drunken hockey player decided to play a prank on her?
C) The fact that they have been lambasted in the media for being out at - heavens no! 3 am!! Anyone up on their high horse should remember that, they were not playing the next day and this was the tail end of their rookie dinner which is supposed to be a partay- Yes. Obviously things got a little out of hand but who hasn't had a few too many IN THEIR EARLY 20'S and woken up with a pile of regrets the following morning. Wait is that just me? And what better time to tie one on than following a 6-1 loss at the hands of the league leading Sens. If that is not a reason to drink I don't know what is.
Anyhoo Moving on! Richard Zednik remains in intensive care today after Ollie Jokinen's skate severed an artery in his neck on Sunday. Crazy, crazy injury. Thank God he is ok, I for one do not want to witness a death on the ice. However if players and decision makers continue to macho themselves into dangerous situations this could become reality. I don't mean to imply that this is the fault of Zednik or Jokinen however I can't figure out with the speed of todays game that there are still really simple safety precautions that are not being put into place. Visors for one seem to carry with them a connotation of wimpy-ness. Thank you Don Cherry. What is wimpy about not wanting to go through the rest of your life blinded or worse? And trust me, I like fighting in hockey, when it is spontaneous and for an actual reason. Heres an idea: wip off the helmet if you want to fight. Couple it with dropping the gloves.
Granted the visor would not have helped Zednik in this situation but a neck guard would have. Obviously we need to start re-thinking hockey equipment if we are serious about keeping the players safe.
4 comments:
Andie,
You couldn't have put it better on both accounts and I would like to address the second element of your latest blog...
I would like to know, and would appreciate your using your position to poll some players, why as hockey players grow older they feel the need to shed protective equipment in order for it not to hinder their movements? I must say I vehemently dispute this reason on the basis of the following points, however, it seems to be the one most often provided…
It seems to me that if you were one of the best players on your team in minor hockey where full cages and neck guards are the norm and continue to be one of the best players in Junior hockey where visors (and in the case of the QMJHL neck guards are required) then obviously the equipment is NOT hindering your play.
Quite obviously it becomes the case that these players (and I am guilty of it every time I step on a rink at the park without a helmet) feel as though they are above the obvious. It is this problematic reasoning that leads to the unfortunate/scary/never-should-have-happened-freak-things that occur in hockey. I can't for the life of me come up with a logical explanation for why the mandatory use of visors and neck guards is not "grandfathered" into the NHL. If helmets could be phased in why can't other seemingly necessary equipment follow?
You mentioned fighting in your blog as being an argument that some people use against mandatory visors. Though I agree fully that the argument is used, I must point out that it seems (I don't have the necessary statistics to back me up but I'm sure they exist) ridiculous to claim that visors deter fighting. First of all, players in the NHL who wear visors fight routinely, and second, has anyone putting forth this argument ever watched a CHL hockey game? Those boys don't seem shy when it comes to dropping the gloves do they?
There is a terrible negative almost subconscious connotation with respect to these two items of equipment that really ought to be dealt with by both the league and the NHLPA. The league's responsibility is to the owners who (one would assume) would prefer to see their stars on the ice generating revenue rather that lying in hospital beds. The NHLPA by the same token ought to have as a part of its mandate the protection of the members (which, incidentally, was a major reason why unions were initially formed). It makes no sense for either party to agree to maintain the status quo.
Would Ovechkin be any slower or less spectacular if he added a neck guard to his list of things to do while getting ready for a game? Would Crosby lose the ability to do the thing she does with a puck because he sports a piece of protective material around his neck? Would Kovalev be any less dangerous coming off the right board if a visor were in the picture? Somehow I think not…
In light of all this I think I may break out the old hat and cage the next time I hit the park. Perhaps some others will do the same…
Sorry, I didn't mean to call Sid Crosby "she" in the second to last paragraph of my comment, it should read "things he" not "thing she"... Most embarrassing...
Hi Andy,
Love the face that goes with the voice and I'm not being sexist! It's a simple innocent compliment! I wish you would write more on the blog, especially now with the trade deadline coming up tomorrow.
Do you think Huet is as good as gone?
Thanks
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