12/18/24
February 07, 2003
That's unpossible!: With his first fighting major since 1987,(I think that's what I heard on ESPN news), Mario Van Crybaby unleashed the rage of a pretty boy who isn't getting his way. And all this days after sportswriters discussed his MVP eligibility. I for one love to see this type of thing. Well, actually I just like to see Mario whine. And it started with a little insignificant, every-other-play type of cross-check. Apparently, the GMs forgot to discuss the 'Mario Rules' over All-Star weekend. And could the rest of his team have anymore BROWN on their faces? McKenna should've been arrested for the mugging he laid on anonymous Panther defenseman. Whoever it was, that's not the point here. The point is that its Friday, and Mario Lemieux isn't enjoying his.
I think you're being a little harsh on Mario there. All the quotes I've found don't have him whining about the hits, just saying that if the guy's gonna play that way then he will stand up for himself. Other than Ference's mom, nobody's there to see him play anyway, and he so much as said his only goal was to get under Mario's skin. So he earned his paycheck that night, bully for him. Mario's been earning his for many Hall of Fame years, maybe show him a little respect? :)
posted by vito90 at 08:50 AM on February 07, 2003
I thought it was solid that he took care of his own business rather than sending someone else out to do it. But then, I'm a Penguin fan, so I probably would.
posted by Mookieproof at 09:19 AM on February 07, 2003
I'll show Mario respect when he does the same for the rest of the league. He's Deion on Ice. And I'd respect him more if it hadn't taken 16 years to get another fighting major. True, he did stick up for himself, after McKenna mugged a guy who obviously wasn't accepting the invitation to fight. That's impressive. Sloppy seconds. And he didn't exactly go up to Ference and say 'let's go.'
posted by garfield at 09:41 AM on February 07, 2003
I heard that after the fight Mario started complaining about Ference's "clutching and grabbing" and threatened to retire.
posted by 86 at 10:03 AM on February 07, 2003
I didn't see the game (and just as well) so I don't know the order of events between Lemieux, McKenna, and Ference. I would have thought that a couple Cups, coming back from cancer and having part of a disc removed, and leading the league in scoring (until Naslund catches him shortly) at age 37 would be enough to earn some respect. He's not the leader Messier was or the player (or public spokesman) Gretzky was, but he's one of the great athletes of our time, and he's fought through more than most to do it.
posted by Mookieproof at 10:45 AM on February 07, 2003
From an article in Pittsburg's Post-Gazette: Center Mario Lemieux, the NHL's leading scorer, was held without a point but took a serious step toward becoming the league's premier thug. He engaged in the fifth regular-season fight of his career -- the first since Bobby Gould of Washington gave him a one-punch concussion March 20, 1987, at the Capital Centre -- when, with 5:12 left in the game, he went after Florida defenseman Brad Ference, whom he accused of giving him cheap shots throughout the game. There's a good picture of Lemieux turning into the Hulk at the top of the article. Anyway, you can add me to the list of Mario detractors. I can respect his skills, sure, but I find his personality to be incredibly annoying. He's a guy who could be a fantastic ambassador for the league, but instead all he does is bitch and moan. Ference doesn't win a lot of his fights, but I bet he would have cleaned Mario's clock, and I would have liked to see it.
posted by Samsonov14 at 10:49 AM on February 07, 2003
Oh for chrisssakes, when did Mario garner this downright stupid reputation as a "whiner"? Is it not possible that a player who is one of the best in hockey history, who has contributed an incredible amount to the NHL in terms of marketability and excitement, who is a team owner (and thus entitled to some say in how the league should be run, like it or not), is entitled to his opinion of the game that he helped make great? Mario's earned his right to criticize the hell out of the NHL in a time when it certainly deserves criticism. If it was "(your favourite player here)" speaking his mind about clutching and grabbing, you'd all be clinking your beer mugs in celebration. I honestly cannot comprehend the animosity towards Mario.
posted by Succa at 06:07 PM on February 07, 2003
I'm as good at grudge holding as anyone but I don't really think Mario is that much of a whiner or anything else. The only thing I don't like about him is how he put the olympics over his business last year. And he wonders why the attendance is down 1000 per game this year...
posted by Bernreuther at 07:13 PM on February 07, 2003
As a Bruins fan who watched the man twice knock us out of the playoffs one round short of the Stanley Cup, I question this post as well. I've never seen any evidence of favoritism or whining that begins to compare to Gretzky. In an obvious attempt to derail the post, let me play Simpsons pedant and point out the line is "Me fail English? That's umpossible."
posted by yerfatma at 08:34 AM on February 08, 2003
I always thought it was unpossible
posted by Bernreuther at 01:57 PM on February 08, 2003
Huh. That's how snpp has it too, but I stand by my assertion. People seem to hear it both ways.
posted by yerfatma at 11:14 AM on February 09, 2003
'um' isn't a prefix.
posted by garfield at 08:07 AM on February 10, 2003
In my giddiness, I failed to read my own link. Brad Ference was the anonymous hero.