March 14, 2004

He blames, in a way, Peter Worrell (the Avs muscle) for not being on the ice with Moore once the game got out of hand (4-0). It seems a rather Cherry thing to do, I wouldn't have guessed that would be who he points the finger at but at the same time coming from Cherry it makes "sense". thanks for the link lew (Bill, get Real Alternative - kick that crap app to the curb)

posted by gspm at 12:06 PM on March 14, 2004

I think the more constructive and insightful commentary came during the second period intermission from Ken Dryden. The theme he focused around was "getting even" and how it is a common and frequent an emotion that permeates humanity. It was a new spin that I welcomed. I wish I could find the transcript from the telecast to share. He didn't alleviate Bertuzzi's burden, but he addressed the need of examining how the game has changed and the further need to make some changes, not only for the NHL, but for hockey itself.

posted by garfield at 02:49 PM on March 14, 2004

Don Cherry is an oaf. However, his tired pontificating seems to resonate with the lowest-common-denominator audience that still believes that NHL hockey has some entertainment value. Stupid hosers.

posted by molafson at 12:24 AM on March 15, 2004

Garfield: It's not a transcript, but I think this video (Real) may be what you were looking for. Mr. Cheery is a very good example of what is wrong with hockey. Although he is held up as some hockey guru, he is very out of touch. This is the same guy who said if Sydney Crosby showed off in the NHL (like he did recently in junior by scoring with a lacross type move from behind the net) some guy like Shanahan would take him out for his trouble. I don't bother even listening to what he has to say these days.

posted by camcanuck at 09:41 AM on March 15, 2004

Non-hockey minds spouting off on how bad/violent/pick your poision, hockey is and what they think needs to change is the problematic symptom with the media coverage. For example, when someone in your office who holds no opinions when it comes to sports in general, apart from liking the Yankees, starts telling me what's wrong with hockey, I know the media coverage is biased, or at the very least hasty. cam, thanks for the link. I'll check it tonight, and do a little transcripting. [defensive hockey fan] molafson, take the hoser thing back. atleast in hockey you don't need a ritual 'stretch' to keep fans awake. [defensive hockey fan/]

posted by garfield at 11:15 AM on March 15, 2004

The Don Cherry explanations: (the quotes are from the Todd Bertuzzi discussion and refer to other times he's "snapped") "Like the time in 1991, playing in the Northern Ontario midget championships, when his team was beaten out in the finals by Sault Ste. Marie and he chased the winning team's bus out of the parking lot, swearing and pounding on the windows, out of control. " Don Cherry-ism: What we got here is a competitor! If you get beat by another team, you darn well better be angry! If he was some soft-spoken Europeen player, he'd just be sitting in his chair drinking a latte! I'd love it if all my players were that fired up! "His first year with the Guelph Storm of the Ontario Hockey League went badly when he was suspended for kicking another player in the head. (The player, Brad Barton of the Kitchener Rangers, was wearing a helmet at the time of the incident.)" DC-ism: Now I don't condone what he did, but it's pretty obvious that the SpoFi crowd is just looking to blow this up into something that it isn't. I'd like to hear Todd's side of the story before I say anything bad. "The year after that, in his own locker-room, for no apparent reason other than jealousy, he punched out teammate Jeff O'Neill, who at the time was Guelph's prized first-round pick." DC-ism: It's junior hockey! You gotta be tough! Good old Todd was just getting Jeff ready for the games! If he can't handle getting his faced caved in by a teammate, how is he going to be ready for the real Canadian hockey of Junior A? And look at O'Neill now! He's a bonafide star in the NHL, and that lesson he got from Todd definitely helped him become that. I tell ya, you SpoFi people would have them remove all contact from hockey, if they let you. It'd just be a bunch of ballerinas on the ice, dancing around with sticks! "In the NHL, Bertuzzi punched linesman Jean Morin in a 1996 scuffle and ended up suspended for three games before losing 10 more games to suspension for jumping into the bench to attack a Colorado player in 2001." DC-ism: Why did the linesman get in the way? Let the good guys finish what they started! If the league was smart they'd get rid of the instigator and let them fight until they could barely stand up! As for the 10 game suspension, I'm pretty sure it was a Europeen player that he was going after, and that he probably deserved it for giving one of Todd's teammates a high stick or something. If anything, the league should have applauded Todd for sticking up for his teammate and helping police the ice like a good boy should. I tell ya, I wish I had a team full of Bertuzzis. They'd make sure there was no cheap shots or dirty play. They'd stand up the bad guys and fight them like men!

posted by grum@work at 01:58 PM on March 15, 2004

Despite love for the zebras, uniformity of game management leaves much to be desired. Possible reasons are many, but the policemen need to do a better job of establishing law and order...on the ice and in the league office.

posted by garfield at 05:21 PM on March 15, 2004