2:36 p.m. - 2005-05-16
hockey night in Europe
I suppose it's only fair that we Canadians let Other Countries win at hockey sometimes, if only to keep up the appearance of competition.
But I still don't like losing.
I have to say, however, that the World Championship game last night represented a much needed infusion of Hockey into my psyche.
Pucking NHLers...
I have to admit, though, that it would be a lie to say that I'm a diehard hockey fan. Truth be told, I only really started watching the sport in the past few years. I'm a 21st century hockey child. Before then, it was generally just what my grandparents would watch in lieu of cartoons and sitcoms, much to my chagrin.
Don't get me wrong, I do like hockey now. I may not always know exactly what's going on (the concept of "offside" eluded me until the last playoffs) but it's great fun to watch - fast and furious. And the basics of the game are relatively easy to grasp; He shoots, he scores pretty much tells the story. So I still feel a certain right to shout my coaching advice to the TV screen with as much conviction as the next beer-guzzling backseat hockey driver.
But at the end of the day, I'm simply a Maple Leafs fan more than a hockey fan in general. And not even regular season Leafs, I just tune in when the playoffs are happening. Some might consider that sad, or not worth it, or whatever but I disagree.
See, the thing that I really love about watching sports is the sense of urgency that you get when the game your watching really means something. When you're in the finals, and it's all down to that last two minutes of the final period, or killing a penalty just one more time, or finishing off your third round of overtime, that's when it gets exciting and that's when I like to watch. Every penalty is a crime and every score is a lifesaver! But it only gets that intense when you're behind one particular team. Or country.
1:07 p.m. - 2005-05-05
evil will always triumph because good is dumb
I'm not too pleased with the Toronto Star at the moment.
Last week, I read an article about the whole Bertuzzi-Moore affair (hockey-related, if you've no idea what I'm talking about) and decided to email in a quicky letter to the editor. It wasn't a big deal, mostly I was just bored and thought it might kill some time. I never thought it would actually get published.
The next day, sitting on the bus on my way to a 2 year-old's birthday party, I got a call. From Canada. It was some guy from the star asking me if I did indeed write the letter and saying that it would be published the next day.
Sweet.
How cool was that? I was so chuffed, I called my mom, told my brothers/housemates/random strangers and, as you may have already seen, posted it on my blog.
Funny thing, though, it never showed up.
Now, I understand that there may have been some more pressing matters to address in the letters section. I would even accept that the letter actually sucked and they decided it wasn't worth printing. I don't really care why it wasn't printed.
But why phone someone halfway across the world just to play a practical joke?
Bastards.
However, thanks to the miracle of modern technology, I now have my own private computer operated soapbox from which to get my message across. So, for those of you who are interested, here's my letter:
In regards to the article "Keep Bertuzzi where he is" (April 27), Damien Cox
writes that there is "the general and demented philosophy that exists in the
hockey culture that says everything that happens on the ice is ultimately
forgiveable and at least partially understandable, and that the rights of
any victim are always, always superseded by the need for the game/business
to go on." As he himself implies, the NHL and its fans clearly encourage
violence on the ice, it encourages actions which at any time could cause
serious bodily injury. And yet, it's all find and dandy to slap the wrist of
a player who breaks another player's bone or causes a slight concussion and
say "on with the game," but when something actually serious arises from this
atmosphere of violence, it's time to cry bloody murder and find someone to
blame. Enter Bertuzzi's sucker punch and all of a sudden, the world of
hockey has its scapegoat. Does anyone for a moment believe that this is what
Bertuzzi intended to happen? As far as I'm concerned, for the media to
vilify one man's mistake so ardently makes Bertuzzi a victim of the sport as
much as Moore.
