Send Crosby to Afghanistan
Szymon Szemberg, IIHF, May 19, 2010 "Saying no to your country":
When eligible, Alexander Ovechkin always suits up for his country. Photo: Jukka Rautio / HHOF-IIHF Images
When Canada re-entered international competition in 1977, not many observers where impressed by the general skill level of Canadian players. But it was during that period that Hockey Canada invested serious resources into the Program of Excellence which today has paid off in two Olympic gold medals, five men’s IIHF World Championship gold medals, and 15 World Junior gold medals.
How can a player who is 22 or 25 or 27, and who was just eliminated from the playoffs be tired? Tired is a miner who works in a damp pit in Miktivka, in the Donetz Plateau in Ukraine, who never sees daylight and who provides living for a family of five in a modest two-room apartment. That is tired.
Tired is a divorced mother with two young kids who double shifts as a nurse assistant and cleaning lady to make ends meet.
Why is a 22-year-old Sidney Crosby tired when a 34-year-old Ryan Smyth is answering the bell for his country despite having represented Canada at the Worlds already on eight occasions?
Update:
I've got this comment:
nobody cares about the world cup. Only Russians pay so much attention to it.
Apparently Canadians pay a lot of attention when there's a chance to take a cheap shot at Ovechkin. Just yesterday Canadian National Post blamed team Russia's boycott of Russian media on Ovechkin. And that boycott happened at the tournament nobody cares about. ...hmmmm Here it is, I let you read an interesting exchange between Nate Ewell, Michael Traikos and Jon Press:
nateewell: The NHL needs Ovi to talk to Russian reporters at a tournament NHL fans don't care about? I miss the connection, @Michael_Traikos
nateewell: @Michael_Traikos He's doing it for his country. The same country that apparently told the team not to talk.
nateewell: @Michael_Traikos I'd also prefer if teams didn't direct players not to cooperate. But this is unwarranted.
nateewell: @Michael_Traikos If this tourney's important, write about the healthy players who turned down their teams
JapersRink: "[Ovechkin] has gone from being the face of the NHL to being a complete farce." What an absolutely terrible article. RT @Michael_Traikos
JapersRink: Starts with cheapshots about appearance, climaxes calling Ovechkin a farce.. Measured. Classy. RT @Michael_Traikos
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8 comments:
I'm not much of a Crosby fan -- but I don't see why this is such a big deal. The media seriously needs to lay off these hockey players.
nobody cares about the world cup. Only Russians pay so much attention to it
If nobody cares about it, why some Canadian guy (Michael Traikos)from National Post is making a cheap shots at Ovi?
Read these tweets:
nateewell: The NHL needs Ovi to talk to Russian reporters at a tournament NHL fans don't care about? I miss the connection, @Michael_Traikos
nateewell: @Michael_Traikos He's doing it for his country. The same country that apparently told the team not to talk.
nateewell: @Michael_Traikos I'd also prefer if teams didn't direct players not to cooperate. But this is unwarranted.
nateewell: @Michael_Traikos If this tourney's important, write about the healthy players who turned down their teams
here's the link to Traikos article:
http://sports.nationalpost.com/2010/05/18/ovechkin-sends-wrong-message-with-media-boycotts/
I'm not a big Crosby fan, but this article is quite annoying. Tired as all other emotions is relative and no one profession or class has a monopoly on it.
I never was much of a Crosby fan, preferring Ovie and I still do. The Canadian press have elevated Crosby to almost divine status, and love to cast Ovie in the role of hockey's Great Satan. The media can write whatever they want, it's their right. So is it the right of Ovie's fans--his REAL fans who don't desert him when times are tough--to defend him and contrast his style and behavior after losing to Crosby's. Ovie is a man and takes responsibility for his and his team's failures. Crosby, on the other hand, complains and whines and tries to deflect any blame or responsibility when things don't go his way. Crosby's fans can have him; I'll take Ovie over him any time, any day.
Haters gonna hate.
That IIHF article is insulting on so many levels. What a great way to attract players to your event.
Plus, the writer comes across as mostly jealous and resentful of those players who are wealthy and have fame. I'm sorry your pay check isn't big enough, but enjoy your 15 seconds of infamy.
For NHLers, the WC is a tacked on event, not something pre-scheduled that the player and his family has planned for. If you want a better chance at having the elite players, then schedule the event so it doesn't fall within the last two months of the most rigorous hockey schedule in the world.
As for playing through minor to moderate injury in the SC playoffs, 1) it's part of their job; 2) for some bizarre reason the players are committed to the team and teammates they play with for 2/3 to 3/4 of the year, year in and year out; and 3) the mystique of the Stanley Cup is unparalleled in hockey. It even resonates outside of the sport, few trophies in the world do that.
Also, who the hell does the writer think he is? He has no right nor the knowledge to judge if a player is too tired (mentally, physically), is too injured (the summer doesn't give much time to recuperate and train for the next season), or has legitimate commitments (family, friends) that trump appearing in a voluntary tournament (it's only the Russians who seem to view it as compulsory, but after the Olympics they have pride to salvage).
Boo hoo, IIHF. Suck it up.
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