Friday, February 24, 2006

Team "Canada"


I put that in quotes because that wasn't a Canadian team on the ice. True Canadians have heart, determination and the will to win at any cost. This squad that we sent to Torino had none of this.

What a disgusting output. We used to look at Nagano and the fact we lost a bronze medal game as the lowest moment in Canadian hockey. At the end of the day, that bronze medal game playing team at least made it past the quarter finals.

This team on the other hand, lost before this miserably. What's fucked in the world when a team of all NHL "All stars" loses 2-0 to Switzerland while their sniper for that game was Paul Dipietro of 1993 4th line Montreal Canadiens fame? Shut out?

Pat Quinn should not be coach, this is not a revelation but a fact. He never knew what to do with this team (รก la the Leafs, Canucks, Flyers...) why is this guy the head coach to have? He hasn't won shit in his life.. But hey, he's a Maple Leaf and we need to have a token Leaf on every team Canada - McCabe for example. Fuck if Dipietro can beat Team Canada, maybe we should look into 1994 McLlwyain for Canada 2010... At least that token Leaf won't be such a faggot.

Kris Draper.... Why? I never understood this shit. The guy is supposed to be a backchecker, but he's on the 1st line. Ends the tourny at -4. OK. Good call brass. You want a two way forward play him like that, and if you actually want one (and somehow expect him to star like Rob Zamuner in 98... oh wait, he fucked up too)... go for someone like Peca who can understand his role. Or take the young route of Mike Richards, that kid will play with some fucking heart.

Crosby, Staal, Tanguay, Phaneuf, Richards, etc, etc.... Sorry kids, you're too fucking young. We want old vets, they know how to win. You don't, too young. Hey wait, what the hell is that Ovechkin doing to us? Shit. - Signed, Wayne Gretzky.

I remember Brendan Shanahan crying and apologizing after 98 Nagano to the people of Canada. This time, we get these old cunts smiling and telling reporters "It was a learning experience, we can learn from this in Vancouver".

Learning experience? Where are you taking this lesson in 4 more years? 4 years from now there'll be another US president, hundreds of thousands of high school kids will have a 4 year degree under their belt. And more importantly the idiots that took it as a learning experience - WON'T BE THERE.

Shake up Team Canada. From players to the foundation. This shit was embarrasing.

When I look back at this Olympics I'm going to remember those goddamn Nike commercials of St. Louis and Iginla:

St. Louis : "The only thing that fires me up, all the people that said I was too small to make it" - OK, how about the people like myself that say you're a fucking one hit wonder? Take that motivation and use it for the Tampa Bay Lightning. See you in the lottery draft.

Iginla: "I don't believe in luck" - Yeah, you're the same guy that was on the Calgary Flames in 2004. You think that happened due to enormous skill or heart? Get over yourself and score a goal. Thanks for nothing, chump.

Go Finland. I have a enormous hate for Sweden. I met a Swedish kid once, and I've hated life ever since.

Thursday, February 02, 2006

I can admit when I'm wrong.. to a point: Ales Hemsky


Ok, I've hated the guy for years because of the "yeah, he'll live to his potential one day" shit that went on for so many years in Edmonton.

He was always that idiot on Edmonton that figured he could stickhandle for 20 minutes until he found a perfect pass. Run down the wing, cut inside, deke the goalie out of position and have an empty net to shoot at... but keep going until he ran into the boards.

First 20 games this season he did the same shit, expect he found the art of randomly shooting, so I held hope for him.

Come December, Hemsky realized, why pass to Smyth when he'll just fuck it up? Might as well do it myself and if I'm about to run into the boards - hand it to Horcoff..

So Ales Hemsky started going to score himself, and alas... he does. He's got defensemen freaking out on what he's going to do on them. On a PP, people actually back off expecting a pass, but positioning for a random shot on net. This isn't the Hemsky of old, where the PK would just rush at him, force a turnover and clear it down....

My big problem these days with the guy, is that he's cutting in and out of traffic so fast, he's going to pay the price sooner than later. Bure used to do it - he's retired well before his prime. Lindros did it, Stevens put an end to that. Cam Neely did it, he's in Dumb and Dumber, Bobby Orr did it, etc. etc.... they all paid the price dearly.

Hemsky will one day. Mark my words, I fear the day, but even idiot Smyth himself almost gave Hemsky the Stevens business the other night.

He needs to learn this, and quick, or he'll have a short career. I don't see him as an elite player in the NHL right now - but I see where he can be in the future, given he stops this shit of running around. Unless that happens, I apologize for my negativity on the kid, and agree he has the tools to be a star in the NHL.

Whether or not he doesn't suffer a career ending injury - another fucking question. I put it at 2-1 odds right now.