Mario Under The Microscope

We've got a very special post from a writer who has put himself first in line for a guest post! Today, I want to feature a great article from Mr. Tim Ambler. Tim is the owner of MightyPromos, is an avid hockey fan, and an all-around sports enthusiast. MightyPromos provides promotional hockey products such as promotional hockey pucks that can be printed with a logo or message of your choosing. tim wanted to talk about the Mario Lemieux comments following the debacle that was the Penguins-Islanders game a few weeks ago. Here is Tim's piece, and I'll have my commentary below.

Mario Lemieux may be a hockey legend, but his management skills leave a lot to be desired. Lemieux has recently come under severe criticism for blasting NHL with regard to the handling of the fights between the Penguins and New York Islanders. Many people feel that he is all words and no actions. His main criticism, of the suspension of Eric Godard for ten games, was quite unnecessary according to many fans and served only to highlight his incompetence despite being a star player and Hall of Fame inductee. Godard received a ten-game suspension for leaving the bench to join the brawl. This compared to the nine-game suspension of Trevor Gillies who elbowed Pittsburgh's blue-chipper Eric Tangradi and continued to hit him while he was down. Many fans agree with Lemieux, owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins, that a nine-game suspension might be too lenient for the obvious disrespect to the rules of the game and the authorities represented by Gillies.

But as Brian Burke, GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs, commented on Monday with regards to Lemieux's Sunday statement, the penguin's owner will in the future need to go directly to the governors if he wants to implicate change rather than draw emotion from the media. Burke highlighted that the altercation called for swift and immediate response from the NHL. With regard to the severity of the punishments handed out, Burke referred Lemieux to the NHL Rule Book, section 70.10, where players are warned against leaving the bench to join in any action taking place in the field. If a player breaks this rule, they are automatically subjected to a ten-game suspension.

To hockey fans, Mario Lemieux has always been known to apply open criticism without fear. Even as a player, Lemieux always spoke his mind whether in the game or outside it. However, many feel that he needs to exercise precaution as owner and manager of the beloved Pittsburgh Penguins. This comes in the wake of his endorsement for Matt Cooke who has often been blamed for many altercations. It cannot be denied that Cooke's talent in the field may yet to be equaled, but one may wonder if it is worth putting up with his arrogance and ability to draw trouble. Many of his teammates and opponents agree that Cooke could prove to be more of a liability to the team rather than the asset he is meant to be. The 33 year-old is known for taking cheap shots and goading his opponents into dishonorable behavior. Many Penguins fans are beginning to feel that his behavior is now overshadowing his exceptional talent. The player has been in headlines for all the wrong reasons, with many of his opponents complaining about his behavior. It seems that once Cooke steps into the field, he cannot stop the actions that his mouth takes. There is no playing fair when Cooke is in the field. Perhaps, opponents should be handed ear plugs when Cooke comes into the field.

Many feel that Lemieux's statement could be interpreted as a defense of Cooke, his most controversial player. And this is where many feel that the man needs to take more action rather than offer words which may have no impact at all. Before criticizing the NHL management and maybe resorting to calling the organization a "garage league" as he did in 1992, Mario Lemieux needs to streamline his players and curb the rampant Cooke. To many, he is playing double standards by employing one of the worst cheap-shot artists in the history of the game in Cooke. He and his general manager, Ray Shero, have come under fire for criticizing the NHL on one hand, and on the other giving privilege to an addict of cheap shots.

However, whatever his sentiments are, a prize goes to Lemieux for standing up for his players and the game he loves so much. The owner has claimed several times that the Pittsburgh Penguins are not about him, but about the team members themselves. When players step onto the ice and raise their sticks in honor of the fans, they know that injury could always result as a matter of accidents. Hockey is always physical and sometimes emotional; the game, as Lemieux stated, is tough and it should always remain so. However, these players are not in the field to be beaten up and broken by their opponents. Anyone acting in such a way should surely face more than a fine. Players walk a thin line between being irritating, offensive, and illegal. When beloved players goad an opponent into a penalty, they are often applauded by fans. They are paid millions with many clubs fighting to have them on their side. However, when the same player takes just one single step over the blurry line, they are openly criticized.

Mario Lemieux knows personally the price of head shots and this may be why, after a long time, Friday's altercation has brought the owner out of his self-made cocoon. Perhaps, he saw himself in Tangradi, his most promising rookie and the future of the Pittsburgh Penguins. What he saw was an inconsiderate and jealous opponent almost shatters the dreams of not just his star player, but also those of his team. It has often been said that were it not for health problems, Lemieux would have gone on to become one of the most celebrated players in the history of the game with numbers that would not just have been impressive, but perhaps unequaled. All these dreams and aspirations were cut short due to injury, so Lemieux may see things from a different perspective for Tangradi.

Despite all this, it is hard not to see the favoritism of his reaction. Mario Lemieux did nothing and, in fact, said nothing when Cooke head-butted Fedor Tyutin just a few days before the Friday brawl. Maybe this is why many fans feel that Lemieux should do more and speak less.

First off, I want to thank Tim for his contribution here today. He's putting his heart on his sleeve here, and that takes some real moxie. Good on you, Tim, and you're more than welcome to send over other thoughts you may have. However, let's break these thoughts down.

As you may or may not know, I'm a die-hard Penguins fan, and I wanted to play hockey like Mario Lemieux. It crushed me as a kid when he decided to retire the first time, and I really feel like he missed the best parts of his career by taking the time off. I also know that the value of one's health is unequaled when it comes to the overall quality of life that one wants, so I now understand why he did it. So I want to be clear when I say this: I respect Mario Lemieux's opinion on anything hockey.

But I want to put a few things in perspective here. Mario Lemieux does not decide who skates on the ice for the Penguins in any way, shape, or form. Blaming Lemieux for the actions of Matt Cooke is an complete joke. It's apples and oranges, folks. They are not, and never will be, related aside from the fact that Lemieux writes the cheques and Cooke cashes them. It's Ray Shero who decides who skates for the Penguins, and Lemieux has always maintained a hands-off approach to the Penguins because he has hired people like Shero to do that job.

The fact that Lemieux spoke out shows that he still cares about how the game is played. This fact should not be forgotten. Lemieux understands the ten-game suspension that Godard received. He was not commenting on that. What he was commenting on was the sideshow that this game became. Trevor Gillies felling Tangradi with an elbow and then pummeling him while he lied dazed and confused on the ice and then running his mouth from the zamboni gate as Tangradi lie on the ice. That's the sideshow that Lemieux was commenting on.

Or perhaps he was commenting on Haley's actions. Not only was Haley two-hundred feet away from where goaltender Brent Johnson was standing, but Johnson hadn't even made a move down the ice. Instead, Haley broke away from the pack of skaters in the corner of the Islanders' zone, and skated all the way down the ice to go after Brent Johnson. That, kids, is what a sideshow can be defined as. It's 100% true that Godard came off the bench to protect Johnson from Haley, but there was no reason for Haley to be attacking Johnson at that time aside from pure revenge for what Johnson did to DiPietro. Sideshow? Absolutely.

Don't think that Lemieux's words were said for him to be mocked. Instead, know that what he has done is raised the bar indirectly by stating his displeasure with the suspensions and fines handed out for what was clearly an intentional move by several of the Islanders' players. After all, the NHL handed down no punishment for Lemieux's comments to the media despite his disparaging remarks.

"We are entirely comfortable with how Friday night's events were handled," NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said in a statement. "We have no other response to Mr. Lemieux's statement."

I'll ask you, readers, this one question: did you expect the Penguins just to shrug their shoulders and brush this one off? I explained how Gillies and Haley broke the code in my February 11 article, so why are people so up in arms over Lemieux calling a spade "a spade"?

I'm going to side with Lemieux on this one, kids. He's right when he said that the NHL failed to send a message. And I'm betting this won't be the last time we hear the name "Gillies" associated with the word "suspension" over his career.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Let's Hear It For The Girls!

There were a lot of interesting developments today in hockey as the San Jose Sharks basically gave long-time Shark goaltender Evgeni Nabokov his walking papers, while the Boston Bruins dealt an underwhelming Dennis Wideman and the fifteenth overall pick in this year's draft to Florida for Nathan Horton and Gregory Campbell. But that's not why I'm here today. Sure, the Sharks got a little worse, the Bruins got a little better, and the Panthers are apparently giving Horton what he wants. Instead, it's time to give credit where credit is due on this blog, and I'm looking directly at the Hockey Hall of Fame.

The Hockey Hall of Fame has pushed aside amateur and international players for the sexier option of NHL players that bring notoriety. There are many NHL players deserving of the honour of being in the Hockey Hall of Fame without doubt. But there are a large number of players who deserve to be in the Hall of Fame who have not suited up in the NHL, and it appears that the Hockey Hall of Fame is finally changing its tune towards one group of individuals. Especially when its home page states that it is "[h]ome to hockey's greatest players".

Let's go back to July of 2007 where I blasted the Hockey Hall of Fame regarding their lack of recognition given to the phenomenal female players on planet today. Some of these women are trailblazers in their building of their countries' respective programs, and deserve a spot in the Hall of Fame not only for their playing abilities, but their leadership, courage, and dedication to the sport of hockey.

Looking forward, it was announced in March of 2009 that women, for the first time in the Hockey Hall of Fame's history, would be eligible to be voted into the Hall of Fame. Thanks to the Hall of Fame's wisdom, two women will be eligible for induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame per year from this year forward. The women's game, thought to be at risk in future Olympic years, should point to this day as the first day where women's hockey is given the same respect as the men's game.

There are literally dozens of women players who deserve to be in the Hockey Hall of Fame, but the two women voted into the Hall of Fame today are extremely well-known in North America for their efforts in growing the women's game within their respective countries of birth as well as on the international stage. Canada's Angela James and USA's Cammi Granato will be the first women to have their faces molded in bronze and hung alongside the many men voted into the Hockey Hall of Fame before them.

While the Hockey Hall of Fame has always maintained that women have always been eligible, it was nearly impossible for their careers to be compared to the men who played in the NHL. As a hockey fan, it makes me proud that the women's game is getting equal billing after decades of living in the shadow of men's hockey.

However, not everyone shares this sentiment. The comments on the TSN website are absolutely disgusting and highly misogynistic in their nature. Overlooking the spelling and grammar mistakes, you would think that these people are from the 1800s where women couldn't vote or own property.

Says "cbrcbr":

"I have a MAJOR PROBLEM with totally inferior Women Hockey Players being selected for entrance to our now lost so called Hockey Hall Of Fame .To me it is now thye CANADIAN HOCKEY HALL OF SHAME.There are at least 30 Former NHL players and Builders who have been waiting for many years for admission.TYPICALLY CANADIAN,WE HAVE TO BE OUR VERSION OF POLITACULLY CORRECT.Our Juinor A teams would beat any Canadian team of the past and or present.All American Hiockey leage Teams and European Leage teams would do the same. I am Appauled no more NHL Hockey for me."

It's funny that "cbrcbr" feels that most any men's team can beat the Canadian national women's team. After all, the AAA teams from Alberta are having their asses handed to them by the Canadian women. These AAA players are the next NHL players, the next Junior-A players, and the next European League players. Yet they are getting hammered by a non-checking women's team. But the women aren't that good, apparently.

"Acesup" jumps in with this beauty comment, showing vast intelligence and hockey savvy:

"HHOF is the wrong place for the ladies. They should be in the IIHF hall of whatever they have. To push aside legitimate NHL players to include them is wrong, wrong, wrong."

I forgot how the Hockey Hall of Fame is strictly for NHL players. Perhaps that's how Vladislav Tretiak got in there - his phenomenal NHL numbers. What's that? He never played in the NHL? Oh, right! It's not the NHL Hall of Fame, it's the HOCKEY Hall of Fame. My bad!

"Scorp0232" feels that Canadian history is being smeared by keeping out a former Maple Leaf:

"Putting these women in the hall is ludicrous.Paul Henderson scores the most important goal in Canadian hockey history and he can't get in and yet they vote these 2 ladies in."

When did the Hockey Hall of Fame become the Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame? In the grand scheme of things, the Henderson goal is an iconic moment in Canadian history and Canadian hockey history. There's no denying this. But what significance did it have on the Americans? The Swedes? The Czechs?

Henderson's goal is already an enshrined moment in the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, but a player like Henderson is not even close to being worthy of having his face in bronze on the wall. He didn't even score 500 points in the NHL, let alone score 500 goals. If his one claim to fame is "the goal", then John Slaney should also be in the Hall of Fame. And he's not going there either.

Frostyice, who apparently is not married, hates women, and feels all women should be back in the kitchen, thinks that the women should be kept separate from the men:

"Please create a seperate hockey hall of fame for Women as most of us don't really consider Womens hockey a Sport. If Someone wants to watch Womens hockey or read about it they could go there."

I'm going to guess that "Frostyice" is one of those bandwagoners who claim Canadian supremacy when the Canadian women win a gold medal or World Championship, but complain about the game. Should sledge hockey be kept separate from the Hockey Hall of Fame too? After all, it's different. As far as I can tell, it's not the "Hockey Hall of Fame for People Who Have Male Sex Organs". It's open to all hockey players, regardless of gender.

Angela James was a dominant force in women's hockey throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Long regarded as the Wayne Gretzky of the women's game, the argument against James, and Granato for that matter, being inducted into the Hall of Fame is that she played against vastly inferior opponents during her heyday. There is validity to this argument, but James' induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame is less about her point totals, and more about what she did for the game of women's hockey in Canada.

Without James leading the way, there may be no St-Pierre or Campbell to speak of in this country. Without James blazing a trail, there may not have been a Rheaume playing for the Tampa Bay Lightning or a Wickenheiser attending the Flyers' training camp or an ECHL Cincinnati Cyclones' camp.

Cammi Granato deserves her induction for the same reason: she literally grew the game through her actions in the United States. While her older brother, Tony, went on to play in the NHL, Cammi broke down barriers at Providence College by shattering every scoring record the school had seen. She's the idol of current players such as goaltender Chanda Gunn.

"You have to understand - I didn't want to be like Cammi Granato," Gunn told Wayne Coffey of the NY Daily News in 2005. "I wanted to be Cammi Granato."

Granato was the building block of the US Women's Program in the same vein that Mia Hamm was for US Soccer and Jennie Finch was for US Softball. She literally was the face of US Women's Hockey for 15 years, and is a major reason why the US Women's Hockey Team is a powerhouse on the world scene.

There is no doubt that both of these ladies scored at a torrid pace when they played the game. In fact, Granato is still the leading scorer, the leading goal-scorer, and the leader in games-played for her country after retiring. However, it was their actions that allowed the game to explode onto the North American sporting world, and this is the primary reason their inclusion to the Hockey Hall of Fame is deserving.

If Wayne Gretzky is credited with growing the sport in the state of California and into the Sunbelt in the southern United States, James and Granato are responsible for growing the sport in two entire countries. Name one player currently in the Hockey Hall of Fame that has had that kind of effect on the game of hockey.

Bobby Orr? Wayne Gretzky? Gordie Howe? Maurice Richard?

If those four men grew the sport of hockey in North America through their skill, scoring, and charisma, then Cammi Granato and Angela James are long overdue for induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Regardless of their scoring prowess, these two retired hockey players had more impact on their sport than 99% of the men currently in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

If you ask me, that's entirely the definition of what it means to be a great hockey player.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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For The Sake Of Clarity

There is nothing more that I want than to clarify my stance on this NHL-Winnipeg rumour after getting emails and finding myself linked to various message boards. I admit that I was simply reporting rumours, and that's what needs to be clarified. I am, for all intents and purposes, not saying, nor was I ever saying, that the NHL's Atlanta Thrashers are definitely on their way to Winnipeg. In fact, let me be clear about what I'm saying: I'd rather have the Moose here with no speculation than to have the carrot dangled in front of this city's nose every time some NHL team runs into financial trouble. And that's where I stand today. The rumours won't die, and I added to that fire by speaking about them, but I am a loyal Manitoba Moose supporter. And I apologize if my semi-sarcastic comments caused a wildfire of support to a rumour.

Here's what I officially know about this rumour coming to truth: very little. In fact, there are so many conspiracy theorists out there right now in Winnipeg who have been brainwashed by this rumour that I'm starting to think they could film The Manchurian Candidate as a real-life drama. For all the digging I've done on this, all I keep finding are holes to China. That should tell you something on the validity of these rumours alone.

The reason I posted the info about a possible Gary Bettman sighting in Winnipeg is due to a radio personality's story. This gentleman, who shall remained unnamed, reported it on the radio station to which I was tuned, and it intrigued me. I won't lie about that.

However, in this day and age of mass media and TMZ-style camera phone photographers, there was not one single photo of Gary Bettman out in public in Winnipeg. I'm not saying that Bettman is an A-list celebrity, but this city would consider him one if he showed up here. That would be strike one against the rumour.

Secondly, everyone - including team owners, players, team management, reporters, fans, bloggers, my parents, some guy in Tim Hortons, my beer league teammates, co-workers, a Blockbuster Video employee, my brother, his friends, a homeless guy behind my workplace, my mechanic, the guy working the 7-11 counter - EVERYONE thinks that this rumour is nothing more than a lark. As the guy in Tim Hortons said, "If you believe that, you have rocks in your head". And he's right. The fact that rumours are being passed over the radio airwaves by a major radio station, though, is just enough for people to buy the Kool-Aid.

Did I buy the Kool-Aid? Well, you can say what you want, but those holes to Shanghai and Beijing tell me that the rumours hold no water. I have been adamant that Winnipeg is not an NHL city. I was not a fan of the NHL exhibition game this past year that featured two non-NHL Playoff teams at NHL prices. I was not a fan of a Toronto Star story that spoke about Winnipeg getting an NHL team. A politician hung his political hat on bringing back the NHL, and it pretty much caused me to not vote for him. And there are a ton of excellent reasons why having the NHL wouldn't work in Winnipeg right now. Except the Ikea reason. That's happening.

In any case, this blog is meant to generate discussion amongst hockey fans. I'm not a reporter by any means, and I have never claimed to be one. To be honest, the people who are reporters do a very good job covering the hockey scene in Winnipeg with the Manitoba Moose, some of the minor hockey teams, and the occasional major hockey events. Without the reporters who are assigned to the hockey beat, the local hockey scene simply wouldn't exist very well. That's a major credit to these reporters, and I thank them for their upstanding and honest reporting of hockey matters in Winnipeg.

On Wednesday, I wrote,

"That Thrashers-to-Winnipeg rumour just will not go away. It's been killed by every hockey prognosticator across North America, but there were reports of Gary Bettman being in Winnipeg today. The press conference is scheduled for tomorrow at MTS Centre, and there seems to be a very strange ambiance at MTS Centre tonight amongst a few key Moose people. Something is definitely up, kids. And it sounds like this might be the best-kept secret in the industry right now."

The strange ambiance? That was the Moose playing a dud of a game against the Worcester Sharks. No one can be happy when your team plays as poorly as the Moose did on Wednesday night after playing one of its better games all season on Tuesday, and that's entirely understandable. So in terms of something being up, I can assure you it was nothing to do with the NHL. That "best-kept secret" was nothing more than speculation.

Combined with the rumours from earlier in the day, I posted that speculation in the hopes of generating some discussion. I got a couple of emails and a comment on that entry, and that's what I expected. The majority of people didn't believe it, and I'm glad that happened.

Trade deadline day in the NHL was pretty weak on Wednesday in terms of teams building for a playoff run, so I added some conversation fodder at the end. Was it wrong for me to do so? No, not necessarily. However, I realize now that I was fueling more insanity than conversation, so I feel a responsibility to apologize to my readers. That was not my intention, and, as the saying goes, "the road to hell is paved with good intentions".

So to you, readers, I make this commitment: until there is a formal press conference in Winnipeg regarding the NHL placing a team within the city's limits, you will not read one word about an NHL team moving here. I will stick to my guns and assert that Winnipeg is not an NHL city in my view, and I will stand firmly behind the Manitoba Moose. They are great value for your hard-earned dollars and cents, and I truly believe that Winnipeg is a great AHL city. I apologize for trying to generate conversation, and I admit that my efforts to get conversation about this topic failed miserably.

Let it be known that I am officially laying this rumour to rest on this blog. In Mark Chipman and the Manitoba Moose I trust. Especially since it's the best hockey we have in town.

In the meantime, I am looking forward to the games against the Rockford IceHogs next weekend, and I'll be listening to CJOB this weekend as the Moose battle the Grand Rapids Griffins. Get your tickets to see the IceHogs, Winnipeggers. You can welcome back Nick Boynton, and see the future of the Chicago Blackhawks when they come to town.

Back to your regularly-scheduled programming. And GO MOOSE GO!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Busy Week Ahead

As I stare down the next five days, it has become apparent that my time is at a premium when it comes to leisure. Longer hours at work combined with my commitments to the various sports I'm involved in has me away from the computer for significant blocks of time this week. I'm still going to post daily, but if it seems like some of the entries are far shorter or have less effort put into them, you're probably right. Antler Banter will be quite interesting on Wednesday after yesterday's antics in Rockford. The previous two games against Peoria and Milwaukee were less than pretty, but all will be covered. Otherwise, there are some things I want to post this week, and they deserve a look. Tonight is no different as we take a look at something from 1977.

Magazines have come in gone since the late-1970s, and some have been lucky enough to stick around. Others, however, have not been so lucky, and they have fallen to the wayside in the world of print media. Some of these magazines contained some interesting information regarding the world of hockey. Very interesting.

One such magazine was Texas Monthly. It occurred to me as I read through one issue that sometimes writers might fudge a few details in order to write an article that tries to convey a message rather than being objective. That's cool if the writer and editor feel comfortable in doing this, but when a writer reviews a movie, fudging the details makes it hard to believe that the writer even watched the movie.

Marie Brenner wrote for Texas Monthly in April 1977 where she reviewed films. One of the films she reviewed this month was the classic hockey movie Slap Shot, starring Paul Newman, Michael Ontkean, Lindsay Crouse, and Jennifer Warren. I've pieced together the article into one image, so feel free to read Miss Brenner's review here, and I'll discuss below. Especially when it comes to everything she got completely wrong.

In the opening scene alone, she manages to completely butcher the entire scene. Denis Lemieux, the goaltender for the Charlestown Chiefs, is a French-Canadian, not Spanish. I'm not sure how she got the name Lemieux to sound Spanish, but I guess French and Spanish sounded the same to Texans in 1977. Then again, when you misquote the movie as poorly as Miss Brenner does, you simply attribute it to mishearing Lemieux's Spanish accent, I guess.

Next, the interviewer does not ask Lemieux "what is flashing". He asks "what is slashing", a common penalty called in hockey, but I would suppose that Miss Brenner would have no idea as to what slashing is in 1977. The Houston Aeros had only played in the WHA since 1972, and I would have thought that she might have taken in a game at least once in five years. But I guess I thought wrong because she heard "flashing", not "slashing". Unless Miss Brenner has some sort of hearing problem, the video is fairly clear as to what Lemieux says.

Third, her view on the entire movie is entirely misplaced. Sure, they play up the violence in the movie a lot. But that's the entire point! The movie was based on the real-life North American Hockey League - the same one that Brian Conacher coached in and wrote about in his book, As The Puck Turns. The brawls that happened in that league were portrayed in the movie. Again, the film-makers played it up to be a lot worse than what actually happened, but that's entertainment. And it happened in real-life. Apparently, background information wasn't done on a regular basis in 1977.

As for being a "shameful spectacle", I would present these major flaws in Miss Brenner's work as exactly that. Slap Shot is a testosterone-driven comedy that exploits the insanity that was a real-life hockey league.

A "Spanish" hockey player who speaks French; "what is flashing"; unnecessary violence in the movie.

Who was she writing this review for? And who is the editor that decided to run this nonsense?

Ahhhh, the 1970s. Care-free and free-swinging. And apparently writers were allowed to write whatever they wanted, no matter how inaccurate and off-the-mark it is.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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