There has been a discussion over on Sioux Sports and Hockey Wilderness about players that you hate to play against because they play on the edge, are seen as agitators or even players that are cheap and commit disgusting acts. I have also seen the argument where you’d love to have these players on your team but don’t like them when they play against your team. That’s up for debate and usually seems to be a never ending discussion that takes place from year to year.
I would not cheer for the Boston Bruins or the Minnesota Wild if they signed a hack like Matt Cooke, Todd Bertuzzi or Daniel Carcillo, they would no longer be my favorite teams. There is no way. I would also hope that my favorite team would not challenge my loyalties by signing a questionable player like this. There is too many good players out there to even entertain signing one of these morons.
here are some phrases that get tossed around in sports debate so often that we come to simply over look them. It goes beyond cliche to simply being a part of the vernacular, to being generally accepted as fact. These phrases are sometimes over simplified reaction to a complicated topic, or they are used to simply brush off the opinion of someone you really don't have an argument against.The players name changes but their brutal gutless cheap acts remain the same. I am sure you can come up with a list of your own, my list includes thugs, players/hacks like Daniel Carcillo, Todd Bertuzzi, Scott Hartnell, Alex Burroughs, Matt Cooke, just to name a few. They're thugs players that are all cut from the same thread. These players lack honor ussualy hide behind a half shield and is no limit to the cheap acts they will commit.
One of those phrases is, "You would love him if he were on your team." this is almost always in response to the outcry over a player such as Derek Boogaard, Patrik Kaleta, Todd Bertuzzi, Jarkko Ruttu, or in the case of this post, Matt Cooke.
Make the jump and let's discuss, shall we. You really don't have anything better to do, right?
All of this stems from a link that came across Twitter via @Tepherguy. In the upcoming Hockey News issue is a cover story about the top 12 free agents, and Matt Cooke appears to be at the top of that list. The cover of the issue even reads "Matt Cooke is Hockey's Biggest $*&#!... and You'd Love Him if he Played for Your Team."
This phrase is pervasive. It is said about every pest in the NHL, and it is said about every guy who has ever been suspended. Even friend of the blog Greg Wyshynski has said it about Daniel Carcillo.[Read the whole article here]
Also, I would include players from the past like Uber Hacks Ulfie "the Turtle" Samuelsson and Claude "the Fraud" Lemieux. Eventually these players get what is coming to them, the hockey code demands it, live by the sword die by the sword. You might even cheer when you see it happen. Matt Cooke got what was coming to him in these three incidents [Kane becomes an instant hero] and [Duncan Keith gives it back to Cooke] and finally [Dustin Brown smokes Matt Cooke]. Lastly, how many people in Boston wanted to give Tie Domi a medal after he smoked Ulfie Samelsson.
I have a lot of differing opinions on this.
ReplyDeleteFirst, Boogaard doesn't belong on this list. I can't remember him cheap shotting anyone. I can't remember him going after a guy to try to end his season or career. The others have. Boogaard is just a worthless fighter. He's got almost no hockey skills other than to drop the gloves. He often isn't even much use with his 6'7" frame in front of the net! How's THAT not an advantage for a screen? Ask Boogaard. Heh.. He makes just under $1.3 million dollars in his soon to be expired contract.
Hartnell and Bertuzzi are interesting cases, imo. Hartnell again has done questionable things on the ice, but not really cheap. Bertuzzi has "THE" cheap shot. However, since that time, he's been a completely different player.
I actually don't understand why any team would want Bertuzzi. He doesn't use his size anymore. He's not nearly as physical as he was before the hit. He's almost afraid to hit someone because of this incident. So, he went from a worthless cheapshot artist to almost inept.
I think Lemieux had to do more than just that high stick of Neely to get the same rep Carcillo, Cooke, Samuelsson, and Domi had or have.
The Kane fight and the Brown hit was simply a great thing to watch. Duncan Keith's hit was exactly a carbon copy of Cooke's MO.
I know pushing for revenge and wishing a player injury is low and uncalled for regardless of who it is. I don't wish any of these buffoons injured. I just wish that they're on ice lives were as miserable, unproductive, and unsatisfying (to their employers) as much as possible.
I quoted an article from the SB network and it's the Wild's fan blogger but there are people that think Boogey is a hack. I don't think he is. I think Hartnell is very close to the Daniel Carcillo level of hack. He runs around the ice and isn't the cleanest of players.
ReplyDeleteI know I’m late, but I have to comment on this one. For the most part I agree with Redwing77 except I don't think Carcillo should be lumped in with Cooke, Samuelsson, and Domi. Carcillo is a diver and a cowardly bully, but I don't see him out there purposely trying to injure people (maybe I’m wrong). Bertuzzi on the other hand broke every rule of the code in one single act (from behind, to the head, after the whistle, and succeeded in maiming Moore), it's hard to get over that. And why no mention of McSorley and Chelios (self proclaimed dirty player).
ReplyDeleteI also must say that I’m having trouble believing that you guys are buying into the rhetoric of this article; the fact that he is praising Domi should be the first clue. Then there is the MN fan base is just like every other fan base, but different? this is the same crap MN college fans spew to ND fans on a daily basis; how they are up and above it, yet their fans riot when they win a NC (F****** hypocrites).
The Flyers argument could be applied to the Fighting Sioux without changing a word. Both play a physical hockey game, have questionable things happen in their history, and are accused of being cheap hacks because they throw allot of hits.
I could write a book with all the thoughts this article invokes, but I must cut it off some where.
I look forward to a response from anyone who is passionate about this touchy subject.
Never Summer playing physical game doesn't make one a hack and that isn't the intent of this article.
ReplyDeleteTheir are a couple of different points to the blog post one of the points is that there are players out there like Cooke, Bertuzzi, Buroughs, Bertuzzi _____ insert player name that play a dirty game will some day eventually get what is coming to them. Also, another point is that would want one of these players on your favorite team.
Goon I agree with you on both of those points, but some of the players that are single out in this article are not the worst offenders.
ReplyDeleteI would love to see players with no real hockey skills, which only exits to fight and injure other players, rid from the game; but to suggest that one fan base dislikes a certain type of player more than another fan base is chauvinistic and ignorant. Fans are fans across the board, every team has their nut jobs and every team has their players with questionable intent. The severity of the differences between teams/fans is lessoned when you remove the tinted lenses.
I agree that I don't want to see Cooke playing for my favorite team and I’m passionate about removing: head shot, diving, knee on knee hits, hits from behind, and other classless acts that dishonor the game of hockey. I’m just realistic (and "disconnected") enough to know that there isn't a higher percentage of like minded fans rooting for my team than any other.