not this again. another hit, more rage

(Updated AGAIN: 8-game suspension for Wisniewski. Yes!) (I added more links and a picture hours after the original post, so I've reposted it.) Have to delay another whimsical post on green St. Patrick's stuff (oh well, a little time to look for more) for obvious reasons: the horrorshow of tonight's Blackhawks at Anaheim Ducks game. That piece I wrote about Sunday versus the Capitals (a reader Twittered, er, tweeted "holy f-bomb!" to me about it)? Oh, expressed only a fraction of the anger I have about this one...

I'm too tired to go through all the images from the game (had an hour-long phone call with friend who hadn't watched the game yet, so I said little about it and stuck to other hockey topics. I was cheered up a little. I've had a lot of good stories I haven't mentioned yet) so I'll just give you Coach Quenneville:

First, a little more about Alex Ovechkin's hit on Brian Campbell. I guess Ovechkin apologized? Don't feel like looking it up now. Again, I don't hate him or think he's a dirty player, just someone who's gotten kind of reckless. I haven't read much on Capitals blogs since the incident but "I Want my Innocent Ovi Back," a thoughtful piece at On Frozen Blog, was willing to incur the wrath of other Caps fans (and got it). The Puck Daddy piece on the suspension (which Greg Wyshynki disagreed with. I agree with him that it should be more about "intent to injure" than an actual injury) had 362 comments last time I looked, 523 at the time I'm posting this. I read some of that and comments on TSN and Kukla's Korner. 

I stand by my frustration in the "f-bomb" piece, but I may have been in haste when I said most Capitals fans were "amoral, hypocritical scumbags" (or was it "classless douchebags"?). I should have waited a bit for their reaction to the suspension, and included "whiny conspiracy theorists." Right, everything in the NHL is about the Penguins' success, and the league promotes Canadians and persecutes Russians, and...oh, whatever. The Capitals-Penguins-Red Wings infighting in comments ruins so many hockey sites. Not exactly something I've only just noticed, but it's so much worse now, with a Capitals player punished and Matt Cooke, a Penguins one not.

If I had money for hockey-related apparel right now, I'd want this excellent shirt by @ChiBlackhawks. The Cafe Press store for it is here. Puck Daddy should pick up on this one; it's more entertaining than the Ryan Miller "American Made" shirt highlighted today. 

Now, a few words on tonight, and a much worse hit, hopefully not in terms of injury, but definitely in terms of "intent to injure." Here's the TSN game recap. There's nothing in the "Top Headlines" box on NHL.com about the questionable acts in the game (well, you can't post a big story about someone getting tossed out of game, when they weren't). Puck Daddy posted James Wisniewski's cheapshot on Brent Seabrook after Seabrook hit Corey Perry here: "Down goes Seabrook, out goes Wisniewski?". At his blog, Ryan Lambert (who was on my wrath list the other day, but he doesn't mention goaltending here since that was hardly the issue in the game [and oh, didn't Blackhawks fans going into it think that Corey Crawford's first NHL start this season--he's usually with the Rockford IceHogs--was what we needed to worry about, along with Campbell's absence?], posted "The Ducks Remain Hockey's Most Charming Franchise". Much appreciated. 

Wisniewski's hit got a mere two minutes for charging, and the Hawks didn't even get a power play because of what Duncan Keith did after the hit, and...then there was nonsense later in the game with a non-call on the Ducks (even if Brent Sopel may have been diving, a bit), resulting in an immediate goal for them. And...oh, so much crappiness. Either you saw it or you can read the pieces above. I'm exhausted. Only high point, besides two goals by the Hawks, and Crawford (mostly) not being blameworthy for the loss, was Nick Boynton (former Duck), in his first game as a Blackhawk, fighting Wisniewski (former Blackhawk, and hopefully this game killed off any remaining fond feelings Hawks fans had for Wiz), seconds from the end of the game. The Blackhawks could have made this a much more vicious game, but didn't. More commentary about all this when the dust has settled a bit...(ETA: good articles from James Mirtle and Bob McKenzie on this, the latter calling it the "Grand Slam of Illegal Hits.")

This piece has been too polite, so how about throwing in a: FUCK YOU, YOU ABSOLUTE FUCKING DUMBASS. (Random Internet idiot--this is what happens when I search trending topics, in this case "Wisniewski.")

 

and some lines I copied down during the Blackhawks game broadcast on WGN 720, where I heard the announcers, Troy Murray especially, get angrier than I've ever heard them:

it is an absolute joke

it's a farce

how many times do you see me get this worked up?

ARE YOU KIDDING ME!

THEY HAVE ABSOLUTELY LET THIS HOCKEY GAME GET OUT OF HAND

ARE YOU KIDDING ME!

pushing and shoving have ensued, we may get a fracas

I CAN'T BELIEVE THE REFS HAVE LET THE GAME OUT OF HAND
I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS
WHAT AN ABSOLUTE JOKE

one of the strangest and most poorly officiated games we've ever seen

a disgraceful end to a hockey game
a disgracefully officiated hockey game

the rant re: Sunday's game

(So, the Washington Capitals at Chicago Blackhawks, March 14. Here's my recap--language advisory! Also, there's some sarcasm here, but I'll leave it to you to determine how serious, or not, this all is...This was neither written nor posted in the heat of anger, by the way.)

Fuck NBC for broadcasting this game, because I still don't have NBC reception and keep unsuccessfully begging people to record these games for me (not that I want to rewatch it...). Fuck NBC for scheduling it so early, and right after the "spring forward" part of daylight savings time. Fuck the early start because the Blackhawks have a terrible record with day games. Fuck that I had to leave after 9 to get there right after 10 to get the free hat. Fuck that a discussion I had with someone I know outside reminded me I was going to this game alone (like all but two games at the UC this season, and all games at Allstate) and put me in an existential despair. Fuck that the person with the season ticket next to me never showed up, making things worse.

Fuck Alex Ovechkin for the hit on Brian Campbell. Fuck Jordan Hendry and Colin Fraser for their penalties late in the game and the Blackhawks collapse. Fuck Nicklas Backstrom for his game-winning goal, and that I had to look up his name to make sure I didn't spell it like the other NHL'er, Niklas Backstrom.

Fuck that this was the first time I'd seen the Blackhawks lose to an eastern conference team in person, and the first time I saw them lose in overtime. Fuck that this was their first OT (as opposed to shootout) loss this season.

Fuck that Twitter died right before I left for the game so I had no way to get in touch with/try to meetup with the many people I follow who were going to the game. Fuck that a Milwaukee friend, the first person I knew of as a Blackhawks fan, was at that game (his first this season?) and I didn't know till later.

Fuck the first caller to WGN's postgame show, who said "Maybe I'm not drinking the goaltender Kool-Aid like you are..." "Which saves should Niemi have made?" "I didn't watch the game." Fuck everyone who blamed the Blackhawks losses this weekend on goalies, did THEY watch the games?

Fuck the totally packed Wicker Park coffeeshop Filter that I went to after the game, because I sat in there 45 minutes in a Hawks shirt and no one asked the game result. Fuck that they all have laptops and Blackberries, unlike me, and could check the score. Fuck that it's more likely they're a bunch of pretentious sports-hating hipsters who didn't know about the game, and the fact I spent so many years in Chicago around art school types like that is a reason I didn't get into sports sooner.

(great hash browns and coffee, though)

Fuck the comments I saw on Twitter when I got back. Fuck Mike Milbury for his comments on NBC I didn't know about till then, criticizing the penalty. Fuck Scotty Hockey and Japer's Rink (via Twitter yesterday, I don't know if they blogged it) for saying, respectively, the hit shouldn't have gotten a penalty at all (!!!) or just a minor penalty. Fuck all the rumors flying around about Campbell's injuries. Fuck that they pretty much turned out to be true later.

Fuck that Japer's Rink (Capitals blog, for any readers who don't follow it), on their game recap thread, had 800+ comments by late evening and I could count on one hand the number that expressed sympathy when Campbell's injuries were confirmed. Fuck their commenters for saying (right after the hit) that he was embellishing it, and since he walked off the ice he was obviously okay, and the penalty was ridiculous (right, because all concussions and internal injuries are immediately visible).

Fuck that after the Blackhawks matchups this weekend and what I read online from followers of these teams, I'm left thinking of Flyers fans as generally decent, and Capitals fans as amoral, hypocritical scumbags (except for a sensible one I follow on Twitter).

Fuck Deadspin for calling it a "terrible call"" yesterday (I have problems with that site but agree with most of their opinions on sports.) Fuck Ryan Lambert's Puck Daddy column today, not for anything he said about the hit, but for his "What We Learned" summation of the Blackhawks this weekend: "Chicago's goaltending: playoff-ready." Did HE watch the games?

...Okay, more about Ovechkin's hit. (And remember, I'm surprisingly neutral on most things Crosby/Penguins and Ovechkin/Capitals related, unlike the folks who drag that into every topic on Puck Daddy...) I think it was a dirty hit. I'm fine with the penalties. I'm not sure about suspension or how many games it should be. It's very frustrating, especially as a Bruins fan, that Matt Cooke's hit on Marc Savard didn't even get a penalty, much less a game misconduct or suspension, when it was a dirtier hit and also ended the season for a star player. But all the people saying you can't suspend Ovechkin because the NHL didn't suspend Cooke...um, isn't there some common phrase about "two wrongs" I could familiarize you with?

Do I think Ovechkin is a dirty player? No, not like Cooke, or Steve Downie, who had a cheapshot versus the Penguins yesterday. But even if he doesn't have the bad intentions and general sleazebaggery of players like that, I can't just write off incidents like the Campbell hit as "oh, that's the risk of his style of play" or whatever. Makes me think of a older relative or neighborhood eccentric who says odd, sometimes amusing things, but "Oh sure, sometimes he'll say that women shouldn't have the vote anymore or all illegal immigrants should be shot, but that's just Jerry being Jerry! What a character!" Uh, okay...

Note: as I wrote the above, a two-game suspension came down. Not sure if I'll have more to say about this (oh, I didn't even address how having Brian Campbell out will affect the Hawks' defense now...), but I will have more about the rest of the hockey weekend (which mostly was not much fun for me).

"Holy guacamole, what a fight!"

okay, it's late, and I'm tired, and finishing the giant can of Molson I bought at the Albany-Renssalaer train station (but couldn't drink on the Amtrak back, unfortunately) feels like a chore at this point, as does blogging tonight...but I've gotta put up a couple fight videos, it's been a while. and it's been a busy week for NHL fights. checking hockeyfights.com for games just since Saturday, I noticed a high number of games with more than one fight. let's see:

Flames @ Canucks: 2 fights (I was watching this on a friend's computer on my trip, but only saw the 3rd, fightless period. quite an impressive Prust-Rypien battle)
Blues @ Kings: 3 fights
Avalanche @ Flames: 3, all in the 1st 4 minutes, including one only 20 seconds in! (forgot the start time on this one and missed them). this fight got a very high rating...the announcers are rather entertaining: "Holy guacamole, what a fight!" ...but you can find a more subdued feed with different announcers, one who uses the delightful phrase "haymaker city!"



Senators @ Thrashers: 2 fights
Blue Jackets @ Blues: 4, all in the 1st period
Canucks @ Wild: 3, all in the 3rd period
Bruins @ Ducks: 2, both in the 1st period
Capitals @ Lightning: 2, both in the 3rd period. one was (OF COURSE) Zenon Konopka, who actually got a win

and THIS one, where Ovechkin (!) moves to fight Downie (despite what the idiot announcers say about him not answering the bell) and Bradley hilariously jumps in. lots of debating about this one...I don't have strong feelings about these teams so I'm not going to offer much of an opinion (but I kind of wish Eager had done this for Toews in that Blues game the other week)


 
I finally noticed that not only is the Western Conference leading the NHL standings, but it looks to be leading in fights, too. not that there's a direct correlation; both the Sharks and Blues are in the top 10 of fighting majors, and they're having very different seasons. I know people keep stats on fights, but does anyone calculate those against other hockey stats? this all bears further investigation...maybe even by me.

(successfully resized these videos after the original post had them too large--thanks for the help)

a quick note

(edited later: strangely, I've heard Ovie referred to as GR8 many times since I posted this, but I swear I'd hardly noticed it before, so this wasn't really a silly headline at all, and I feel silly posting it. but I want to leave the rest of the post, and it's a slightly creepy picture, so I'll leave this up.)

I am blogging this from lovely Cambridge, MA! it's a short trip so I'll try not to spend much of it on my friend's computer...but since I'm up watching the Blues @ Sharks game (chippy, plus a 90 second long Janssen-Shelley fight. to any non-hockey watchers--that's a LONG fight) I figured I should get in a quick post.

and THERE'S an annoying way to sell hockey, Men's Journal

I've found a "be careful what you wish for" example of wanting more media coverage of hockey and hockey players, and it's "Here’s the Key to Your Suite, Mr. Ovechkin" from the Dec/Jan issue of Men's Journal. (I wasn't going to link but then I realized it could get trackbacks if I do, so...). you know, "rant" gets overused on the Internet (such as, by me in my previous post) so instead I'll say, I'm in high dudgeon about this. (so far, "Wait, Ovechkin was in those photos?" is the only other piece I've seen critiquing this photo shoot.)

this isn't about what I think of Ovechkin as a player, or about the little "interview" (most of which was boring or cringeworthy, except for the bit about sending cards to Crosby), or that this is selling stuff people don't need. I don't mind seeing hockey players in a fashion spread, not at all. no, it's the tediously obvious use of the Unnamed Woman. who is she? why is she there? we're not supposed to know or care. oh look, there's Ovie on a bed...and surprising her in the shower...and there she is in lingerie...

oh where OH WHERE could this narrative be leading? I am rapt with attention! could it possibly be:

uh. that's not to judge the model, by the way; it's to point out how BORING this is. (interestingly, I took a look at the print edition of Men's Journal, and the picture with the lingerie and the woman on the bed aren't there; in fact, it ends with the two playing air hockey, fully dressed. of course the implication's still there.) and gratuitious, did I say gratuitous already? yet another piece where the man's dressed and the woman isn't. they could either have him also be barely dressed (wouldn't be my choice here, but others may disagree), or keep them both in clothes.

such as the photos where they're playing air hockey. what's wrong with just leaving it there? those are fun and sexy and play around with the image of the serious hockey player. I like them in the way that the only reason I'd want to go to a high school prom (I mean, if I could go back in time and actually go to mine, and in a bigger city than where I grew up) would be to get all dressed up and spent the late night hanging out with people riding the subway and going bowling and going to an all-night diner...

and my least favorite part? the intro: "When you furnish the world’s best hockey player with a ritzy New York hotel room and the season’s best, um, accessories, you know he’s going to put them to good use. Especially when that player is Alex Ovechkin."

um, "um, accessories"? does that mean Unnamed Woman? I'm touchy that I'll be accused of "complaining about everything" if I'm grumpy about articles/ads like this (but if anyone thinks I'm just "looking for stuff to get mad about", fuck you, I have plenty to be mad about without having to look) (I found the Ovechkin piece out of curiosity over a link on NHL.com). so...it's not that there's a sexy blond in the photos*, it's that she's explicitly referred to as an "accessory," i.e. an object, so I'd call that objectification. and yeah, I assume photo shoots like this are common at magazines like that--doesn't mean I can't critique them.
 
*like, I don't mind when the game threads at the Maple Leafs blog Pension Plan Puppets post photos of Niklas Hagman's attractive wife, Piritta Hannula, because, well, she has a name (admittedly, I had to Google it). and the fans (straight male ones anyway) need to be cheered up during all those times the Bruins steamroll the Leafs... (damn, that line worked better when the Leafs hadn't just had a spectacular win, tonight...over the Capitals. ha!)

the book above is from 1975. I own it and will be putting that image on Tumblr and Flickr for anyone who'd like to reblog/favorite it. as I feared from the cover, there don't seem to be any stories about hockey players in it. but...a golfer? who the hell thinks golfers are sexier than hockey players?!