Washington Post sports columnist Mike Wise penned this gem in the wake of the Flyers’ 6-3 dismantling of the Capitals in Game 3 of their playoff series, and you really need to read it to appreciate his level of ignorance.
Not to go all Brett Myers on you, but Wise is a retard who obviously doesn’t know you-know-what about hockey, especially playoff hockey. Allow me to directly refute some of his statements and expose him as nothing more than a sore loser.
Wise: “The Washington Capitals and their star Alex Ovechkin, the closest thing the NHL has to Kobe and LeBron, need some kind of help if they are going to genuinely awaken America to their game again.”
Actually, Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby is being marketed as the face of the new NHL. Ovechkin is obviously a talented offensive player, and I actually used to view him with more respect than Crosby because of his physical play. Then I watched him do a combination pirouette-swan dive two strides after he collided with R.J. Umberger, a flop that would make Manu Ginobili proud. I play C league hockey and guys don’t dive like that. At least Ovechkin can head across town and suit up for D.C. United in a couple of weeks.
As for the help he desperately needs, isn’t that what his teammates are for? The only other guy who has consistently shown up in the series is Mike Green, and even that is debatable. It’s a team game, and the Flyers are playing as a team. Ovechkin is stranded on an island by himself with no relief in sight.
Wise: “The tenor of this rugged series is terrible news for hockey progressives everywhere, the way the Flyers have punked a nice bunch of free skaters who train in Ballston and used to be among the most feared offensive teams in the NHL.”
He says “punked,” I say “exposed.” Yes, the Caps were among the hottest teams at the end of the season, but that’s largely because they were facing fellow Southeast Division teams, and the Southeast was abysmal this year. Four of the top five teams (points-wise) hail from the rough-and-tumble Atlantic Division, against whom the Capitals posted a pedestrian 8-8-4 mark. So is anyone really surprised by the style of play employed through the first three games of this series?
Wise: “Midway through the third period of this demoralizing 6-3 loss at Wachovia Center, 20,000 people in fluorescent orange howled for their World Extreme Cagefighters, and a crowd in the upper bowl chanted vulgarities at Ovechkin that went beyond the bounds of loutish fan behavior.”
Right, because Ovechkin gets showered with nothing but roses in other arenas. And I can pretty much guarantee that it wasn’t only the fans in the upper bowl, but rather the entire mass of 20,000 clad in orange that was serenading the MVP.
Last time I checked, finishing your checks wasn’t illegal, which is why I find it humorous that our guys are World Extreme Cagefighters when there’s only been one fight in the series and it was instigated by Green.
Wise: “Did we mention they show fights on the video scoreboard every period here, more than most arenas show dunks in the NBA?”
But it’s alright for the AV crew at Verizon Center to show footage of Ivan Drago pummeling Rocky Balboa in Rocky IV prior to Game 1 of the series? Actually, I found their choice of movie clips hysterical when you realize that Ivan Drago was chemically-enhanced, the Russian fans eventually started cheering for Rocky because of his heart, and the most important thing – ROCKY WINS!!!
If it would make the Caps feel more at home, perhaps we could roll out some footage of the ’76 Bullies smacking around the Russian Red Army team.
Wise: “It's almost impossible to fathom, but the Capitals took the ice in front of a building as loud as Verizon Center last Friday.”
Please don’t try to compare your building to our building. At least in our building the PA announcer doesn’t have to prompt the fans to make noise, or announce when a penalty has expired. Savvy hockey fans, like the ones in Philly, understand all that. Dopes with red Mohawks who only show up when the team is good don’t.
Wise: “The Flyers are an instant repudiation of what Gary Bettman wanted the league to become. They are a reminder of the NHL's pugilistic past that just won't go away.”
Bettman’s vision for the new NHL was that of a faster, smoother game that emphasized skill more than size and did away with the slow, boring, methodical neutral zone trap philosophy that had taken over. As evidenced by the fact that skill guys like Danny Briere and Vinny Prospal are thriving right now, I’d say the Flyers fit that vision. Bettman didn’t want to do away with physical play, which has been and will continue to be a part of the game. If the Capitals (and their beat writers) can’t handle that, then perhaps they should take up curling.
Wise: “Unless Ovie and the Overachievers get untracked offensively soon and the sublime choreography of teamwork returns to the Capitals' line, there is but one hope left.”
Hey, he finally got something right!
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2 comments:
Wise is 100% right. Philly is nothing but a neandrathal crowd. DC is a highly educated city and Philly is mostly low class blue collar. The education level clearly shows in the actions the fans display at the game.
As for Briere and Prospal fitting the NHL"s vision. Dream on. Nobody outside of Philly want's to see your goon team in the 2nd round. Many television sets will be turned off across Canada and the United States. Flyers don't do anything positive for hockey expect give real hockey fans across the globe a team to really hate. It's not 1975 anymore. You haven't won a cup in almost 35 years. The NHL loses big revenue if these goons somehow advance.
And the last time the Caps won a Cup was when?? Let's face it - both teams are doing whatever they have to do to win the beloved Cup. This is playoff hockey - and if you can't stand it, don't watch (or complain).
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