Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Game One Ramblings: Ducks, Wings, and Pigs
by Jes
If Games 2-4 and perhaps 5,6,7 are as good as Game 1, then this series is gonna rock more than the Dschinghis Khan reunion concert in Moscow.
While I don't have a dog, or duck, in this fight, I am still watching the games and was pleased to be well entertained by the action on the ice.
Some random thoughts
1. Does CBC hate hockey fans? It's bad enough that we get the stale Leafs-homer Harry Neale and dinosaur Bob Cole in the booth, but why is Greg Millen(!) the third man in the booth?
Does CBC not listen to the fans? Does CBC not surf the internets? How could they not know that Millen is the most despised colour commentator in this country?
Is this a conscious decision, or are they simply trying to milk their sunken investment in the guy? Ugh. Millen was definitely at his best/worst last night.
2. Note to self: If you have a kid, make sure s/he befriends a super-rich and generous athlete when they are young.
Teemu Selanne kept a promised and flew 16 of his childhood friends to Anaheim to watch him and the Ducks smack around the Sens.
Yeah, what a guy!
I got the full dealio over at The NHL Fanhouse.
3. Red Wings fans are a classy bunch, eh?
If you ever wanted a fine example of male chauvinism and pig-headedness, check out Helene Elliot's article on what happens when a female reporter dares to not pick the Wings to advance.
Here are some of the samples of the fine writing Red Wings fans are capable of ...
Ahh, the anonymity of the internet lets people show their true colours with no fear or retribution.
Helene Elliot has always been a classy, intelligent, award-winning writer who has shown NO inkling of being a 'puck bunny'. Why she has to put up with crap like this is beyond me. Does being female preclude one from having an intelligent perspective on the game of hockey? Of course not!
I'm going to resist calling Wings fans a bunch of spoiled pigs. We know they are spoiled, but these kind of comments could have come from the fans of any hockey club. It's pretty sad that some male fans feel threatened that a female might actually *gasp* know more about the game of hockey than they do.
Anyway, Helene goes on to point out that Wings' fan anger should be rightfully pointed at owner Mike Ilitch, who priced tickets so outrageously that the average commoner could not afford to attend. The Wings have also been notoriously media-unfriendly and fan-unfriendly, for what it's worth.
(hat tip to Wayne for the story pointer)
If Games 2-4 and perhaps 5,6,7 are as good as Game 1, then this series is gonna rock more than the Dschinghis Khan reunion concert in Moscow.
While I don't have a dog, or duck, in this fight, I am still watching the games and was pleased to be well entertained by the action on the ice.
Some random thoughts
1. Does CBC hate hockey fans? It's bad enough that we get the stale Leafs-homer Harry Neale and dinosaur Bob Cole in the booth, but why is Greg Millen(!) the third man in the booth?
Does CBC not listen to the fans? Does CBC not surf the internets? How could they not know that Millen is the most despised colour commentator in this country?
Is this a conscious decision, or are they simply trying to milk their sunken investment in the guy? Ugh. Millen was definitely at his best/worst last night.
2. Note to self: If you have a kid, make sure s/he befriends a super-rich and generous athlete when they are young.
Teemu Selanne kept a promised and flew 16 of his childhood friends to Anaheim to watch him and the Ducks smack around the Sens.
Yeah, what a guy!
I got the full dealio over at The NHL Fanhouse.
3. Red Wings fans are a classy bunch, eh?
If you ever wanted a fine example of male chauvinism and pig-headedness, check out Helene Elliot's article on what happens when a female reporter dares to not pick the Wings to advance.
Here are some of the samples of the fine writing Red Wings fans are capable of ...
"If Detroit wins, your gonna be gettiing a [ton] more emails from me you [prostitute]. Why don't you report on your own teams from now on. Like the Kings, where are they? Or the Lakers? Women should stick to writing articles about cooking and homemaking and NOT sports, cuz its obvious you have no idea what....you are talking about, [Don Imus word]."
"You have no idea what your baby ducks are in for! A woman writing about hockey in southern California! Leave the hockey to us sweetheart!"
"You are one cocky writer. I am going to remember that damn story and if the wings win the series, I'm gonna laugh in your face via e-mail. If there's one kind of writer I have no respect for, it's a writer exactly like you who writes worthless … like that.
"I'm surprised your man let you out of the kitchen long enough to write this article. You don't know much about sports, so you should stick to cleaning the house."
"Of course what do women know about hockey anyway. Go back to the kitchen and make me something to eat."
Ahh, the anonymity of the internet lets people show their true colours with no fear or retribution.
Helene Elliot has always been a classy, intelligent, award-winning writer who has shown NO inkling of being a 'puck bunny'. Why she has to put up with crap like this is beyond me. Does being female preclude one from having an intelligent perspective on the game of hockey? Of course not!
I'm going to resist calling Wings fans a bunch of spoiled pigs. We know they are spoiled, but these kind of comments could have come from the fans of any hockey club. It's pretty sad that some male fans feel threatened that a female might actually *gasp* know more about the game of hockey than they do.
Anyway, Helene goes on to point out that Wings' fan anger should be rightfully pointed at owner Mike Ilitch, who priced tickets so outrageously that the average commoner could not afford to attend. The Wings have also been notoriously media-unfriendly and fan-unfriendly, for what it's worth.
(hat tip to Wayne for the story pointer)
Labels: ducks, Females in hockey, musings, Red Wings, Selanne, stanley cup
Comments:
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I had heard Selanne was a good guy, now I've got proof!
I heard about the LA Times article on the Hockey Ladies of Greatness blog. Nice to know Helene took the comments in stride.
I heard about the LA Times article on the Hockey Ladies of Greatness blog. Nice to know Helene took the comments in stride.
"Ahh, the anonymity of the internet lets people show their true colours with no fear or retribution."
Ah men to that.
Ah men to that.
Like you say, Jes, those comments could have come from "fans" of any team. There are plenty of classy Wings fans just like there are plenty in every fan base. We have our share of boars, believe me, but I've come across plenty of those types of people from the fanbases of every team in the League, so it's not just a Wings thing.
I was, like many other people, legitimately ticked off that Elliot was toeing the media party line at the start of the series by spouting off about how much Detroit is NOT Hockeytown strictly due to the fact that the arena was not sold out. It was especially rich given the fact that she hyped up the Ducks' then-28-game sellout streak without acknowledging the Wings' 11-year sellout streak.
She also completely ignored the fact that where were thousands of us watching the games from all over the world. The moniker "Hockeytown" applies to more than just Joe Louis Arena ((For comparison, no one has any qualms about applying "Leafs Nation "with a broad brush. Why the double standard?). By ignoring that she touched a nerve, with me at least.
It was not very classy on her part to write that of calling out of the fans for some kind of lack of loyalty just because they couldn't afford tickets.
You'll observe that she does not call out the organization in that article, so my issue with her, as Wings fan, was her comments in that one, not her others. Her later comments are perfectly right: we should be pissed at the organization for thinking that strictly icing a decent team every year is enough, that they have no further obligation after that.
Disagreeing with her doesn't necessitate those types of comments, of course, and I'm disgusted that people I'm obliged to call "fellow fans" are so low.
The perceived insult was a minor part of her article, but, like I said, it struck a nerve.
As for people who were pissed off by her prediction for the Ducks to win, fans need to learn to be a little more toughskinned. It's one thing to laugh her off and say, "She'll see." It's another to email her about it so insultingly. Ugh.
I was, like many other people, legitimately ticked off that Elliot was toeing the media party line at the start of the series by spouting off about how much Detroit is NOT Hockeytown strictly due to the fact that the arena was not sold out. It was especially rich given the fact that she hyped up the Ducks' then-28-game sellout streak without acknowledging the Wings' 11-year sellout streak.
She also completely ignored the fact that where were thousands of us watching the games from all over the world. The moniker "Hockeytown" applies to more than just Joe Louis Arena ((For comparison, no one has any qualms about applying "Leafs Nation "with a broad brush. Why the double standard?). By ignoring that she touched a nerve, with me at least.
It was not very classy on her part to write that of calling out of the fans for some kind of lack of loyalty just because they couldn't afford tickets.
You'll observe that she does not call out the organization in that article, so my issue with her, as Wings fan, was her comments in that one, not her others. Her later comments are perfectly right: we should be pissed at the organization for thinking that strictly icing a decent team every year is enough, that they have no further obligation after that.
Disagreeing with her doesn't necessitate those types of comments, of course, and I'm disgusted that people I'm obliged to call "fellow fans" are so low.
The perceived insult was a minor part of her article, but, like I said, it struck a nerve.
As for people who were pissed off by her prediction for the Ducks to win, fans need to learn to be a little more toughskinned. It's one thing to laugh her off and say, "She'll see." It's another to email her about it so insultingly. Ugh.
# posted by 
: 6:27 pm
: 6:27 pm
I received comments like that just for posting in my hockey pool. Luckily the guy was kicked out because him and a friend were cheating, but it's still b/s that there are guys out there that believe a girl is incapable of having insightful knowledge of a sport.
As for CBC having Millen in there, I couldn't believe it when I saw it. They might as well has Arnold doing the colour commentary!
The only consolation that I will have if the Sens don't win The Cup is if Teemu does, he's a great guy.
As for CBC having Millen in there, I couldn't believe it when I saw it. They might as well has Arnold doing the colour commentary!
The only consolation that I will have if the Sens don't win The Cup is if Teemu does, he's a great guy.
# posted by : 6:40 am
: 6:40 am
Anyone seen this week's Hockey News? Apparently Buffalo is out to grab the "Hockeytown" name for themselves....hmmm
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