The Empire Strikes Back
Soon all will be set right in the world once again. The puck drops in an hour. The Edmonton Oilers are back in the Stanley Cup finals.
This, of course, is huge beyond huge, just what the doctor ordered for this Canadian and Canadians everywhere. Coming off the bitterness of the lost season, the NHL needs us to be thinking about the glory days of Gretzky, Messier, Kurri, Lowe and Fuhr more than ever. It needs us to get a little nostalgic and, truth be told, it desperately needs a little Canadian team to hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup once again. Because until places like Atlanta and Anaheim start giving a damn, the most sacred trophy in professional sports needs to be properly loved. None of this Tampa Bay decides to have a parade because its hockey team won some tournament only to forget about it two days later.
I truly believe that Canadians still have some beef with the league for taking the year off. That lockout was rough on my people. Every time I returned home to Montreal it struck me as a very depressed place. TSN, the Canadian version of ESPN, turned into a cheap version of CNBC - all they ever talked about were the dollars and cents surrounding the league.
You just can’t compare it to anything in the States. Even if the mighty NFL took the year off, people would get down but ultimately they would just get more into college football. Canadians don’t have anything else. Forget what Detroit says about being “Hockeytown.” That might be true compared to hockey hotbeds like Raleigh and Phoenix, but travel up north and I will bet you eight shiny new Loonies that you’ll find at least ten more diehard hockeytowns than Detroit. And one of those lies in the heart of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
The interesting thing about these Oilers is that after acquiring Michael Peca and Chris Pronger in the off-season, most people expected them to be one of the league’s top teams. Then they had a mediocre regular season and barely made the playoffs. It was only after their first-round disposal of the Red Wings (Hockeytown my ass) that you knew this team was for real. Consider them the anti-dynasty Oilers of the 80s. Where that team was all finesse and flash, these Oilers are all grind and grit, a style that perfectly suits the rabid faithful of the Rexall Place.
So, look, if you’re mostly indifferent about this year’s finals, side with the forces of light and good and root for Edmonton. My country needs its Cup back badly. The Olympics debacle, the 13-year championship drought, the relocation of our teams – it’s all starting to pile up. We need to kick Carolina’s ass. And if Canada-love isn’t enough to sway your passions, don’t forget that Craig MacTavish is the Oilers’ head coach. The last of the NHL’s helmetless warriors. You can’t get much cooler than that.
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Though posted by Large, this missive comes to us from Ariel Helwani, aka The Franchise, a new and welcome addition to our roster from our Great White Northern office. The Franchise has worked for HBO Sports and ESPN's Classic Now, and at Syracuse he had his own radio show, The Whole Damn Wrestling Show, devoted to his love of the WWE. What did you do in college? Smoke weed? Yeah, well holms here was covering the WWE guerilla style. And he'll be bringing that pro wrestling expertise to the No Mas team, as well as his unique take on the NBA, the UFC, the CFL, and his dear, defunct Montreal Expos. And oh yeah, he's from Canada, so he likes hockey.
This, of course, is huge beyond huge, just what the doctor ordered for this Canadian and Canadians everywhere. Coming off the bitterness of the lost season, the NHL needs us to be thinking about the glory days of Gretzky, Messier, Kurri, Lowe and Fuhr more than ever. It needs us to get a little nostalgic and, truth be told, it desperately needs a little Canadian team to hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup once again. Because until places like Atlanta and Anaheim start giving a damn, the most sacred trophy in professional sports needs to be properly loved. None of this Tampa Bay decides to have a parade because its hockey team won some tournament only to forget about it two days later.
I truly believe that Canadians still have some beef with the league for taking the year off. That lockout was rough on my people. Every time I returned home to Montreal it struck me as a very depressed place. TSN, the Canadian version of ESPN, turned into a cheap version of CNBC - all they ever talked about were the dollars and cents surrounding the league.
You just can’t compare it to anything in the States. Even if the mighty NFL took the year off, people would get down but ultimately they would just get more into college football. Canadians don’t have anything else. Forget what Detroit says about being “Hockeytown.” That might be true compared to hockey hotbeds like Raleigh and Phoenix, but travel up north and I will bet you eight shiny new Loonies that you’ll find at least ten more diehard hockeytowns than Detroit. And one of those lies in the heart of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
The interesting thing about these Oilers is that after acquiring Michael Peca and Chris Pronger in the off-season, most people expected them to be one of the league’s top teams. Then they had a mediocre regular season and barely made the playoffs. It was only after their first-round disposal of the Red Wings (Hockeytown my ass) that you knew this team was for real. Consider them the anti-dynasty Oilers of the 80s. Where that team was all finesse and flash, these Oilers are all grind and grit, a style that perfectly suits the rabid faithful of the Rexall Place.
So, look, if you’re mostly indifferent about this year’s finals, side with the forces of light and good and root for Edmonton. My country needs its Cup back badly. The Olympics debacle, the 13-year championship drought, the relocation of our teams – it’s all starting to pile up. We need to kick Carolina’s ass. And if Canada-love isn’t enough to sway your passions, don’t forget that Craig MacTavish is the Oilers’ head coach. The last of the NHL’s helmetless warriors. You can’t get much cooler than that.
*************************************************************************************
Though posted by Large, this missive comes to us from Ariel Helwani, aka The Franchise, a new and welcome addition to our roster from our Great White Northern office. The Franchise has worked for HBO Sports and ESPN's Classic Now, and at Syracuse he had his own radio show, The Whole Damn Wrestling Show, devoted to his love of the WWE. What did you do in college? Smoke weed? Yeah, well holms here was covering the WWE guerilla style. And he'll be bringing that pro wrestling expertise to the No Mas team, as well as his unique take on the NBA, the UFC, the CFL, and his dear, defunct Montreal Expos. And oh yeah, he's from Canada, so he likes hockey.
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