Pacioretty (Email Exerpt)
March 9, 2011, by Homme de Sept-Îles
exerpted from an email response from me to Doctor Rick earlier today (somewhat edited)
Well said, Doctor. The hit was purposeful. And the NHL is in deep trouble. They just haven’t admitted it in public and probably not internally, either.
All of the apologism and reframing (from certain media and league members) is embarrassing and infuriating.
Cam Cole’s piece on the subject in today’s Vancouver Sun was solid.
This kind of thing wouldn’t stand up in the NBA, the NFL or even the CFL. Sadly, the violent incident is one of many inappropriately handled since the lockout. These don’t go on in the vacuum of Canada’s world of hockey. They are seen by the sports world at large and sometimes beyond. Canada’s minister of sport also had a comment on the issue.
He won’t be the only one. And I wonder if what a hockey friend of mine said recently will come about; namely, the NHL will one day lose control of the policing aspects of its league as outside interests are brought to bear at the public’s behest, or otherwise.
Equally disturbing is the seeming concerted downplaying of the incident in various NHL broadcasts around the league tonight (I’ve been channel-surfing using the NHL Centre Ice Package).
Yes, where is Mario?
And the Canadiens, I suspect are not going to handle this political grenade publicly. My faith is that they will address it privately. Much of the progress we saw with rule changes during the lockout, I believe was influenced by the Canadiens and other progressive members of the NHL. It was done behind closed doors and any such progress on an issue such as this one, will likely be done in the same manner.
The repercussions of taking a fight like this to the streets means suffering a loss of the political football, a turnover, if you will and then we won’t see anything come of it. I believe the Canadiens organization has been smart in Gainey’s time with the club and there is a good group there that understand the power wielded by the English-dominated (read traditionalist) media and many of the game’s structures itself. And they know getting things done is best done in private. Where the boors can’t yell, strut and more easily destroy any progress. The public, a majority, is very much behind the traditionalists as it stands. So are too many of the hockey media who, in fairness, play embedded reporter roles and must be cautious in the positions they take. Unwanted or resented criticism can result in loss of access to players and other more subtle punishments.
I remain amazed and fascinated that the NHL actually cut down on obstruction and the like coming out of the lockout. The fear generated by that one year lockout period must have been acute. And, fear, as we know is what most strongly motivates any deep conservative.
Greed also comes to mind. [insert baron's laughter]
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