Ok, I know that sounds like a complete contradiction. I can hear my male readers shouting "It's a hockey game, Grace, not a garden party!" I know that. But in every, ahem, arena there are codes of behavior, aka etiquette, that should govern people's conduct. Yes, even hockey games.
Alas, the recent bouts between the Flyers and the Penguins have not demonstrated the best examples of that.
To my dismay, I reluctantly acknowledge that fights are part of the game. But Sunday's game saw gratuitous and excessive violence which resulted in two Penguin players receiving suspensions. Good, say I.
But that's not what has really chipped my polish, Gracious Sports Fans.
It's that mouthpiece of mean, that blaster of brutishness, that utter, utter Grunt Sydney Crosby.
When asked about his less than sportsmanlike conduct, particularly in regard to his smacking away Flyer Voracek's dropped glove as Voracek bent to retrieve it, he responded thus: "I don't like any guy on their team. So [Voracek's] glove was near me, he went to pick up and I pushed it. Was I supposed to sit there and pick up his glove for him?"
Well, Sydney, a Grant would have. But clearly expecting exemplary behavior from Crosby would be optimistic to the point of idiocy. I get that in the heat of a competitive, hotly contended, and supremely important game emotions run high. I also get that some of these players have been knocked on the head a few too many times and maybe their impulse control is impaired.
But it doesn't take a tremendous amount of brain power to shut up. And that, Graces and Grants, is what really smeared my lipstick (no, not the hockey mom/pitbull kind, just the normal, tasteful tint that Graces wear for that extra little glow).
Fine, Sydney, we get that you're mad. We accept your antipathy. We even understand your need to 'diss' our guys on the ice. But for Graces' sake, don't make yourself sound like a petulant child after the fact.
That's all, Graces. Now I'm off to put on my orange and black in preparation for tonight's game.
Go Flyers!
1 comment:
The thing that you're forgetting is that Crosby is still pretty young. He's managed to build up a pretty impressive rep given his age, so he will have the natural inclination to be arrogant --especially since he's getting paid obscene amounts of money (as are the other players in NHL). As a result, he's gonna mouth off. Hockey has it's own kind of etiquette, and even though it doesn't apply to, say a garden party, it's just how it is.
I'm just thankful that they wear all that gear. Have you seen hockey games from 40+ years ago? Players back then had to be tough and they weren't getting paid the kind of money players are being given today.
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