Turtling?

Well Damien Cox has returned from vacation and no surprise here, he's bashing anything Leaf-related. While Chris Young over at JABS provided a similar reaction to myself War decided to go the anticipated route: bash Quinn. He does it in his patented no-regard for the facts, bash Leafs first kind of way.

Cox thinks that it is funny that Quinn is upset at the media for twisting his words and then goes out and twists Quinn's motives for clarifying his comments:

Naturally, Quinn has been careful to avoid saying bad things about his former employer in hopes of roping in another NHL team to pay him an exorbitant salary as a coach or consultant.

Of course! If a 40 year veteran of the hockey world clarifies that his far-reaching comments were not, in fact, a dig at the Maple Leafs but rather a comment on the state of affairs in professional sports then he is clearly angling for a job. No one would hire a man with Quinn's pedigree unless he backpedalled like crazy from a comment that is probably one of the most innoccuous to ever light a fire under Cox.

God forbid that Quinn has not badmouthed his former team because he is a decent human being. He's 'turtling' (see: Lemieux, Claude and Neil, Chris) which I guess is Cox's way of calling him a coward. This is on top of calling him a 'double-dipper' and saying that he speaks with a 'forked tongue'.

Then Cox goes about showing that he might not follow the Leafs as closely as being a hockey columnist is Toronto might require:

Just once it would be nice to hear him take some of the responsibility for the Leafs' inability to get anywhere near a Cup during his tenure.

Hmmm, maybe I dreamt the trip to the conference final in '02 with a injury addled squad? That was pretty close and a lot closer than most coaches have gotten their teams. While he was the GM Quinn could never be accused of not having ambition as his deadline deals will attest. They were not spectacular successes but he made the effort. That is something that Cox would probably be loathe to admit.

Maybe while Cox is sucking up to poor embattled MLSE and Richard Peddie he could note that for the past two seasons he has had to deal with JFJ's brilliant personnel moves. Failing that, he could slam Quinn to his face. I doubt he'd do that though. He'd probably turtle.

Bonus
Here is a great clip of straight-talking Bill Watters taking on Nick Kypreos after the firing of Quinn.

Update (September 5, 2006)
The comments section has, of course, degenerated into a Pat Quinn and Tie Domi bashing session. I tried to reply to a post from a sens fan trying to make fun of Domi by posting the YouTube link to Domi's pummelling of Chris "I only fight when we are losing" Neil. Unfortunately, that goes against what Cox wants so it was 'moderated' despite being a perfectly acceptable comment.

Sportsnet Angers Me

I think that the powers that be at Sportsnet might not read what I write. It is a sneaking suspicion, so to speak. Otherwise, this would not have been done to viewers. My vacation has hindered my posting but here's some humour for you: Kypreos' Sportsnet Bio.

Some highlights:

Most of the time, professional athletes have problems adjusting from the limelight to the twilight, when they retire.

Limelight? that kind of implies some sort of fame for his abilities. It is not really the word that describes a career that over nine seasons averaged five-four-nine (always write out single digit numbers) and 49 games played (complete stats here).

I have many great memories from my time as a professional.

Considering that Kypreos is more famous for the way his career ended you would not think that he would have many memories left. Maybe the guys at Sportsnet put together highlight reels to remind him about the past like Drew Barrymore in 50 First Dates.

A teammate of mine once mentioned that I could 'talk a pit bull off a meat wagon.' I'm still not sure if that's a good thing or not, but what I am sure of is that I can't get enough of talking hockey.

I am guessing that this is another muddled memory like thinking that he was ever in the limelight. His teammate probably meant that he argued like a demented bulldog and was a meatheaded idiot. But I am just reading between the lines. Also, I can definitely get enough of this thick skulled neanderthal talking shit (read: hockey). Hopefully multi-year means two and he is gone before that. God help us.

Verbal Diarrhea and a Tribute

Nick Kypreos
They are almost synonomous. Now, it looks like Sportsnet is going to base their search for increased irreverence and continued credibility around scrambled eggs for brains Kypreos. It was bad enough that they let go of Scotty Morrison but now they are trying to paint Kypreos as the saviour of HockeyCentral?

"You don't invest eight years in a guy like Nick and then let him go," Akande says. "Nick is a star who has built the Sportsnet brand. When people think of Sportsnet, they think of Nick Kypreos and we'll do our best to keep it that way."

You should do just that when you realize that you have an absolute tool on your hands. Nick has never been a star. He is most known for this infamous ending to his career (the only clip of him on YouTube). When people think of morons that are full of themselves they think of Nick Kypreos.

This is, by the way, the same Nick Kypreos who was so rough around the edges he was almost fired after his first season.

They had their chance and blew it. Thank God it's been trimmed down to a weekly show. If they do not keep Watters around to constantly call Kypreos on his idiocy then they might as well quit talking about 'credibility'.

Domi
I never had a chance to properly say goodbye to Tie, one of my favourite Leafs, so here is one of his last fights. His long-time nemesis on the sens Chris Neil, he of the patented 'slash, hook, lip off, run away from a fight' move, finally tries to show that he is a man. Domi gloriously reminds him why the Leafs have eliminated the sens in four out of four playoff meetings.

Leafs Moves, More Leafs Hate, and My Sportsnet Beef

Roberts and Peca
Everyone's favourite Star reporter, Kenny Campbell, is reporting that the Roberts deal is dead. To some this will seem like a sad day (I was in this camp initially) while others will see it for what it is: a break from the Leafs usual MO - acquiring old guys. Granted, Roberts is no Phil Housley but a lot of what he would have brought to the team can be found in the team's latest target Mike Peca.

Peca brings the same kind of grit and 'sandpaper' as Roberts and will possibly sign for less than the $2.25M that would have been due Gary. Age is also a big factor, 32 compared to 40, because it means that if Peca is a success that we could get a couple more years of his services while Roberts is clearly running out of time. Finally, the young Leafs, such as Wellwood and Stajan, would benefit greatly from having Peca around. Let's hope JFJ gets this done.

Bates Signs
The only Leaf challenging Carlo for toughest last name to spell signed a two-way deal for the league minimum this coming season. Not surprising as the Leafs salary cap issues (see Toronto Truthiness for a closer look. I will have an updated version soon) dictated that they would probably have to fill out the roster with league minimum salaries. As the article notes, he was key to the 'Canes run to the final in 2002 and he has put up some impressive numbers in the AHL. With former coach Paul Maurice back in charge he will definitely get a fair shot in camp alongside Ben Ondrus (another league minimum salary) for the role of fourth line checking winger.

The Antro Deal - "Not That Bad"
Poor Antro. So much hate is aroused when his name is mentioned. The mere sight of him on screen gangling about drives my father insane. So of course his one-year deal at $1M/yr set the rage in motion. However, if you take a look at a similar deal in which the New York Islanders gave Chris Simon $1M you will see that it's not such a bad deal. And yes, I know that doing something better than the Islanders is not saying much.

Last year with the Flames Simon put up 8-14-22 and a +/- of 0 in 72 games. Meanwhile, with the Leafs Antro put up 12-19-31 and a +/- of +13 in 57 games. As well, Antro had developed a great partnership with Ponikarovsky on the PK, something that Simon does not do. Hopefully, he can build on his momentum from the end of last season and put together a year indicative of his development.

More Leafs Hate
Sean McCormick ("The Big Dude" - man, could you try and make a more pathetic nickname as an on-air personality?) is an Oilers fan. We know this because he blogs for Sportsnet as an Oilers fan. We also could figure this out because of his bitterness and irrationality regarding the Leafs. As I noted earlier, when the Pronger rumours mentioned Toronto he erupted. Now that Peca is in discussions with the Leafs his anti-Leafs rage is off the charts. As many of the pro-Leafs comments pointed out, the Oilers were punching above their weight in the playoffs and they have already lost some key components. Plus the Oilers BARELY made the playoffs while the Leafs barely missed them. McCormick makes it sound like Peca is leaving the late 70s Flying Frenchmen for the expansion senators just because he grew up nearby.

"The Big Dude" needs to get a grip. The Oilers have gotten worse (lost Pronger, lost Spacek) while the Leafs have gotten better (got Raycroft, got Gill, got Kubina) and now Peca's potential move will shift the balance moreso towards the Leafs. Jim Lang sums it up best.

My Sportsnet Beef
Basically it boils down to Scott Morrison being fired. He is smart, articulate, and knowledgeable. Instead you keep Nick Kypreos. He is none of those things. In fact, he is the greatest cause of me screaming at the TV and changing channels. The guy retired because of a concussion. Clearly everything up there has not settled. If I could, I'd Zidane him.