Marcu 1, 2005

THE CADRE @ 2

UPEL Ereseer

... And Now For Something Completely _

Different:

Ryan Gallant Managing Editor

Well, clap your hands for the dancing morons. Yes, good old Gary “T left my self-respect in my other pants” Bettman and Bob “My head is-way up my ass” Goodenow could not save the NHL season. I mean, come on, here are two guys that don’t have enough combined brain cells firing to figure out . that the game they’re destroying is the same one that employs them. Nice one brainwave. The players don’t really have a valid argument to stand on either, I mean sure it’d be nice to have a few more bucks to gas-up your Hummer now and then, but if there’s no hockey, forget salary caps, there’s no salary, period. Idiots.

It’s not like the average salary is below the poverty line anyway. No player in the NHL makes under $180,000 a year. Yeah, good luck making that with a BA in Political Studies. I don’t know how much hockey you watch, but Aki Berg made $1.4 million last year. Aki Berg! He’s like a friggin pylon on skates. Jaromir Jagr made 11.3, which, if anyone’s counting, is roughly 100 times what our Prime Minister makes. I think its time to sit down, shut the hell up, and make some damn concessions. It’s pretty hard to collect $11.3 million in pogey.

Steve Moore, the Colorado Avalanche hockey player that was hospitalized after Vancouver Canuck Todd Bertuzzi sent him to the ice with a cheap shot was back in the news last week filing civil charges against Bertuzzi and others within the Canucks organization. OK Moore, we get it, you got hurt real bad in a hockey game and you want someone to pay for it. You’d

think though, after Bertuzzi was banned from the NHL and the ITHF, was forced to pay over half'a million dollars in fines (more than Moore would make in and entire year), was demonized by the media and in tears, publicly apologized to Moore and asked to speak with him personally, that Moore would have the common decency to give him a break. But no. Moore decided it’d be much more manly of him to deny Bertuzzi a personal audience with him and instead heap civil charges of assault, battery and negligence on Bertuzzi. Let me just say something here: Newsflash! Hockey is not for wusses. I should know, as a self- proclaimed wuss, I do not play the sport. Steve Moore knew damn well when he elbowed Canuck captain Marcus Naslund in the face, giving him aconcussion, that retribution was owed. When he wouldn’t face Bertuzzi man- to-man in a fight, Bertuzzi took him down. Granted, he took him down in an illegal and vicious manner, which was uncalled for, but this isn’t Peewee, Moore knew the rules, both written and unwritten. While I don’t think Bertuzzi should’ ve hammered Moore to the ice, Ialso don’t think Moore, a player-for- hire from the AHL, should’ ve elbowed Vancouver’s finesse player Naslund in the face, nor should he be portrayed by the media as some innocent angel while Bertuzzi gets compared to Hitler and bin Laden. Participants in NHL hockey agree to certain inherent risks just by playing the sport. Alex Mogilny broke his femur, Ace Bailey fractured his skull, Clint Malachuk had his throat cut by an errant skate, Norman Lévillé suffered brain damage, Howie Morenz, perhaps one of the best players ever in the league, died at the age of 34, 6 weeks after breaking his leg in a freak

The Rants of a University Student

accident on the ice. I’m not saying that violence is justified, but injuries do happen, intentional or otherwise, and Moore was under no illusions when he laced up his skates. Like flying or jumping off libraries or driving into oncoming traffic, these are the realities and risks that are associated with sport. I think it was Toronto star Ace Bailey that said, after Eddie Shack hit him, fracturing his skull and ending his career “That’s alright Eddie, It’s alla part of the game.” So yeah Moore, it sucks you got hurt, but crying won’t change that. Try and get on with your life, and maybe salvage some dignity in the process. After the lawsuit was announced, Marcus Naslund came out and told the media that this move was nothing more than a money-grab for Moore, saying, “he’s suing everyone because he wasn’t a good enough hockey player to make a lucrative earning in the NHL.” Since I can describe Moore’s character no better, I will leave it at that. And finally, for all you die-hard lovesick Valentine’s Day people, a man from Los Angeles, California landed in Manitoba hospital last week suffering from severe frostbite after attempting to walk from North Dakota to Winnipeg to see his girlfriend. The two had met online and the love-stricken man was so intent on meeting her that he decided to sneak across the Canadian border on foot. When asked for comment he said that he was unaware of what the weather conditions would be like. Hmmmm. Western Canada in February... What are the chances this guy voted Bush? -

Have a good one! ® ryangallant@hotmail.com