Trash Talking

Well, my favourite sports league (the NHL) is at it again. NHL VP Colin Campbell came out today warning Calgary and Chicago players about the amount of "chirping" or "trash-talking" going on at ice level. You mean to tell me that some pro hockey players may engage in trash-talking? That is just unconscionable. Hockey is a respectful game... please return to your running players from behind and punches to the face after every whistle.

Yes, that was snarky, but I'm illustrating a point about the NHL. The pundits (such as Don Cherry) in the league always like to talk about "respect" and a "code" and all that. However, nobody ever talks about what this "respect" in hockey is supposed to look like. Hockey is a contact sport, but people talk about respect when the team goon goes after an opposing player after a CLEAN hit. That makes no sense to me. To me, the most respectful thing a player can do in the NHL is let up when a player has his back turned or on a foot race for an icing. And, in most cases, the players do. Until the playoffs are at stake. If a team is down one goal with 5 minutes left in a playoff game, and you see a player let up when the opposing player is in a dangerous position please find me a youtube clip.

This brings me back to trash-talking and what the big deal is. Here's my opinion, and it's back to my general opinion that the NHL has a gigantic bug up its ass. In the NBA and NFL, trash-talking happens all the time. It is a tool some players use to try to get other's off their game or goad them into a stupid penalty. There is a youtube clip floating around with Ryan Kesler and Alex Burrows taunting David Backes with comments like "Kelly is a great girl, tell her I said hi" (Backes' wife is named Kelly). Harmless stuff meant to try to get players off their game. Sure, if a player crosses the line and makes a racist comment that's different. However, the comments about mothers, wives, etc... are common to the sport. Reg Dunlop's "Your wife is a D**e" taunts from "Slap Shot" are based on reality.

Shouldn't the NHL be worried about hits from behind and the endless skirmishes it seems after every whistle instead of Adam Burish making comments about Jarome Iginla's mother? God forbid that the NHL mimics some of the NBA and NFL. God forbid, the NHL may actually get a decent US television contract.

Anyways, keep enjoying the playoffs folks. Carolina and Jersey is turning into the series to watch.

Cheers.