Sharks’ rookie Tomas Hertl scored 4 goals against the Rangers and sealed it off with this beauty.
It sent the hockey world, at least in North America, into a tizzy. Most comments were in endorsement of the move. Its a highlight reel move. This got the NHL on ESPN which usually only happens after someone does something criminal on the ice, or a team wins the Stanley Cup. The NHL needs things like this. It was great when Daniel Sedin did it. Rick Nash did it. And especially when Marek Malik did it. And literally as I am writing this, Thomas Vanek just did.
So why are people upset? Apparently because these damn kids today have no respect! But really, who cares. 99.9% of people love it. Only Damien Cox and Adam Oates hate it. Its great to see “shootout” moves become part of regular play. People love it when someone does a flashy dunk in the NBA, so why not flashy dangles?
Today, the Vancouver Canucks will play the San Jose Sharks at home. Since the Sharks haven’t played a game since “Teenage Mutant Ninja” Hertl’s big night, it was still a topic of discussion. The Vancouver media were interviewing Sharks winger Patrick Marleau and asked about the showboat-iness of Hertl’s big night. This is when captain Joe Thornton piped in with this:
“I’d have my cock out if I scored 4 goals. I’d have my cock out, stroking it.”
Jason Botchford posted this quote in his blog at the Province.
Now people are mad at Botchford. Why? Apparently when a player shouts from across the room and interrupts an interview, its off the record. A lot of other media members (basically anyone who isn’t a Sharks media) have come to Botchford’s defence. Most echo some sentiment of “unless its stated that its off the record, then it is on the record.” Apparently, yelling an answer to the media is “locker room talk” and it stays there. But the the audio of the event is reportedly clearly audible on Vancouver radio who played the clip along with their Marleau audio, the stuff they actually wanted.
There are two camps on why this is so awful. The first is the above “off the record” crew that apparently won’t publish a juicy quote at all costs when it is shouted at them. The second group is the “think of the children” people. Apparently a newspaper, one that publishes stories about sex tips, rapists, sexual offenders, murders and other news, is a family paper and kids shouldn’t be subjected to “cock.” By the way, this is the homepage of the newspaper.
So thats cool I guess. Suicide? Check. Domestic violence? Check. Rape? Check. Genetically predisposed to being pessimistic? Check. But a quote in a blog about a a guy’s dong? Apparently that crosses the line of what children should be subjected to.
But apparently the Mercury News, the above angry Sharks media outlet, had no issues talking about Brent Burns celebrating by getting naked in their article.
So what is the moral really? That the NHL is so boring that people will take something fun and devolve it into a cry-fest about journalist ethics. I never went to journalism school, but if I ask a question and get an answer from a guy who clearly wants me to know his opinion, I’m probably going to publish it. Imagine if this same “locker room” talk principal applied to when teams trash talk the other teams. Had Thornton shouted at the media something about the “Sedin sisters” or “Cindy Crysby” it would be published even though apparently it could technically be “locker room talk.”
This shows just how much NHL fans want to know what their players are like behind the scenes. How hungry people are for an unfiltered look into their favourite teams. This is why 24/7, Oil Change, and Behind the B have been so well recieved. Look at the NFL with Hard Knocks or even the WWE with Total Divas.
Something like this gets reported and forgot about in other sports as quickly as it was said. In the NHL? Its a big story and a call to arms to end all evidence of player personality.
@Adam_Pyde on Twitter, Adam Reviews Things on Facebook. CanadianAdam on Twitch.
Adam Reviews Things 