Now That You Love To Hate Me! Go Sens Go!
Well I guess I stirred up a hornet’s nest with my post yesterday. I knew it would draw some reaction but I didn’t anticipate the outright rage. I understand a little bit where it is coming from, but seriously, is it really worth the ill feelings it apparently inspired?
My favorite quote in response to my post was from a person who went by the name Hejda… –
"Excuse me? Are you freakin serious? Do you not remember any of these guys – Mats Sundin, Darcy Tucker, Tie Domi, Joe Nieuwendyk? You have just been deleted from my bookmarks."
The post was meant to show me and my thoughts in a negative light, but I feel proves my point exactly. Of course I remember those players, and I also remember Bill Derlago, Steve Thomas and Mike Palmateer, but those are names in the history books. Check the facts –
- Mats Sundin – 2008
- Darcy Tucker – 2008
- Tie Domi – 2006
- Joe Nieuwendyk – 2004
and I will even add a couple of my own :
- Brian McCabe – 2008
- Shayne Corson – 2003
- Curtis Joseph – 2009 (for a stint, but really 2002)
- Gary Roberts – 2004
- Ed Belfour – 2006
- Pat Quinn – 2006
Those numbers after the names represent the last season that those players played (or coached) in the Battle Of Ontario. It has been three full seasons since there was any real hatred between the clubs. These are the players we hated while they were wearing Blue and White. But need I remind you who the guy Ottawa fans wanted cried out for every trade deadline when the Senators were contending? Gary Roberts.
Really, who is there to hate on the Leaf’s squad now? Phil Kessel? Annoying perhaps, but hardly hateable. I even respect the way he handled the last overall selection in the All-Star fantasy draft. Nikolai Kulemin? Who is he? Tyler Bozak? Ditto. Dion Phaneuf? Not quite yet, but give him a chance and he might be able to incite the hatred we, as Sens fans, had for the likes of Domi and Tucker et al. Yes, Matt Carkner and Colton Orr fight almost every time they are on the ice together but that hardly translates into overall hatred.
The fact is that, as the saying goes, these aren’t you father’s Toronto Maple Leafs. I can’t hate this edition…right now. These readers who had the courtesy to comment simply hate the memory of Leafs teams of the past, in my opinion. In fact, the Leafs club that takes the ice now is pretty much what you can expect the Senators squad to look like in the next couple of year. A bunch of young players molding together to become a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.
Feel free to knock me for my opinion, I can take it, but please respect it. And in return, you are entitled to yours and I respect that. I don’t expect everyone to agree with everything I write. In fact, that would be extremely boring. However, if you have read my previous posts, you will know that I am a Sens fan first and foremost. For crying out loud, my twitter handle is @alfieisgod, which breaks down to, in case you can’t figure it out, Alfie is god. I am a Spezza apologist. Check out the Church Of Alfie page on Facebook…and see who started it the very morning that Team 1200 morning show host Steve Warne began his outright worship of the Senators Captain. Yours truly.
I see no problem with begrudgingly giving your opponent, even your most hated rival, some respect. If you feel so hurt by my “admission” that you refuse to read my posts, that is your issue. I think I have proven to be informative and relatively entertaining in my posts on this site. I am sure that when and if the two clubs meet in the playoffs once again or there is a big defining moment like a fake stick throwing or an accusation of spitting, my hatred will ramp back up.
But as I said before, I am not feeling it right now. This edition of the Maple Leafs (aside from Brian Burke, and maybe Ron Wilson) hasn’t given me reason to. They don’t have the personality to invoke the same level of hatred we all had 5 years ago. Personally, I hate the Habs more now. Ole Ole Ole indeed.
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