Why Grapes is always pestering European hockey players on being soft.  I’ve been watching the World Junior Hockey Tournament for as long as I’ve been playing and watching hockey, I remember vaguely when the team was playing exhibition games at the Canada Games Arena in Grande Prairie and seeing the likes of Trash Harvey, Marty Murray, Jeff Friesen, and of course the next great superstar, Alexander Daigle.  I didn’t have the opportunity back then to watch the Czech Republic but did have the privilege of seeing team Sweden and Finland and while I dont remember much (other then being starstruck at that age)  Don Cherry had always harped on Fins and Swedes for being pre Madonna’s.  After today’s World Junior game we should be pointing and laughing at team Czech Republic.

Now before I get ahead of myself it’s not just European’s who are notorious divers, I’ve seen multiple Canadian hockey players in the last couple years take a magical spill but why?  Where the hell did this come from and how did it pollute OUR game of hockey so much.  After watching this mornings Canada/Czech Republic game I have a pretty good indication where it game from…European hockey.

I dont remember hockey before the early 80′s Oilers and I’d be a fool to tell you stories about certain aspects of the game or how good hockey players were back then.  There will always be that great debate that players in our age are far more skilled and player stats pre 90′s were inflated because the goaltenders were downright terrible compared to today’s standard. One thing you cant argue is how tough those guys were, if you need proof just dial into the NHL network when the Broad Street Bullies are on or even the old Battle of Alberta games.  Sticks swinging, cheap shots, actual fighting with legitimate heavyweight bouts, you name it the game had it.  Guys who went down got up unless they had a broken leg and couldn’t physically skate to the bench, not like today where a guy goes down when he gets slashed on the shin pad. Hockey players have always had the reputation of being tough but lately Im beginning to compare some of them to the pansies from the NBA.

Why the sudden change though, what happened so drastically in our game in the last five to ten years to bring upon such a radical change.  Well the whole “taking obstruction out of the game” didn’t help things, now we have players embellishing even the slightest tug because the game we know today is turning into a special teams affair.Sadly players are starting to realize this and taking full advantage of it.

Today was just another prime example. I have to credit Hockey Canada for it’s continued excellence in picking players for the Junior program who exemplify what Canadian hockey is all about, skill, speed, talent combined with the equally important hard work and heart.  Sadly it’s some of the European teams that bring this tournament down and I feel sorry for all the kids of there respected countries seeing these young men flopping around the ice thinking it’s the smart thing to do.  Kids idolize these players and if they see there favorites taking dives you can be sure as hell they’ll be planning the same thing the next time on the ice.

The past couple years I’ve watched the Czech Republic act like complete fools in this tournament and unfortunately after today’s game it’s apparent they haven’t changed there ways.  Multiple dives and phantom injuries trying to draw penalties and the worst one of them all was the corner hit by Claude Giroux (I think) as he absolutely flattened a Czech defensemen. The result? Well the defensemen laid on the ice for awhile looking to be hurt but then magically got up under his own free will, skated to the bench, and looked no worse for wear his next shift out.  Luckily Canada didn’t get called for a 5 minute major for another questionable “hit to the head” call.

It doesn’t help the situation when the IIHF referee’s are calling every little thing.  I know we are trying to clean up the game and open up scoring but hockey is meant to be known not only for it’s speed and scoring but for its physical play as well. Show me a game of hockey without hitting or fighting and chances are I wont be watching (*cough cough almost sounds like an NHL game these days*).

Sadly this probably wont change anytime soon, I’m sure we have millions of coaches worldwide who are teaching and telling players to take a dive to draw a penalty because they learned it from the likes of Gordan Bombay and the Mighty Ducks.  What they need to do is act more like Charlie Conway and not stoop to that level.

Otherwise we will end up with hockey players who are Olympic divers as well, like this fellow…

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JptFBH_MeqI]

Walks
www.hotstickybun.com