|
And oh how the enigmatic goaltender shines in the spotlight, much to the chagrin of the league. Branden Oliver Blue Jersey . Bryzgalov is just what the NHL hates: unique, outspoken, not from Red Deer. The embattled and well-traveled goaltender is the antithesis of the typical NHLer. His idiosyncrasies, strange even for a goalie, rankle the entire NHL establishment, from players to management to media to that guy who lives in the apartment below yours with his mother who has a "prominent Predators blog." And as Bryz adds some animation to the typically lifeless NHL discourse in his return to centre scrum, its interesting to consider why hockey hates him so. [Getty Images] For much of his career, Bryzgalov and his delightfully absurd aloofness was left to the bliss of the uncovered hinterland of the NHL. He was allowed to ply his trade in Anaheim and Phoenix with relatively little attention paid. But, in league circles, his oddities were well known, and even celebrated when the media required moments of levity. But upon his arrival in hockey hotbed, and noted goalie-killer Philadelphia, the affection the league had for Bryzgalov turned quickly to venom. His play certainly didnt help, but many an average NHLer with a slight sense of humour has been left to his own devices. But Bryzgalovs appalling strangeness in the eyes of the hockey establishment, a sinister outfit run by old white men housed in a secret lair below the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, made him a pariah, and nearly led to the end of his career. And by "end of career" I mean playing in Edmonton. Perhaps no player has incurred the wrath of the NHL like the man the Wild acquired as insurance, and who is now their last hope to extend the season. But why? Unfortunately, hockey lacks Bryzgalovs. Of the four major sports leagues, it by far eschews personality and flavour more than all others. Hell, out of any sport it certainly boasts the most boring membership. No interview is less interesting than conversations with hockey players. Vanilla mocks the rabid blandness of NHLers. And those in NHL circles who do have personalities, like Sean Avery, Ted Nolan, or P.K. Subban, find themselves ostracized from the community, or like Subban unfairly labeled as troublesome on and off the ice. One would think a league that has struggled to find a market against its more successful sports brethren would embrace personality, but thats not the hockey way. Bryzgalov is more than a goalie, more than a hockey player. Hes a genuinely interesting and interested person. He has big questions. Like, "Im very into the universe, you know like how was created, you know, like, what is it, you know? Solar system is so humongous big, right? But if you see like our solar system and our galaxy on the side, you know, like, were so small you can never see it. Our galaxy is like huge, but if you see the big picture our galaxy (is) like a small tiny-like dot in the universe." Bryz is the opposite of boring. [HBO] But hockey is a factory of boring. The sport grabs youngsters at an early age, sends them to cosmopolitan metropoli like Chicoutimi, Lethbridge, and North Bay, and where representatives of the old boys club teach them to lack in colour and dissenting opinion. There must be courses in stock answers and cliché given to aspiring NHLers, lest they find some horrific off-ice personality. One can imagine a factory churning out 62 defencemen and gritty fourth line centres somewhere outside of Medicine Hat whose only answers are limited to: • Gotta play all three periods and go hard into the boards. • Its the coachs decision. • I enjoy CBCs Heartland. Unfortunately, this formulaic tendency has corrupted on-ice play as well. In the past quarter century weve seen the game become more systems-based, removing individuality and scoring from the game. (Lets call this Lou Lamoriellos fault.)Hockey enjoys being the definition of innocuous. What it finds funny, or interesting, is in the Jeremy Roenicks of its world, a sort of low brow, low risk comedy that makes Canadian sitcoms look like the bastard children of Louis CK and Sarah Silverman. And that affection for the benign has lowered scoring, homogenized the product, and made beat reporters quest for an interesting quote an exercise in futility. Bryzgalov is the kind of guy you like to keep in your pocket and take out at parties. He was the star of HBOs24/7, an ambitious show that tries to find intrigue in NHL locker rooms.His personality is as endearing as it playful. Hes intelligent, well read, and happy to speak on any subject. And the NHL hates him for it. This is a man who when asked if he feared the powerhouse Pittsburgh Penguins before a playoff matchup with his Flyers responded, "Im not afraid of anything – except bear. But bear in the forest." Whats not to love? The pundits cited his personality as one of the reasons he failed in Philly, despite the fact that the Flyers organization is a wasteland for goalies whose failures have been the result of a flawed organizational concept as opposed to a Russian who enjoys tea and literature. Whats most painfully difficult to entertain in this NHL with a hatred of the entertaining is the notion that there arent more personalities like Bryzgalov. The difference with Bryz is that he shares his self with the world. I cant even describe the weird that my peers tend towards in the privacy of dark corners of Montreal bars, so one cant be naïve enough to believe that similarly intriguing oddity doesnt exist in NHL locker rooms. NHLers are only permitted to show their game face, or as Bryz puts it, "You know, I have many faces … masks. In home, I have one face. Public, I have other face. Uh … ahhhh, on ice I have different face. Day off I have four face. With you [media] I have fifth face." The tradition of the league has implemented a gag order upon its membership, which limits both its on- and off-ice products. The marketing of contemporary sport is about personality. Its what makes the moments between on-field greatness interesting. Chad Johnson, Dennis Rodman, or Steve Lyons would never be allowed to exist in the NHL. From a young age, their personalities would never be given the chance to blossom into anything other than milquetoast. Bryzgalov once said, "OK, they fire the puck from the blue line. Chief usually yelling block the shot at the defensemen. They doesnt have the goalie gear, but they have to block the shot. So who is more crazy, me or the defencemen? Who is more weird?" No one, Bryz. No one. And thats a shame. For both the sport and its fans. This is likely his last few weeks as an NHL goaltender. And then exit Bryzgalov, pursued by bear. Dan Fouts Blue Jersey . The 11-year NBA veteran scored 18 of his 28 points in the third quarter and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Phoenix Suns 104-96 Tuesday to match their season best of five victories in a row.Doug Flutie Womens Jersey . All that matters to the son of a high school coaching legend is that hes the one they selected. "Its been my life-long dream to be an NFL head coach," Pettine said Thursday, "and however that opportunity presents itself, its fine with me.CLEVELAND -- Indians manager Terry Francona gave his team a pep talk Saturday after they lost for the seventh time in nine games. Cleveland responded Sunday, rewarding Francona with a 6-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. David Murphy hit a three-run double in the sixth inning and John Axford worked out of bases-loaded jam in the ninth as the Indians avoided a series sweep and broke a three-game losing streak. The Indians won 92 games and made the playoffs as wild-card team last season by getting contributions from as many areas as possible. That formula, which had been missing for much of the early season, was a key element against the Blue Jays. "Thats probably the best way we are as a team," Francona said. "Thats the way were built, get it across the board." Francona didnt want his players dwelling on their 7-10 start going into Sunday. "Nobody likes coming to the ballpark and look at your record when its not what you want it to be," he said. "Thats plain and simple. Saying that, I dont want them dragging in here, because its a new day. During a baseball season theres a lot of grinding that needs to be done. Sometimes the games easier than it is (at other times). Thats simple fact. So when its not going perfect, you grind the best you can." "Hopefully, this is exactly what we need to get on a roll," Murphy said. "We havent been playing terrible, but we havent been playing characteristic of ourselves." Cleveland entered the sixth trailing 4-2, but reliever Aaron Loup (1-1) walked the bases loaded before Murphy delivered a line drive past third base that kicked off the stands and caromed into shallow left field, allowing all three runners to score. Axford, the fourth Cleveland reliever, loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth before retiring Edwin Encarnacion on a groundout. Josh Outman (3-0) recorded the final out of the sixth and Clevelands bullpen pitched 3 1-3 innings of scoreless relief. Michael Brantley hit a solo homer in the second and added an RBI double in the fourth. Toronto scored threee times on four hits in the fourth. Ladarius Green Womens Jersey. Jose Bautista and Juan Francisco had RBI singles while Brett Lawrire added a run-scoring groundout. Brandon Morrow allowed three runs and was pulled after Nick Swishers leadoff single in the sixth. Loup got Jason Kipnis on a fielders choice. After Kipnis was caught stealing, Loup walked Carlos Santana, Brantley and Asdrubal Cabrera to fill the bases. Murphys liner past third bounced off the stands a few feet beyond the tarp and rolled into shallow left. By the time Melky Cabrera tracked it down, the runners had raced home and Cleveland had the lead. "Thats about as tough a lefty that Im going to face," Murphy said. "Fortunately, he gave me a good pitch to hit." "Walks hurt you," Toronto manager John Gibbons said. "These guys laid off it pretty good. And of course Murphy ends up getting the big hit there. We made a run at it late, it just didnt happen." Carlos Carrasco retired the first nine hitters, but Jose Reyes led off the fourth with a double. Melky Cabreras single sent Reyes to third before Bautistas single to right tied it. Franciscos single scored Cabrera and Lawries groundout made it 3-1. Reyes added an RBI single in the fifth. Carrasco hasnt recorded a victory in his last 16 starts. The right-handers last win as a starter came on June 29, 2011, against Arizona. His last victory came in a relief appearance on Aug. 20, 2011, against the Los Angeles Angels. Carrasco, who missed the 2012 season because of elbow surgery, is 0-11 with an 8.28 ERA since his last win as a starter. NOTES: Bautista has reached safely in all 19 games. ... The Blue Jays are off Monday and begin a three-game series at home Tuesday against Baltimore. .... The Indians are expected to activate DH Jason Giambi (broken rib) from the 15-day DL Monday. He was hit by a pitch in a spring training game. ... Cleveland opens a four-game series against Kansas City at Progressive Field on Monday. RHP Zach McAllister (2-2) faces RHP Jeremy Guthrie (2-0). cheap nfl jerseys cheap jerseys ' ' ' |
