Takes and trash talk from both ALL sides of the NHL's most obscure PATHETIC* rivalry

* Thanks, Kevin Lowe!

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

A note to Vishnevski’s arbiter(s)

Dear Sir(s) and/or Madam(s)

I realize the public eye has been heavy on your decisions lately. Many have vocalized complaints about high-dollar rulings on Mike York, Daniel Briere, and Scott Gomez.

Well, just when you needed some relief, you got it in tomorrow's itinerary.


May I present Vitaly Vishnevski.

(It’s all right, we can talk about him, as his English remains somewhat broken.)

Vish-dog, as some like to call him, scored a measly eight points this year over 82 games, this in the offense-friendly NHL. His one and only goal came when a distracted St. Louis Blue flung the puck all the way back into his own vacant net.

Now Vish’s lawyers may argue that his value isn’t scoring, and that he finished 8th in the league in recorded hits. But really, should that count as much as, say, scoring a goal past an actual netminder?

I think you could find it in your money-crazy hearts to give this guy the kind of small dollar contract that keeps him in Anaheim for a long time.

You know, and take the heat off a bit from all the talk of big-buck awards. Ya with me?

Signed,

A concerned fan
(who happens to own a Vishnevski jersey)


(Burke: you trade Pahlsson or Vishnevski, and part of me will kill part of you. Just sayin'.)

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Whom was "Ребята, родина с вами" for, again? I gather it was for Russian players, but I forget whom, precisely.

Earl Sleek said...

It was the sign I printed for G5 vs. EDM from this post, specifically a comment from 'Alexey from Moscow':

anyways, if you see our boys Ruslan and Vitaly in the box, tell/yell them there's a crowd of devoted Anaheim fans all over Russia and the former CIS believing in them when the believing's tough.

and if you're up to it, make a sign to show them. let me make the text for you (i know cyrillics can be tough), it says "Guys, your homeland is with you!!!" you would make our day if you made this sign!


BTW, neither Salei nor Vishnevski did take a penalty that game. Sigh.

Anonymous said...

"Vitaly Vishnevski and Lubomir Visnovsky .... can two hockey players for different NHL teams & from different countries share an apartment in Southern California without driving each other crazy?"

(cue theme music from "The Odd Couple")

There may be a sitcom here, yet.

Anonymous said...

Well said, I was torn when Salei left. Vishnevski should be brought back, he deserves his raise for being the force he is. That forward is a little more cautios comming through the middle and takes his nuetral zone acceleration back a little. That makes it three lines (maybe 2, Scott doesn't drop too many people really), that keep forwards at bay on sheer respect. We need that, we have to score more goals then the other team, the less they have the better.

Anonymous said...

And to reply to the comment about Russian fans...that is pretty cool that they are so passionate about people from their home country. We are crappy fans in the U.S.