Eric Staal, seen to the left clutching his leg, was having himself a pretty nice little World Championships as the captain of the Canadian team. The team finished second in its pool behind surprising Switzerland, and Staal was looking to lead the Canadians past Sweden and into the semi-finals at the World Championships for the first time in three years. Things were going pretty well for Eric Staal and the boys until an ugly play derailed Staal, the team, and Canada's hopes for World Championship gold.
I'll be honest in saying that I'm not a Vancouver Canucks fan by any means, but I do have respect for the guys who worked their way through the Manitoba Moose in becoming Vancouver Canucks. Guys like Alex Burrows, Kevin Bieksa, Mason Raymond, and Cory Schneider will always have my respect. After yesterday's game against Canada, Alex Edler will have none nor will be receive any for as long as he shall play the game.
I'll let Rogers Sportsnet anchor Don Taylor set this one up.
I think you know what's coming after watching that hit, right? Let's start the rant.
First off, what the hell was Edler thinking? Edler has been suspended for the remainder of the tournament, but I would be pushing for him to have a longer suspension from international hockey if that's possible. Edler skated in from the blueline, didn't deviate from his line, and skated his knee directly into Staal's knee. He didn't even try to get out of the way when he saw Staal changing course. If he had changed some direction or even tried to swing his leg out of the way, I might come off more tolerant. Instead, Edler should be banned for a long time for doing something extremely dangerous and stupid.
Secondly, much like he did for the Vancouver Canucks in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Edler shows up for fifteen minutes with Sweden before packing it in. Thanks for coming, jerk. Why bother showing up at all if this was the contribution? He may be one of Sweden's best players not in the NHL Playoffs, but that's a horsepoop move he pulled. Personally, if I'm Eric Staal, I'm dropping the gloves and destroying Alex Edler in the first shift when Vancouver and Carolina meet up next season. There was no need for this kind of hit, and hopefully it will not derail a rather successful career being carved out by Eric Staal.
Lastly, none of these players are getting paid to be over in Europe to play these games. To see Alex Edler pull off something like this is absolute garbage when everyone is over there trying to win for country. If I'm Peter Karmanos, I'm furious with Edler and the Canucks right now as this might affect the Hurricanes in 2013-14 as the extent of Eric Staal's injury is still unknown. Regardless of how bad the injury is, there will undoubtedly be some owners who will not want their players to participate in extracurricular activities such as the Olympics and World Championships thanks to the Edler hit.
That's a disgusting hit when you consider the distance traveled and target of the hit. Alex Edler is a good player with a lot of upside who has a long career ahead of him. For now, most fans will only remember him as "that Canuck who went knee-on-knee with Staal". And rightfully so.
Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!
I'll be honest in saying that I'm not a Vancouver Canucks fan by any means, but I do have respect for the guys who worked their way through the Manitoba Moose in becoming Vancouver Canucks. Guys like Alex Burrows, Kevin Bieksa, Mason Raymond, and Cory Schneider will always have my respect. After yesterday's game against Canada, Alex Edler will have none nor will be receive any for as long as he shall play the game.
I'll let Rogers Sportsnet anchor Don Taylor set this one up.
I think you know what's coming after watching that hit, right? Let's start the rant.
First off, what the hell was Edler thinking? Edler has been suspended for the remainder of the tournament, but I would be pushing for him to have a longer suspension from international hockey if that's possible. Edler skated in from the blueline, didn't deviate from his line, and skated his knee directly into Staal's knee. He didn't even try to get out of the way when he saw Staal changing course. If he had changed some direction or even tried to swing his leg out of the way, I might come off more tolerant. Instead, Edler should be banned for a long time for doing something extremely dangerous and stupid.
Secondly, much like he did for the Vancouver Canucks in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Edler shows up for fifteen minutes with Sweden before packing it in. Thanks for coming, jerk. Why bother showing up at all if this was the contribution? He may be one of Sweden's best players not in the NHL Playoffs, but that's a horsepoop move he pulled. Personally, if I'm Eric Staal, I'm dropping the gloves and destroying Alex Edler in the first shift when Vancouver and Carolina meet up next season. There was no need for this kind of hit, and hopefully it will not derail a rather successful career being carved out by Eric Staal.
Lastly, none of these players are getting paid to be over in Europe to play these games. To see Alex Edler pull off something like this is absolute garbage when everyone is over there trying to win for country. If I'm Peter Karmanos, I'm furious with Edler and the Canucks right now as this might affect the Hurricanes in 2013-14 as the extent of Eric Staal's injury is still unknown. Regardless of how bad the injury is, there will undoubtedly be some owners who will not want their players to participate in extracurricular activities such as the Olympics and World Championships thanks to the Edler hit.
That's a disgusting hit when you consider the distance traveled and target of the hit. Alex Edler is a good player with a lot of upside who has a long career ahead of him. For now, most fans will only remember him as "that Canuck who went knee-on-knee with Staal". And rightfully so.
Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!
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