Enough Is Enough

This picture might be the best example of the abject failure that Mike Milbury was as an NHL general manager after he bumbled and fumbled his way to cellar-dweller status as the head man of the New York Islanders. Dealing away pieces such as Roberto Luongo, Zdeno Chara, the draft pick that would become Jason Spezza, Wade Redden, Bryan Berard, Trevor Linden, and Wendel Clark among the notable names he brought in and sent out, it's hard to fathom how Mike Milbury would be qualified for any position in hockey outside of parking lot attendant. It seems that his run on NBC as an analyst might be coming to an end - finally, mercifully, and long overdue - after another on-air problem thanks to his stupidity.

Last night, during the game between the New York Islanders and Washington Capitals, a discussion about the bubble atmosphere started and Milbury his two worthless cents for which no one asked.

You're kidding me, right? That's the thought that Milbury had about living life as a hockey player in the NHL bubble? What the hell is wrong with this man?

Let me start by saying that if hockey players are distracted by women, women aren't to blame. Milbury's comments speak directly to how shallow of a person he is, and he's now framing NHL players of today in that same shallowness in which he wallows. Forget that most NHL players today are cut from an entirely different cloth than the toilet paper from which Milbury is cut. This is not an NHL problem, but rather a Mike Milbury problem.

To make matters worse, this is just another example in the volumes of stupid things that Milbury has said during his time on television with NBC, and this should be the straw that draws up the termination papers. If NBC can fire Jeremy Roenick for his comments about his co-workers, this should be a no-brainer when it comes to sending Milbury home.

Let's review some of the stupidity that Milbury is responsible for since he was named as an analyst on NBC Sports. This list is, by no means, complete, but it will highlight some of the dumbest things he's said while employed by the broadcaster on their medium.

• Milbury ripped Tuukka Rask for leaving the Bruins just six days ago after citing family concerns, stating, "Nobody's simply opted to leave the bubble just because they didn't want to be here and they needed to be with their family. I would've not have done it, the rest of the league's players have not done it." HINT: Ignorant and insensitive are Mike's best features.
• After Jake Muzzin was checked, he tried to get up before losing feeling in his toes, prompting him to fall back down to the ice. As NBC isolated Muzzin, Milbury piped up with "It's not a bad idea to stay down and get a whistle, too, by the way. I'm not questioning his integrity here or his injury." HINT: you are if you're suggesting he go down to get a whistle.
• During a Penguins-Canadiens game, Milbury compared the empty arena setting to that of beer league hockey or college women's hockey, stating, ""Where ever the game is played, if it's beer league it doesn't matter. You don't need fans to get those guys hung up on stuff. If you go to a college women's game sometimes, there's no shortage of organic joy when you see a play and these guys have gotten through that." HINT: college women's hockey is not beer league. And beer league and college women's hockey is not the NHL. Stop comparing apples, oranges, and pears. They're all different.
• Milbury celebrated a Sidney Crosby cheap shot on PK Subban in the 2017 Stanley Cup Final, suggesting that PK Subban "had it coming." HINT: Subban definitely did not deserve to have his head slammed into the ice by Subban.
• Milbury called PK Subban a "clown" during the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs as Milbury thought that Subban was dancing during the warmups. His full comments were, "When I see this I start to think maybe Peter Laviolette ought to give him a rap on the head and say, 'Hey P.K. focus in, we've got a game tonight and you don't have to be a clown out there.' And he will. He's been a clown in the past and we've seen him act like a clown but when he’s serious and focused he's one hell of a player." HINT: Subban was on the ice stickhandling and getting into the zone for the game against St. Louis, not dancing.
• In a 2012 game between the Flyers and Penguins that turned rough as Philly led 6-3, Milbury called out Pittsburgh head coach Dan Bylsma, commenting, "I can remember being on such a perch, or at least trying to climb over the boards to get at somebody to make a point. And I thought Dan Bylsma should have taken off his skirt and gone over there." HINT: using female imagery to call out Dan's lack of toughness have no place in the game.

If we're putting together the pieces here, Milbury doesn't care about family, spouts off sexist comments about women's hockey, questions a player's integrity by suggesting he embellish a call, questions a player's integrity when he does embellish a call, hates PK Subban for dancing, feels that excessive violence is fine when seeking vengeance, and makes sexist comments when talking about the toughness of a coach.

How the hell is he still employed as an analyst?

The saddest part is that four of these incidents have happened since August 1. Milbury is averaging a boneheaded, moronic, idiotic, ignorant comment once every five days, and that's just what he says when the microphone is on. This call for Milbury's head should have happened a while ago, and now NBC should be forced to do something as the NHL's broadcast partner. If hockey is for everyone, Milbury should not be included in that group.

Of course, Milbury issued an apology, but I will note that this apology comes with a pretty monstrous asterisk hovering over it.

If you apologize to no one in particular for a comment where you meant no disrespect, is that an apology? If one doesn't own the misstep, how can one apologize for it? This rings almost as hollow as the character displayed by Mike Milbury over the years, so this feels more like a "save-my-job" statement than a true apology for what he said.

With this many offensive things said in the last three weeks, the only solution that seems appropriate now would be to send Milbury home with a pink slip. By allowing him to continue with just a slap on the wrist in having NBC addressing it, perhaps he's on thin ice at this point. Whatever the case may be, it would be wise if NBC remember that a leopard never changes its spots.

Personally, I would have tossed Milbury out on his rear end like the trash he is. It would be the only solution for Milbury after fouling up the NBC studios over and over again over his tenure.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!