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Abel to Yzerman

Back When Hate Was Good

by IwoCPO on 12/09/06 at 03:13 PM ET
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Today, if just for 24 hours, we should recall the happy era when nothing brought a family together like some unbridled hatred. Oh, you hated Dallas Drake the other night. But only for a moment, and it certainly wasn't the kind of hate that had the whole neighborhood lighting the torches. You hated Claude Lemioux for a year, but after Mac wasted him it was kind of a gleeful dislike. He got what he deserved and we loved to remind him of it. You also hated Patrick Roy. Now, Roy? That was a healthy hate. A prolonged hatred steeped in respect for his talent.

Which brings me to tonite. Can you remember the days when hating the Leafs was a unifier? 

“No exceptions this time. No going out with friends. No tv.”

“Mom…Wings and Leafs tonite.”

“I meant no tv after the game.”

It was expected.  It was healthy.  Hate Domi. Hate Clark. Kick their asses Probie.

But Little Gary doesn’t want us to hate the Leafs. He wants us to enjoy an atmosphere of mutual respect for a team from Tennessee…8 times a year.  He wants us to revel in the natural rivalry he’s presented us by placing a team in hockey hotbed Columbus…8 times a year.

And we get Toronto once every three years.  Forget the shootout for a moment. Forget the rule changes and the CBA. Forget the Cap. Forget parity.  Toronto once every three years, maybe every two.  That is pathetic.  Perhaps one of the greatest rivalries in all of sport, relegated to one game every 36 months. 

Well, at least it’s on ESPN.

Woops.

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About Abel to Yzerman

Welcome to Abel to Yzerman, a Red Wing blog since 1977.  No other site on the internet has better-researched, fact-laden and better prepared discussions than A2Y.  Re-phrase: we do little research, find facts and stats highly overrated and claim little to no preparation.  There are 19 readers of A2Y. No more, no less. All of them, except maybe one, are juvenile in nature.  Reminding them of that in the comment section will only encourage them to prove that. Your suggestions and critiques are welcome: wphoulihan@gmail.com