So my first reaction to hearing Mike Grier had signed a one-year contract with the Sabres was something along these lines:
AHAHAHAHAHAAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Pretty funny how things like "commitment to winning" fall by the wayside when you need a contract, isn't it?
My next response was gosh, while Mike Grier has his strengths, he's not super good at hockey. He's certainly not going to fix the problem of consistent scoring. But once I got over the hilarity of the situation I came around to the signing some. Grier's strengths - playing hard every shift and not hesitating to call out those who don't - are desperately needed on the Sabres roster. I have no doubt that he'll kick Derek Roy's ass and he won't stop just because Roy-Z doesn't like it. In fact, if we listen very closely, I think we can probably hear Roy-Z bitching and whining about having to play with Grier again from wherever he happens to be right now.
As for Patrick Kane... Seriously, he gave the guy $15 for a $13.80 bill. Forget the 20 cents. With or without the 20 cents, that tip makes him kind of a dick anyway. The "Don't you know who I am?" act (my LEAST favorite thing for a famous person to pull) and any assault of a 62-year-old cab driver are bonus. I don't care how drunk he was (as a non-drinker I admit I don't have much sympathy there) and I don't care how young he is (at 20, plenty old enough to know how to treat other people). Complete and total putz.
And that was your Top Shelf HOCKEY NEWS!
6 comments:
I'm not a Blackhawks fan, but I am/was sort of hoping the cabbie was lying. Though I would have expected a denial by now if that were true ... ah well. Despite his overly-prepared media persona and the fact that he plays for another team, I always kinda liked Kane as a player.
If the accounts as published are accurate, though ... v. pathetic and stupid.
War Penguin, this is totally hearsay - I do not know Patrick Kane personally and don't run in his circles - but he does have a reputation locally for being kind of a too-big-for-his-britches-snot. So I wasn't entirely surprised when I heard the story despite how absolutely stupid it is. Hopefully he'll actually learn something from the experience.
I'm also kinda hoping that something will come out that disproves the cabbie's story. If nothing else, just to keep my faith in humanity attached to the string by which it is still dangling.
I'm not one to condone underage drinking by any stretch, but why has no one mentioned the fact that a drunken 20 year old was involved? Shouldn't some bar or whomever bought the alcohol be in trouble for that? And at least he wasn't driving.
While I don't agree to what Kane did, I still think that there is more to this story. Both laywers are saying that this is blown out of proportion. But he is still wrong and really made me angry when he described himself as the "Face of Buffalo".
As for Grier, OH YEAH! I wanted the sabres the sign him but knew they never would. Throw him on the second line with Roy and Stafford (if he ever signs).
I like the Grier signing for the most part (breakaways aside): he brings grit and leadership, which is something this team still lacks.
But I just hope people aren't expecting the same exact player from three years ago. Obviously he's three years older and he was playing with Drury at the time. But even if he's even a bit slower, his PK play and effort makes it a nice move overall.
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