I never really used to hate the Penguins, on the contrary, when they were a pitiful franchise in those pre Mario days.
Even during  the glorious Mario, JJ, Ron Francis, Paul Coffee years I used to like them and wanted them to go a long way in the playoffs.
They were the underdogs, in a city down on its luck, with a great hockey logo, great colour scheme, and a hockey barn called the Igloo.
What was there not to like?  Hey  and they managed to play a guy by the name of Zarley Zalapski!

Then they played the team I genuinely cared for in the Cup Finals: The Minnesota North Stars who had Mike Modano. The Stars like most Minnesota franchises (bar the fabulous Twins)  were crushed when it came to win with the title in sight. I took sides against the Pens and that feeling never really left me even in the later years with the great Martin Straka in the line up. 

But one of the reasons for my distaste of the Penguins is  Sidney Crosby who is so hard to like. Canada’s golden boy, and NHL’s Poster Child he rubs me the wrong in every way possible. Why can’t he be more like Jonathan Toews, Joe Thornton, dare I say Alex Ovechkin,  His on ice whinging is legendary. There were players before who I hated: Billy Smith, Al Secord, Rick Tocchet but they were mostly two bit players. Never did one think that Wayne, Mario, Bobby, Gordie, Jean, Guy were anything but flawless. Sidney is making it so hard to appreciate despite his undoubted skill set.

But there is another thing that rubs me the wrong way and that’s the Pens extended love affair with the dreadful shirt design of the Crosby era. The Penguins wore these for almost 10 years before thankfully ditching them for good last season. These were just plain hideous.




















Just to show how ugly these are when you compare them to the fantastic uniforms worn by the Penguins last night versus the Flyers.
These are nothing short of spectacular looking  game shirts being at the same time modern, classic, mean and special with tribute to the Steelers (justifiable tribute it is too) all at the same time…

Reggie Dunlop: Oh you cheap son of a bitch. Are you crazy? Those guys are retards! 

McGrath: I got a good deal on those boys. The scouts said they showed a lot of promise. 

Reggie Dunlop: They brought their fuckin' TOYS with 'em! 

McGrath: Well, I'd rather have em playin with their toys than playin with themselves



Dear reader of the Coaches Corner - 

Slap Shot the movie was released on February 25th - 1977. Here is my tribute to this Classic.

the time I first saw Slap Shot in the summer of 1977 in a Geneva movie theater the movie premiere served as PR opportunity to present the „new line up“ of the Geneva Servette HC to the press and to the sponsors.
Clearly the club management did not preview the film. Us the players lined up before the big screen ahead of the screening were introduced in the manner of the ubiquitous Jim Carr:  "And here from Mile 40 Saskatchewan - where he now runs a donut shop, number 10, former penalty minute record holder for the years 1960-1968 inclusive, Gilmore Tuttle“:  
"And here no 2 the young and promising Defenseman from Wetzikon - Paul Pojdl" (they butchered the prononciation of my name like only the French can)

Needless to say after the screening the mood has somewhat changed and everybody dissed the movie.  BUT it was like throwing pearls to pigs. The movie escorted me on many hockey trip and
I must have seen it 3 dozen times since then if not more. My kids asked what my favorite movie was and I said without batting an eye: Slap Shot. They of course wanted to see it but at pre-teen years I thought for the sake of my marriage showing the movie would not be the best idea. I think the kids saw it anyway and of course didn’t think it was all that funny like me when I saw it a 19 year old swiss rookie.

When I in 1985/86 agreed to play for the Danville Dashers of the less than reputable Continental Hockey League all that I have  seen in this movie became life imitating art. On ice brawls spilling over to the stands, dire provincial Illinois town of Danville where the State Penitentiary was the main job provider, the Owner who was a sleaze bag and probably a child molester,  Minnesota born goalie who slept in his van to save money and of course lotsa a groupies.

The reception of the movie at the time of its release wasn’t great. Gene Siskel gave it a mediocre review back when and the Wall Street Journal tagged it „foul mouthed and unabashedly vulgar“.
However in the 2007th 50th Anniversary Issue GQ named Slap Shot as a top 30 Men Movies. Who are we to argue.

So what makes Slap Shot so endurable and lovable?  Lets start with the obvious: Paul Newman for one, at the height of his powers and looks. He was simply amazing. You never doubt him being a player and even when discounting his skating ability thinking he must have been a helluva passer, because we know, a goon he was not.

Behind of all this is the book written by one Nancy Dowd and I would love to thank Nancy for putting together this beauty. Her lines, quotes are hockey folklore.
She ought to be in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Nancy has done some uncreditted script work for the NORTH DALLAS 40. Her brother Ned Dowd inspired the story behind Slap Shot with his experience as a minor league hockey player. Nancy got an Oscar, but not for Slap Shot but for 1979 movie Coming Home. Nancy where are you…..

Then of course we need to acknowledge the movie’s director George Roy Hill who has directed a big budget  successes: THE STING and BUTCH CASSIDY AND SUNDANCE KID  with Robert Redford and Paul Newman before
Slap Shot and THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GARP and others after. George Roy Hill is a Minnesotan and so I like him already. He studied music at Yale. He loved flying and had his own license.  Hockey was given to him into the cradle. George sadly passed in 2002. The London Rangers pay their respect to this man who took on this project, convinced Paul Newman to learn to play hockey and take this role on. Paul later wrote that Reggie Dunlop was his favorite role.

The casting is nothing short of perfect. The characters are real be it  Jim Carr the play by play, Dickie Dunn (Emmet Walsh)  the journalist, and sleazy Chief GM Joe McGrath perfectly played by Strother Martin just to name the few. There is not
one role that would not be up to the level. The Hanson Brothers, Denis Lemieux, and the team owner Anita McCambridge (you know Reggie could have if he wanted to….) are all spot on. Nick Brophy’s portrayal as the drunk hockey player who wets himself on ice goes uncredited. 

Did you know that Nancy Dowd had a small role as Andrea and her brother Ned was playing Ogie Oglethorpe!!!!!

Now where is the legacy of the Slapshot? Slapshot 2 was a disaster. Best of the lot was Miracle (about the USA team winning gold) - Kurt Russel makes the movie with the portrayal  of Herb Brooks worth watching.  Mystery Alaska has some nice
touches and ideas but is forgettable. The Mighty Ducks killed the film career of Emilio Estevez. The Goon  and The Guru were just dire!

So where are the new ideas. Well there is a great movie called  RED ARMY, a documentary about the great Russian teams of the 70 and 80s, there is a apparently a movie in the making about the California Seals. But lets face it our sport is underrepresented and if it weren’t for a Gordie Howe shirt being worn in Ferris Bueler’s Day off or the Wayne’s World tribute to the Black Hawks and Stan Mikita  hockey doesn’t get a fair shake. Where is on ANY GIVEN SUNDAY for a hockey playoff saga????? 

Frankly I simply don’t think a movies like Slapshot and Blazing Saddles can be made today 

McGrath: Well, I'd rather have em playin with their toys than playin with themselves 
Reggie Dunlop: They're too dumb to play with themselves. Boy, every piece of garbage that comes into the market and you gotta buy it! 
McGrath: Reg, Reg, that reminds me. I was coachin' in Omaha in 1948 and Eddie Shore sends me this guy who was a terrible masturbator, you know, couldn't control himself. Why, he would get deliberate penalties so he could get over in the penalty box all by himself and damned if he wouldn't... you know…

Reggie Dunlop: You know, your son looks like a fag to me. You better get married again, 'cause he's gonna wind up with somebody's cock in his mouth before you can say "Jack Robinson“.
Anita McCambridge: How dare you. How DARE you!