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Great Debates SIP
The Hockey News has been providing the most comprehensive coverage of the world of hockey since 1947. In each issue, you'll find news, features and opinions about the NHL and leagues across North America and the world.
WORLD CUP VS. OLYMPICS
WORLD CUP Put the World Cup of Hockey up against the Winter Olympics and there’s no contest which tournament holds the moral high ground. One is a soulless, money-hungry sideshow, and the other is the World Cup. Yeah, I said it. The Olympics isn’t a happy collection of global amateurism and goodwill. It’s a corporate, city-devouring greed machine run by a crowd only Sepp Blatter could love. As magical as the Salt Lake City Games were for Canada in 2002, type “Olympic corruption” into your favorite search engine and see what articles pop up first. Hockey already has a past with hucksters such as Alan Eagleson and Bruce McNall, so there’s no need sullying the game any longer. I know folks have gripes with Gary Bettman, but he has grown hockey in numerous…
LIGHT VS. DARK JERSEYS
LIGHT JERSEYS Everyone knows dark hockey jerseys are far superior to white ones – which is exactly why the road team should get to wear dark. Remove the muddled history of home versus road jerseys, and just focus on the aesthetics. If you’re a season ticket holder, or a die-hard fan who watches your favorite team play at home 41 times a year, wouldn’t you rather see the dark jerseys of the league’s 29 (soon to be 30) other teams than the same dark jersey of your favorite team night in and night out? Imagine going to a game where the road team is, say, the Montreal Canadiens. Wouldn’t it be a shame to see your home team’s dark jersey that you always see instead of the vaunted red jersey the Habs have…
MCGRINDER VS. VIGILANTE
STEVE McGRINDER Steve McGrinder has the greatest name in hockey history for a couple reasons. First of all, his name is Steve freakin’ McGrinder. Second, and more importantly, there might not be a player who ever lived up to his name more than Steve McGrinder did. The only way McGrinder’s name could have been more apropos would be if he were a fourth-line left winger, crashing and banging for loose pucks. But alas, he was an undersized defenseman who extracted more out of less than anyone ever thought possible. You want a grinder? Well, how about a guy who wasn’t even invited to try out for his local Jr. B team, despite the fact the coach knew exactly who he was when he showed up with his hockey bag begging for a…
LIDSTROM VS. BOURQUE
NICKLAS LIDSTROM This is the wrong match-up. The only NHL defenseman in history that tops Nicklas Lidstrom is Bobby Orr – maybe Doug Harvey if you’re into that sort of thing. But otherwise, there’s a chasm. Here’s a player who suited up for 20 NHL seasons and didn’t miss the playoffs a single year. How many NHLers can say that? Not Ray Bourque. And while Bourque had to jump to a Colorado supersquad to get his one and only Stanley Cup, Lidstrom is flush with rings, winning four Cups with the Detroit Red Wings. Lidstrom also won the Conn Smythe, an Olympic gold medal and is a member of the coveted Triple Gold Club (Stanley Cup, Olympic gold, World Championship gold). It goes without saying Lidstrom was no passenger during his career, and…
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