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Problem with Presidential Candidates
by Alanah McGinley on 07/28/08 at 01:00 PM ET
Comments (9)
I first started hockey blogging in October 2003, and did so for two reasons: (1) an aversion to hockey message boards and the many jerks that populated them. (i.e. those snotty little beggars for whom the catch-phrase “I live in Mom’s basement” was destined to be their mantra for the next 37 years); and (2) my interest in politics—once a great preoccupation and the only other topic I could imagine writing about—spiraled downwards at the exact rate at which the number of people blogging about politics increased (*political blogs of any partisanship give me a bigger headache than Wings fans).
So in nearly 5 years, I’ve only ever had one firm rule: never mix politics and hockey. But today presents a good reason to break that rule, if only to prove why it exists.
It is the case of John McCain, his love of #99, and the weird way that ventriloquism skills must be valued in political circles.
Jason Cohen at Can’t Stop the Bleeding reflected today on a piece he recently published in Texas Monthly about sports and Presidential candidates. In writing it, he struggled to figure out a sporting association for John McCain but ultimately settled on boxing as McCain was a boxer in the Navy.
But then Cohen spotted this article (via Greg Rajan) in Newsweek magazine which would suggest NHL hockey may have been a better choice.
In Newsweek, Howard Fineman tells this story:
If the need arises and the range is close, Mark Salter will edit John McCain in midsentence. After 19 years at each other’s side, neither man gives it a second thought.
When a writer for The New Yorker was interviewing them last year about their latest best-selling book, the talk turned to hockey and the Arizona senator’s admiration for Wayne Gretzky, who coaches the Phoenix Coyotes. “Wayne Gretzky is one of the all-time best American athletes!” McCain proclaimed. But even before his boss finished speaking, Salter had spotted a slip-up: the hockey legend is from Ontario. “Yes,” Salter interjected, “Gretzky is one of the best American athletes … from Canada!”
Cohen titled his post at CSTB, “And Pepe Sanchez Is One of the Best American Athletes from Argentina.”
To that, perhaps we can add that Alexander Ovechkin may be one of the best American athletes from Russia. Or then there’s Mats Sundin—- shall we just call him the best Canadian athlete ever born in Sweden?
Alas. Nobody wins when you mix hockey and politics, and I’m not sure who looks worse in this situation… Americans? Politicians? Or just hockey fans in general, who might appear to be too stupid to know the difference between the US and Canada?
No matter how you look at it, it’s all just proof-positive that when you mix hockey and politics in conversation, the collective I.Q. of the room will dip by a good 30 or 40 points.
________________
*a big kiss to the friend who made sure I didn’t miss the CSTB piece today. cheers!
Filed in: dumb stuff | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: hockey+fans, john+mccain, politics,
Comments
You mean North American isn’t American?
Posted by Hockey1919 from Montreal on 07/28/08 at 02:30 PM ET
The day Washington DC worships a roooskie in its confines…well, that was the day the world truly changed.
Posted by GZ Expat from Temp in USA on 07/28/08 at 02:57 PM ET
Nobody wins when you mix hockey and politics, and I’m not sure who looks worse in this situation… Americans? Politicians?
How about Canadian hockey bloggers who think it’s funny to belittle the one U.S. national politician who actually gives a rats ass about hockey? I’m sure Obama would never make the same mistake…but only because he has no idea hockey is even played in the U.S.
...political blogs of any partisanship give me a bigger headache than Wings fans…
And for that, we say…we’re more than happy to do our part. 
Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids on 07/28/08 at 05:24 PM ET
It’s all right, the Swedish press is convinced that Bill Wellman and Walt Neubrand, who are “keeping” the Cup, are Americans from the Hockey Hall of Fame in America…Just like the Russians explain to you, time and time again, that it’s those dastardly Americans who are stealing players and employ stars like Andrei Markov. Because there are 24 teams in the U.S., a whole bunch of people who would be very offended if you lumped them in with each other insist that Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver are all members of that giant 51st state called Canada.
The greatest Candian-born athlete ever (arguably), simply nothing more than a citizen of the “great state of Arizona?”
As one of those annoying American fans who both drive you nuts and were either born north of Windsor and/or were weaned on Mr. Dressup, Hockey Night in Canada, a donut shop that made Timbits long before most Americans knew what the hell those things were, and days, weeks, and even months spent across a border that is both paper thin and a thousand miles high and a thousand miles wide, I’d like to think that I have some inkling as to where you’re coming from here…
But I think that whoever ends up getting elected (I’m not touching politics Zdeno Chara’s hockey stick) is going to do a lot of offending what is not the 51st state with a lot of either claiming that Wayne Gretzky is from LA or that Jonathan Toews, Brian Campbell, and Cristobal Huet are from Winnipeg, IL, Strathroy, IL, and Freedom Fries, U.S.A.
Hey, the Department of Homeland Insecurity won’t let me go to Windsor for a Harvey’s hamburger, an Aero bar, and a stop at Dieppe Park to go ship-watching without the third degree, but they’re only spending $15 million to defend what is, in terms of trade, the busiest border crossing in North America from you dastardly Canadians, so it can’t be all bad. The damn Yankees can’t get it through their heads that the average Canadian does not know Sally from Etobicoke, but they trust y’all.
Posted by George Malik from South Lyon, MI on 07/28/08 at 09:32 PM ET
Thanks for noticing.
Olderthan: the whole thing was just a gaffe, but “give’s a rat’s ass about hockey,” my ass - John McCain knows Gretzky because he cares about important people in the Phoenix business community, not hockey. To him “Gretzky’s office” is a desk in Glendale. Which is not to say I think Obama knows who Patrick Kane is either.
Posted by Jason Cohen on 07/29/08 at 03:25 AM ET
John Kerry played hockey, look where that got him….
Posted by SeattleRich on 07/29/08 at 03:48 PM ET
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About Canucks & Beyond
Alanah McGinley has been blogging hockey since 2003 (with a notable gap in time through 2010, kicking it with new baby Lucy while living knee-deep in chaos while reading “parenting for complete idiots” during every spare minute) sharing opinions, rants and not-so-deep thoughts with anyone who will listen.
In addition to writing Canucks & Beyond and helping manage Kukla’s Korner, Alanah was one of the founders and co-hosts of The Crazy Canucks Podcast. She has contributed pieces to FoxSports.com and the New York Times Slapshot blog, as well as other stray destinations in cyberspace.
So that’s me. Who the hell are you? 
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Thanks for giving me an excuse to post this somewhere!
http://www.hockeyzombie.com/comic/2008/03/05/
Posted by Michael Turner from Columbus, OH on 07/28/08 at 01:16 PM ET