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Why Does Kyle Wellwood Hate His Mother?
by Alanah McGinley on 03/10/09 at 02:18 PM ET
Comments (5)
On this current road trip, the Canucks have graciously invited and accommodated a group of players’ mothers for the journey. It’s a cozy, feel-good sort of thing during the game… quick camera shots of happy moms looking on as their successful spawn dance across the ice while getting the hell slapped out of them.
It’s beautiful; I can dig it. It’s nicely fun and sorta sweet. Furthermore, I’m sure they’re all lovely women, and I imagine it’s excellent inspiration for their sons, looking to show-off and showcase their skills while mom looks on.
That is, inspiration for most everyone involved except Kyle Wellwood.
A brutal little note from Gordon McIntyre in The Province today:
The last time Kyle Wellwood scored, George W. Bush still had a couple of weeks left as president.
Ouch. What in sweet jezebel’s name is going on with the guy?
I’ve spent a lot of this season defending Wellwood (as I have a long line of brutally maligned Canucks players in the past… Cloutier, Sopel, and so on) and to be fair, he’s rewarded me at times for my devotion. For instance, after a rough start laden with poor conditioning and worse insults hurled his way, the downtrodden center came back from the brink with some solid—and even a few excellent—performances in the early part of the year. I was so pleased and proud. (And smug… I was really smug about this for a while.)
But these days… geezus. What’s a girl to do? Kyle Wellwood is tearing me apart… and God only knows the pain his mother feels.
I’m not saying Wellwood isn’t trying; I’m sure he’s virtually tearing his hair out with angst these days. Last night in Los Angeles had maybe half a dozen examples of holy-hell-frustration for both him and fans, as he whipped around the ice regularly misplacing passes and missing the net. It’s nearly comedy of errors lately, watching his bad luck from one disastrous shift to the next.
Alas.
According to the Vancouver Sun, 13 players have their mothers on this trip. In addition to Wellwood’s, there’s Willie Mitchell’s, Kevin Bieksa’s, Ryan Kesler’s, Alex Burrows’s, Rob Davison’s, Taylor Pyatt’s, Ryan Johnson’s, Mason Raymond’s, Steve Bernier’s, Jason LaBarbera’s, Darcy Hordichuk’s and Shane O’Brien’s.
What fun that must be. Can you imagine the pride of Kevin Bieksa’s mother last night, her boy getting a ‘star’ in the game? Or how about Taylor Pyatt’s, as her son pocketed the team’s second goal in the third period? And then there’s Alex Burrows’s mom, who must have to pinch herself daily for everything her son does so well on the ice these days.
But then there’s poor Ms. (Mrs.?) Wellwood. I’m sure she’s a dedicated and proud mother, strong and resilient about the ups and downs of her son’s career. But surely there’s a breaking point! Surely, the time will come where she can’t take the pain anymore.
So I’m begging you, Kyle Wellwood, on behalf of your mother (not to mention my own desperation to be smug again on your behalf): find your mojo! Quit practicing complicated passes, shots and maneuvers and get back to basics. Things like ‘aim, connect & fire’ should be the sole focus of your life now. Rent a really big net—a soccer net, if you must—and fire at will, I say. Get your confidence back. Your mother needs you!
And on a personal note, I really can’t watch any more of this train wreck you’re on. Dude, you gotta figure this out.
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: kyle+wellwood,
Comments
The Red Wings have a “Father’s road trip” each year. It was back in January, I think, when they had a 6 game road trip or something to that effect. Maybe even right before the ASG.
Malik’s got a bunch of quotes from Detroit Pappas if you wan tto look it up. :p
Posted by shanetx on 03/10/09 at 02:15 PM ET
Greggie McHabfan (did I parse that name correctly?)
The CBA calls for all player benefits to be spelled out in the player contracts. It allows for “normal hockey practices” that are not directly spelled out.
it has been interpreted by Gary Bettman et al that road trips with mothers or fathers is a normal hockey practice.
The Habs were in the middle of a road trip last Christmas. Instead of flying home for Christmas and flying back afterwards, they wanted to bring families to Florida (as the game after Christmas was in Tampa Bay) to spend Christmas. This apparantly is not a “normal hockey practice” so the NHL said it was not allowed.
If you ask me its a pretty stupid place to draw a line in the sand.
Here is what I wrote about it at the time.
Posted by PuckStopsHere on 03/10/09 at 02:39 PM ET
Hey puckstopshere,
Thanks for the clarification. I agree that it is a strange place to draw the line. Love your work. Keep it up.
Posted by greggiemchabfan from Nova Scotia on 03/10/09 at 05:39 PM ET
dude ...
Posted by blah blah from earth on 03/10/09 at 09:12 PM ET
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About Canucks & Beyond
Alanah McGinley has been blogging hockey since 2003, 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 is one of the founders and co-hosts of The Crazy Canucks Podcast, as featured at Canucks.com.
She has contributed pieces to FoxSports.com and the New York Times Slapshot blog, as well as other stray destinations in cyberspace.
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uhm. It seems to me a similar trip by the Habs was planned to coincide with last year’s all-star break (or the season before) but it was nixed by the league. Apparently, paying to transport family members is considered a bonus to the players and therefore a cap issue. I wonder if the cost of this trip will count towards Vancouver’s cap.
Posted by greggiemchabfan from Nova Scotia on 03/10/09 at 01:22 PM ET