Paul,
I am getting so tired of the hypercritical Canadian sportswriters ripping on American hockey fans stereo-typing us as lovers of fighting and blood and guts.  Is Don Cherry Canadian?  Am not sure who came up with the idea of a Gordie Howe hat trick but Canadians have always loved grit example now in Pittsburgh is Gary Roberts who carries his elbows high in the corners.  I know a lot of teams and writers up north wanted him in their line up.  Come Canadian writers get off your holier than thou outlook especially when looking at American fans and remember the Bobby Clare poster you still keep in your bedroom!

Posted by dennyfrompitt from McKees Rocks, PA on 03/23/07 at 06:28 PM ET

Believe me Denny, I feel the same way.  Many fans in the established cities in the States know the game as well as our friends to the North.
I truly believe this mindset needs to change, but don’t believe it will.

Posted by Paul from Motown Area on 03/23/07 at 06:32 PM ET

It’s a false dilemma so many of these articles try to create. Personally, I love hockey because it is a mix of grit and finesse. In the NHL, you have to possess tremendous skill while also being tough as nails. I enjoy fighting alongside the flashy plays and tic-tac-toe passing. The game doesn’t need to leave one behind to have some of the other.

Posted by false_cause from DC on 03/23/07 at 09:22 PM ET

I hear more grumbling about “soft Europeans” from Canadian commentators than from American ones.  Not to mention the idea that “no team with a European captain will ever win a Stanley Cup.” You would think that Russians, Swedes, Finns, Czechs, et al just showed up a couple of years ago and add nothing to the game of hockey.  So much for the skill-loving Canadians vs. the brawl-loving Americans.

Stereotypes are sooooo stooopid.  :(

Posted by Baroque on 03/24/07 at 04:27 AM ET