Odds and Sods

As I pretty much expected (and many predicted), people are bitching about the new MyNHL ad campaign—if it’s not the scantily-clad little puckbunny bimbette (who I learned to roll my eyes at and tune out pretty quickly), it’s the fact that the player is an actor and not really one of the current crop of NHL players.

First, the bimbo—WHATEVER. Perhaps it’s the fact that I don’t watch a lot of TV (unless hockey, PBS, Le Tour de Flance, or Sci-Fi Friday is involved), but I don’t see what the big deal is. I also don’t see why the hells Martha Burk has to get involved with her “wah wah, the NHL is demeaning women!” crap. I had some sympathy with her getting bent outta shape with the Augusta National not allowing female membership, but I have zero sympathy for her here. By the same token, I really don’t think that a “spiritual mentor” would go wandering around dressed like a Sunset Boulevard call girl, either—but she’s completely unimportant to me, so I just ignore her.

And as for the bloke—OK, I’ll admit that the League dropped the ball here, UNLESS the “customized” ads (myHurricanes, myPredators, myRangers, etc) are going to have players from that team. Which would be neat. They could always green screen ‘em in somehow. They can re-film it, they have the technology. Instead of using the bloke from the AXE body spray commercials, it’d be kinda cool to have like Darren McCarty/Rod Brind’amour/Vinny Lecavalier/whoever as the bloke in the dojo instead—then it would really feel individualized for each team.

Mmmm…Darren McCarty… *thud*

I don’t see what’s so bad about it, in the grand scheme of things. I figured that a lot of the hardcore fans would piss and bitch and whine and moan about the ad campaign, but then it’s not meant for us. It’s meant for the newbies, to get them interested. I think it’ll work better than people think it will, in the long run.

In other news, LA’s little psycho freakshow Sean Avery needs to shut his bigoted fucking piehole. If it’s not his “contraction is OK if it means we’ll get rid of all the Euros” comment during the lockout, it’s his latest piece of stupidity in the wake of Denis Gauthier’s hit on Jeremy Roenick:

“I think it was typical of most French guys in our league with a visor on, running around and playing tough and not back anything up.”

Excuse me, mister “I ran like the little bitch-ass punk that I am from Ian Laperriere when he tried to make me answer for my stupidity a couple days after I said that”? Pot and kettle, anyone? And I don’t buy that boilerplate “I apologize if I offended anyone” non-apology, either. “I apologize if I offended anyone” is just a polite way of saying “hello, I’m an unrepentant asshat who’s trying to cover his ass in a way that the less-intelligent members of the human race will accept!”

And the visor comment is stupid—I’m sorry, what’s cowardly about wanting to protect your eyesight? Perhaps we should do away with pads and gloves and helmets, too. Sheesh—I can see why Rachel Hunter dumped his ass.