OPINION | Disrespecting An Opponent to Fuel a NHL Rivalry

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OPINION | Kasperi Kapanen Disrespecting A NHL Opponent Will Fuel the Toronto Maple Leafs – Montreal Canadiens Rivalry

by Blain Potvin, Staff Writer, All Habs Hockey Magazine

ROCKET SPORTS MEDIA | HALIFAX, NS. — Picture it: Montreal, 1987. The Habs are defending Stanley Cup Champions. Al Unser wins the Indianapolis 500. The Canadiens play the Flyers in the Eastern Conference Championship.

It was a very good year.

Claude Lemieux had a ritual before playoff games that year. He would shoot a puck into the opponents empty net after warm-ups to pantomime scoring during the game. This little harmless practice didn’t sit well with his opponents, so much so that in game six, it fuelled a historic line brawl.

It also motivated the Flyers so much that they ended up winning that series to move onto the Stanley Cup Finals to face off against Wayne Gretzky‘s Oilers. The Oilers went on to win the Cup that year in game seven of the series. Lemieux’s ritual was seen as a form of disrespect and it ended up motivating the Flyers to win the Wales Conference Final.

More recently some hockey fans were shocked to learn that the Carolina Hurricanes were performing scripted celebrations after home wins. It is a practice designed to sell the game in a non-traditional market by raising awareness and attracting fans. The celebration  grabbed the attention of Coach’s Corner legend Don Cherry, and he was not pleased.

Cherry dedicated an entire Coach’s Corner segment to share his views on the importance of respect for your opponents. He even went on to say “these guys to me are jerks. This is a joke. You don’t do this in professional hockey. I know what I am talking about, you never do anything like that.”

The attention this segment received spawned the Hurricanes to create t-shirts with “Bunch of Jerks” printed on them as a tongue-in-cheek response. When he was made aware of the campaign he took it all in stride but made it clear he had not changed his views, saying “to me, that demeans the sport. It’s like pro wrestling, almost.”

It would be dishonest not to acknowledge that Cherry makes valid points, that some players can see the show put on by the Hurricanes after a game as disrespect to an opponent. A poll revealed that 53 per cent of hockey fans supported Cherry’s view.

That being said, there are valid points in the response that most active players may not mind and that this is done when the other team has left the ice before the “Storm Surge” comes out to perform a choreographed celebration like those seen in football or soccer. It’s not meant to disrespect anyone, it is just a way to celebrate with their fans.

I must be clear, I don’t like or dislike the Storm Surge. I’m sure if it were performed after a game in which my team lost to Carolina I may decide to not watch. I don’t think it will cause much of a reaction among players, as it is done well after the other team has left the ice, but the point is that it could cause a reaction.

This entire story played out among the hockey world for a week without much bitterness or ill will. Then, exactly one week later, a post-game celebration occurred after the Leafs earned a comeback win over the Habs, leading to a stern and angry response from the same respected hockey voices that were so angrily calling out the Hurricanes.

I kid, I kid, nothing was said.

The Habs and the Leafs faced off on a Saturday night in Toronto, a classic time for two historic rivals to play. The Habs jumped out to an early lead, and as any game Max Domi is in, the chirping began.

By the end of the night, the Leafs mounted a comeback putting their offensive skills on display with a potent power-play. Add in a lucky bounce and a couple of empty-net goals and it was a game that was entertaining to watch further feeding the rivalry.

As rivalry games do, the victors happily chirped the vanquished as they left the ice. This is all part of the game, and it was a well earned right for the Leafs. Leafs fans were also, quite obviously, very pleased. And who can blame them? Their team won and are on their way to the playoffs with legitimate hopes to play deep into the springtime tournament.

Chirping is aspect of the game that doesn’t make it onto a score sheet. There are no advanced stats tracking it, but it is one that can impact a game as much as a big hit, a fight, or a goal late in a period.

This part of the game is a double-edged sword as it can demoralize an opponent just as easily as it can motivate them. And on this night, it motivated the Leafs to mount an impressive comeback. The Leafs showed why they are in a hunt to host the first round of the playoffs.

Chirping as a player skates off is one thing; what’s said on the ice stays on the ice. However, as Don Cherry mentioned, there is an unwritten rule not to mock or openly embarrass opponents. When the pantomiming begins, it can be seen as mocking behaviour.

I think it is safe to say that pantomiming a violin, as Kasperi Kapanen did on that night, while opponents skated by, could easily be seen as mocking them.

Kapanen plays a violin.

So the question is, where is the open criticism of a large market team performing pantomime directly in view of their opponent? Where is the uproar over this act?

It probably won’t come as a shock that there probably won’t be any outrage. One thing I know for certain, is that a player purposely using a mocking gesture in view of their opponent can be seen as disrespect and could engender a response at the next meeting.

At the end of the day, the players will decide for themselves what they feel is disrespectful or not, or if they will be motivated by particular actions. In this case, I wager that proud players like Domi, Shea Weber, Carey Price and Brendan Gallagher may have been angered at the sight of the pantomime. I expect the majority of hockey players would have been similarly angered even after a beer league game.

The next Canadiens vs. Leafs game will be intense. I believe it will keep fans on either side of the divide on the edge of their seats no matter who wins. I would be disappointed if this incident wasn’t used as some kind of added motivation by the Canadiens for the final  stretch of the regular season.

Edited by Cate Racher, All Habs Hockey Magazine

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