Chelios and Tkachuk - sore losers

According to an story in Finnish newspaper Kaleva, after the Finland -Usa game Chelios refused to shake hands with Nieminen and Tkachuk did something to Nieminen that almost caused a fight. :amazed: There's talk of Tkachuk spitting at Ville's face, but the article doesn't mention that, just a vague reference which I can't translate: Here's the story (sorry, in Finnish):http://www.kaleva.fi/cf/juttu.cfm?j=429103

According to an story in Finnish newspaper Kaleva, after the Finland -Usa game Chelios refused to shake hands with Nieminen and Tkachuk did something to Nieminen that almost caused a fight. :amazed: There's talk of Tkachuk spitting at Ville's face, but the article doesn't mention that, just a vague reference which I can't translate: Here's the story (sorry, in Finnish):http://www.kaleva.fi/cf/juttu.cfm?j=429103


Great read, thanks.

If true, I'm a bit surprised at Chelios' behaviour, but not much. As for Tkachuk, I expect the worst from him on all occasions. He is the least classiest player in the NHL by far. Kasparitis, for instance, is a ***** on the ice, but is a decent fellow.
BTW, was Tkachuk staying in a hotel in Minnesota? Did the article mention Nagano? (I can't read Finnish)

Jussi.......

Nieminen is a dirty hockey player........can't say I blame Chelios and Tkachuk for not wanting to shake hands with the guy.

Cheers!~

monkey_00

Jussi.......

Nieminen is a dirty hockey player........can't say I blame Chelios and Tkachuk for not wanting to shake hands with the guy.

Cheers!~

monkey_00

Yeah Nieminen is dirty, but that is no reason for anybody to not shake his hand after an elimination game. Not only that, for guys like Tkachuk and Chelios to not shake his hand is one extremely hypocritical gesture, or lack thereof (assuming that is why they didn't shake his hand). Those two guys are as dirty as they come.

The only way Chelios and Tkachuk have a reason for not shaking his hand, is if Nieminen was taunting them, which is possible.

...And if Tkachuk spit at Nieminen, that is cause for suspension whether or not Nieminen taunted Chelios and Tkachuk (if and when the NHL resumes).

Jussi.......

Nieminen is a dirty hockey player........can't say I blame Chelios and Tkachuk for not wanting to shake hands with the guy.

Cheers!~

monkey_00

Thats very true and I agree....

But like the old saying goes... "leave it all on the ice"

So unless Niemenen was being a **** to them after the game, then they shouldve congratulated each other and moved on.

I guess...might be different in the pro rink.... :dunno:

All three guys involved are a little lite in the head and it's very likely that all of them are in the wrong on this one.

They should have jumped Nieminen and beat his ass 2-on-1.

Tkachuck and Chelios should stop taking it out on poor Niemenin and go back to the only thing they're good at: trashing hotel rooms.

I've never liked either Chelios or Tkachuk. I'm not suprised to see them act like the losers they truly are.

I was pissed off when the Jets traded Selanne and kept Tkachuk. :banghead: Selanne will win at LEAST a silver this year and Tkachuk will hopefully lose Bronze.

To be fair . . . The only positive thing I have to say about Tkachuk is the fact that he holds annual charity golf games in Winnipeg and he once autographed a hockey card for me when I was 11. Other than that he has not been a very good role model and I can't wait until he retires so I don't have to see such a classless on TV anymore. :mad:

Tkachuck and Chelios should stop taking it out on poor Niemenin and go back to the only thing they're good at: trashing hotel rooms. :bow: Well done! :lol:

As much as I don't like Chelios and Tkachuk, it wouldn't surprise me if all 3 are in the wrong here.

I was pissed off when the Jets traded Selanne and kept Tkachuk. :banghead: Selanne will win at LEAST a silver this year and Tkachuk will hopefully lose Bronze.
:
There's no medals in the World Cup, just the winning trophy :)

Ville Nieminen might be cheap, but he is not a taunter, that is for sure.

If Ville did something cheap and Chelios and Tkachuk are mad well, they better look at themselves in a mirror, they are two cheap cheap SOB's.

Spitting? Pure class guys. :shakehead

I've never liked either Chelios or Tkachuk. I'm not suprised to see them act like the losers they truly are.

I was pissed off when the Jets traded Selanne and kept Tkachuk. :banghead: Selanne will win at LEAST a silver this year and Tkachuk will hopefully lose Bronze.

To be fair . . . The only positive thing I have to say about Tkachuk is the fact that he holds annual charity golf games in Winnipeg and he once autographed a hockey card for me when I was 11. Other than that he has not been a very good role model and I can't wait until he retires so I don't have to see such a classless on TV anymore. :mad:


so other than the poor sportsmanship, he's an ok guy in your book because he signed his hockey card for you?

Chelios is a "loser"?

great, thanks for weighing in.

gimme a break, i could form some delicious pun based on that word and the city you hail from, but what would be the point?

I think this is a bit of stretch so people can rip on Team USA some more. Just get ready for the championship game already. :shakehead

Ville Nieminen might be cheap, but he is not a taunter, that is for sure.
How is that for sure?


Spitting? Pure class guys. :shakehead
Let's only assume the worst if they aren't property of the Calgary Flames. :shakehead

Hmmm, interesting. I did notice during the handshakes that Tkachuk turned and looked back at a Finnish player who'd just shaken his hand. He seemed ticked off and I thought maybe the Finnish guy had taunted him, but the camera moved away and that seemed to be the end of it.

I think people are jumping the gun here. So far, we have a story from 1 Finnish paper about supposed events that transpired, that no other news source has yet to pick up (except the Chelios not shaking hands, I heard that before but can't remember if it was confirmed.)

Jussi originally posted this:
There's talk of Tkachuk spitting at Ville's face, but the article doesn't mention that, just a vague reference which I can't translate

And suddenly everybody is acting like it's a fact Tkachuk spit?

I don't even like Chelios or Tkachuk, but nothing here has been confirmed, or even close to it.

Let's only assume the worst if they aren't property of the Calgary Flames. :shakehead

You are the first person in this thread to mention the Calgary Flames. Give your head a kick.

Ville is a great guy, according to everyone he plays with. The difference is, if you are a Euro- aggitator it is somehow chicken ****. If you are a NA aggitator you'll do "whatever it takes to win".

I am an American, chicago blackhawk fan, who still likes Chelios (whenever he doesn't play for detroit). but for Chelios or Ktachuk to call anyone cheap.. is well- crazy.

Mr Chelios
Mr Ktachuk...

this is Mr. Kettle.

Mr. Kettle, this is Mr. Chelios and Mr. Ktachuk.

-fullmetalninja

You are the first person in this thread to mention the Calgary Flames. Give your head a kick.
No, if it were any other poster I wouldn't have mentioned it, but when a Calgary homer tries to say that it's impossible for Nieminen to taunt someone and then goes on and pretty much labels Tkachuk guilty of spitting with no proof whatsoever, it looks pretty damn biased.

Ville Nieminen might be cheap, but he is not a taunter, that is for sure.

Do you live on planet Earth? He's a great agitator.

Do you live on planet Earth? He's a great agitator.

There is a difference between agitating and taunting.

Agitating = Getting under the opponents' skin during the game.

Taunting = Rubbing it in after a goal, or when the game is over.

I think people are jumping the gun here. So far, we have a story from 1 Finnish paper about supposed events that transpired, that no other news source has yet to pick up (except the Chelios not shaking hands, I heard that before but can't remember if it was confirmed.)

Jussi originally posted this:
There's talk of Tkachuk spitting at Ville's face, but the article doesn't mention that, just a vague reference which I can't translate

And suddenly everybody is acting like it's a fact Tkachuk spit?

I don't even like Chelios or Tkachuk, but nothing here has been confirmed, or even close to it.



I agree. Let's wait for this story to get some legs from an English (most likely Canadian :shakehead ) source before we make too much of this. I don't condone spitting and what not, but let's not kid ourselves here, this was a bitter battle fought to the very end by athletes that are on the edge. I'm not surprised if foul play ensued at the end.

According to an story in Finnish newspaper Kaleva, after the Finland -Usa game Chelios refused to shake hands with Nieminen and Tkachuk did something to Nieminen that almost caused a fight. :amazed: There's talk of Tkachuk spitting at Ville's face, but the article doesn't mention that, just a vague reference which I can't translate: Here's the story (sorry, in Finnish):http://www.kaleva.fi/cf/juttu.cfm?j=429103

That's because Nieminen nailed Chelios really hard in the nose and wasn't penalized on the play.

I don't condone spitting and what not, but let's not kid ourselves here, this was a bitter battle fought to the very end by athletes that are on the edge. I'm not suprised if foul play ensued at the end.

I'm not saying it did or didn't happen in this case, but on the edge or not, spitting is never a forgiveable and/or understandable act in any situation.

It is the ultimate insult.

This is silly. If a player actually spit at another player during the handshake, don't you think things would have erupted? They're just going to continue to skate on and shake hands? I doubt it happened.

Do you live on planet Earth? He's a great agitator.
He is a great aggitator, I didn't say he wasnt'

He doesn't taunt though.

so other than the poor sportsmanship, he's an ok guy in your book because he signed his hockey card for you?

Chelios is a "loser"?

great, thanks for weighing in.

gimme a break, i could form some delicious pun based on that word and the city you hail from, but what would be the point?
Not too sure how familiar you are with Tkachuk's Winnipeg days, but you won't find too many big fans of his off-the-ice antics while here. He acted like a spoiled brat and a downright jerk much of the time he spent here. Personally, I liked the guy, and who the hell knows what happened in this situation. However, as much as i do like him, Winnipeggers' distaste for him is from first-hand experience and their complaints are well-founded.

Good job keeping your delicious, yet likely uninformed "puns" to yourself.

That's because Nieminen nailed Chelios really hard in the nose and wasn't penalized on the play.

That was Ossi Vannanan.

That was Ossi Vannanan.


My bad.

I doubt he spit. Someone on team Finland would have done something that would have caught the attention of reporters if he did. Starting a brawl to stick up for him or making a big deal out of it in post game interviews. I just find it really hard to believe that everyone on the ice is gonna let him get away with spitting.

If anyone touched Niemenen, Jarrko Ruutu would have slapped on ankle lock on them so fast.

Tkachuck and Chelios should stop taking it out on poor Niemenin and go back to the only thing they're good at: trashing hotel rooms.
Definately ;)

Tkachuck and Chelios should stop taking it out on poor Niemenin and go back to the only thing they're good at: trashing hotel rooms.

Amen, brother! lol Oh and a message for Tkachuk: You guys were OLD, not experienced, OLD!

I have followed Chelios' and Tkachuk's careers for a long time and as much as I like them on the ice, I have to say that they really should not call themselves as athletes if these accusations are correct. It's quite unbeliveable that these players are payed millions of dollars and yet they act like they were 5 or 6 year olds. Surely it sucks to lose to a team that comes from a nation of 5 million people, but when you lose, accept it and give credit to whom it belongs. If in professional tennis someone would not shake hands after the match, he or she would be suspended for some time. I think same kind of system should be in place in hockey. And to put this shortly:

Chris Chelios and Keith Tkachuk - you are a disgrace to American sports and hockey!


Ps. Nieminen IS a great agitator. This just proves that he did his job perfectly...

so other than the poor sportsmanship, he's an ok guy in your book because he signed his hockey card for you?

Chelios is a "loser"?

great, thanks for weighing in.

gimme a break, i could form some delicious pun based on that word and the city you hail from, but what would be the point?

what does this post even mean ? and a yashin fan to boot...

what does this post even mean ? and a yashin fan to boot...
Yeah its pretty cryptic. The pseudo mocking of Winnipeg got my "why-i-oughta"s out though.

There's nothing about Tkachuk spitting in the original Finnish article. Literally, the article says that after the match Chelios wouldn't shake hands with Nieminen and Tkachuk even "sneezed" his nose during handshaking which led into an altercation between the players.

So Keef shoved his mitt at Ville's face. No classy behaviour that's for sure, but a far cry from spitting. Just another piece of good sportmanship Tkachuk-style, nothing worse. Chill out, everyone.

As for Nieminen, his comments were (and I quote): "At least there's no need to wonder why St Louis never make it. Chelios in turn showed what a sore loser he is." Never one to shy away from controversy, our Ville. :D

There's nothing about Tkachuk spitting in the original Finnish article. Literally, the article says that after the match Chelios wouldn't shake hands with Nieminen and Tkachuk even "sneezed" his nose during handshaking which led into an altercation between the players.

So Keef shoved his mitt at Ville's face. No classy behaviour that's for sure, but a far cry from spitting. Just another piece of good sportmanship Tkachuk-style, nothing worse. Chill out, everyone.

As for Nieminen, his comments were (and I quote): "At least there's no need to wonder why St Louis never make it. Chelios in turn showed what a sore loser he is." Never one to shy away from controversy, our Ville. :D

Yeah, the correct term was "face washing". The spitting talk came from a jatkoaika.com poster who posted that link there in the first place. He said that he read about the spitting from another North American message board.

Yeah, the correct term was "face washing". The spitting talk came from a jatkoaika.com poster who posted that link there in the first place. He said that he read about the spitting from another North American message board.


So in other words, everyone jumped the gun on the "spitting" angle and because of pre-concieved biases ran with it without credible evidence to support such a position? Yeah, that never happens here at Hockey's Future..... :shakehead

I am not suprised ,i think its normal american ****** behaviour.Cocky *******s :teach:

Tkachuck and Chelios should stop taking it out on poor Niemenin and go back to the only thing they're good at: trashing hotel rooms.

Thanks, bro. I was thinking the same thing! :lol: :lol: :p: :lol:

I am not suprised ,i think its normal american ****** behaviour.Cocky *******s :teach:


Yeah, Americans have the market cornered on boorish behavior.... :shakehead This site is pretty pathetic sometimes.

Ville is a great guy, according to everyone he plays with. The difference is, if you are a Euro- aggitator it is somehow chicken ****. If you are a NA aggitator you'll do "whatever it takes to win".

The only double standard, when it comes to agitators, is what shirt they're wearing. If an agitator is on your team, he's "doing whatever it takes to win". If he's on the other team, he's chicken ****.

Read any thread about Darcy Tucker, Steve Avery, Tyson Nash, or The COOKERMAN~~! and you'll see the same pattern as with Niemanen or Jarkko.

It's quite unbeliveable that these players are payed millions of dollars and yet they act like they were 5 or 6 year olds.

Disgusting? Yes. Unbelieveable? No. Not at all, unfortunately. The real miracle is that any of the players have class at all. Anybody with serious talent was probably coddled since they were 8 years old, parents/coaches/teachers more then happy to explain away and justify any trouble they got into.

Yeah, Americans have the market cornered on boorish behavior.... :shakehead This site is pretty pathetic sometimes.

:handclap: People have to let go of their nationalistic biases. I'm Canadian through & through, but jerks exist in all countries. Anyone who is defending the spotless white linen of Canadian hockey should go take another look at the Summit Series and see how they can justify some of the Canadian team's actions (Do a google on ankles & Valeri Kharlamov)

I'm getting pretty tired of these cheap shot comments thrown into any/every thread about trashing hotel rooms and the like. Let it go. I guarantee you if it had been the Canadians that had got rowdy after an unexpectedly early exit, all we would have heard about was "The Canadians were so frustrated and wanted to win so badly, they needed to releave some stress, it just goes to show how important the tournament was to these players"

Another clarification on Tkachuk's behaviour from Aamulehti. Apparently he grabbed Nieminen's jersey and said something (according to Nimo: "the usual yankee crap") and (I assume) gave a little face washing.

Yeah, Americans have the market cornered on boorish behavior.... :shakehead This site is pretty pathetic sometimes.
As much as I agree with you on this, this is all kinda amusing coming from you given your prediliction to couch virtually issue into something surrounding nationality.
And oh, btw, Tkachuk is a !@#$%^, so this if true is hardly out of character.

Yeah, Americans have the market cornered on boorish behavior.... :shakehead This site is pretty pathetic sometimes.

:handclap: :handclap: :handclap:

:handclap: People have to let go of their nationalistic biases. I'm Canadian through & through, but jerks exist in all countries. Anyone who is defending the spotless white linen of Canadian hockey should go take another look at the Summit Series and see how they can justify some of the Canadian team's actions (Do a google on ankles & Valeri Kharlamov)

I'm getting pretty tired of these cheap shot comments thrown into any/every thread about trashing hotel rooms and the like. Let it go. I guarantee you if it had been the Canadians that had got rowdy after an unexpectedly early exit, all we would have heard about was "The Canadians were so frustrated and wanted to win so badly, they needed to releave some stress, it just goes to show how important the tournament was to these players"

Agreed, The Canadian hockey program is hardly spotless.

what does this post even mean ? and a yashin fan to boot...

what does it mean?

it means that this is supposedly a WC discussion and the best any USA-bashers can do is call Chelios a 'loser'?
way to go to bat for the guy!

so they stiffed a known jagoff on a handshake, please... i recall watching Chelios elbow-smash Brian Propp into submission, and nobody made a big deal about that (except for Ron Hextall).

wow, 12,000+ posts and you're a fan of a babysitter-molesting ass-hat to boot (ask any Blues fan, skippy)..
oh wait, i forgot, that's ok because what? he's canadian? he almost led the leafs back to the cup?
what the point of YOUR post?
as for the Pat Elyniuk [sp.?] fan, yes, i am very familiar with Tkachuk's tenure in Winnipeg... sure, he's like any other hockey player i ever met from Massachusetts--brash, competitive, and passionate about hockey.
i think Keith was unfairly thrown under the bus and made a convenient scapegoat for Selanne-worshipping teenyboppers who are still crying in their beer to this day that he got shipped off to the Ducks (not saying you are one of those people, but that seems to be the theme around Manitoba).
sure, Keith's a stat-***** and didn't produce in the postseason for Winnipeg, but bear in mind that his line was the only line a team needed to shut down in order to be successful against the Jets... let's face it, other than Zhamnov and some other inexperienced forwards (and Khabibulin), there really wasn't much of a supporting cast.
get off Tkachuk and Chelios's nutsacks.
i'm not being 'cryptic' as you call it, i'm just not willing to debase an entire city, or call it 'Loserpeg' or something assinine like that.
enough of the nationalist b.s., too, most canadians i know are tolerant and don't judge players/people based upon national origin.

As much as I don't like Chelios and Tkachuk, it wouldn't surprise me if all 3 are in the wrong here.
Ditto...

I absolutly hate chelios, tkachuk. Niemenin... not too much, he's an instigator... good for him!

But I HATE guerin more than any...

sore losing americans.. .go figure ;) They seemed dirty all game long to me.

can't wait for all the Finland-bashing tuesday night if Canada stumbles... [rolls eyes]

get over it, Canadians... why the need to judge an entire country based upon two players..
what about Rafalski, or Weight, or Drury?
can't we arrive at conclusions about team usa based upon those players?

so a hotel room got trashed in Nagano, usa is out of this canada cup, breath easy, you won't need to live down '96 anymore...

why so personal?

i honestly would like to know, why is there such anti-american hostility on this board?
my two best friends in the world are from Montreal and Sudbury, respectively, i've been to Canada to visit and for hockey tournaments many times over the years and have never received more than a light-hearted ribbing for my national origin, team loyalties, et al, but one disagreement and this place becomes a neo-patriotic cess pool.
but unlike some, i won't judge an entire province or nation based upon some myopic, narrow-minded people.
it's like you can't wait for someone american-born to screw up so you can jump all over them...
why the animosity?

i love hockey, i'd watch just about any match-up, it's not about some perceived national pride.
wtf?

lighthearted, competitive discourse is one thing, but a couple of you are just so played out with this whole canadian/u.s. thing, get over it.

As much as I agree with you on this, this is all kinda amusing coming from you given your prediliction to couch virtually issue into something surrounding nationality.
And oh, btw, Tkachuk is a !@#$%^, so this if true is hardly out of character.


I do that because of the virulent anti-American bias shown by many of the posters on this board, which is kind of ironic since this is an American site.

:lol

Chelios is probably still mad over Nemo drilling Cujo. Tkachuk was always a sore loser. They still should have at least shook his hand IMO.

What is grabbing his jersey and talking smack going to prove ?? You're right, it proves that he is a sore loser. Nieminen plays an agitating style but all that goes out the window when you are shaking hands in an internatinal event. For the sake of your own country, you don't do things like this. Glad to see Nieminen getting a laugh out of it as well.

what does it mean?

it means that this is supposedly a WC discussion and the best any USA-bashers can do is call Chelios a 'loser'?
way to go to bat for the guy!

so they stiffed a known jagoff on a handshake, please... i recall watching Chelios elbow-smash Brian Propp into submission (but this is back when you were watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, perhaps), and nobody made a big deal about that (except for Ron Hextall).

wow, 12,000+ posts and you're a fan of a babysitter-molesting ass-hat to boot (ask any Blues fan, skippy handleman)..
oh wait, i forgot, that's ok because what? he's canadian? he almost led the leafs back to the cup?
what the point of YOUR post?
as for the Pat Elyniuk [sp.?] fan, yes, i am very familiar with Tkachuk's tenure in Winnipeg... sure, he's like any other hockey player i ever met from Massachusetts--brash, competitive, and passionate about hockey.
i think Keith was unfairly thrown under the bus and made a convenient scapegoat for Selanne-worshipping teenyboppers who are still crying in their beer to this day that he got shipped off to the Ducks.
sure, Keith's a stat-***** and didn't produce in the postseason for Winnipeg, but bear in mind that his line was the only line a team needed to shut down in order to be successful against the Jets... let's face it, other than Zhamnov and some other inexperienced forwards (and Khabibulin), there really wasn't much of a supporting cast.
get off Tkachuk and Chelios's nutsacks.

enough of the nationalist b.s., too, most canadians i know are tolerant and don't judge players/people based upon national origin.



:bow: :yo: :bow:

i'm in agreement with the 'leave it out on the ice' ethic, you shake hands... if Ciccarelli can shake C. Lemieux's hand, anybody can, right?

conversely, Niemmenen [sp.] is a known rabblerouser so it's not like someone grabbed Koivu or Lehtinen.

I do that because of the virulent anti-American bias shown by many of the posters on this board, which is kind of ironic since this is an American site.
On this issue, you are for the most part correct, but I again find it kinda ironic that you apparently think that the answer is & that it is ok for you to constantly engage in discourse that you find offensive.
Btw, I think if it wasnt Tkachuk who was the protaganist, the response would be alot more tempered.

If anyone touched Niemenen, Jarrko Ruutu would have slapped on ankle lock on them so fast.

HAHAHA!!
the only player less popular than Ville backing his play, i love it!

ankle lock?

does Ruutu train Brazilian Jiu Jitsu?

i train with Charles Gracie here in NorCal, those compression holds and joint locks don't tickle.

Disgusting? Yes. Unbelieveable? No. Not at all, unfortunately. The real miracle is that any of the players have class at all. Anybody with serious talent was probably coddled since they were 8 years old,


good point... I used to play pee wee and mite-level at Ocean Ice Palace in Brick, NJ (home of Jim Dowd and several Lake Superior State phenoms, yes!) and the top bantam level team at that time was the NJ Rockets (circa late 80s)... the team used to fly Jeremy Roenick in from Massachusetts just for the games.

he's been getting the star treatment since 8yrs. old, probably even before that.

i'm in agreement with the 'leave it out on the ice' ethic, you shake hands... if Ciccarelli can shake C. Lemieux's hand, anybody can, right?

conversely, Niemmenen [sp.] is a known rabblerouser so it's not like someone grabbed Koivu or Lehtinen.

I know Draper has refused to shake his hand.

I know Draper has refused to shake his hand.


can't blame Draper, and yes, i know that was an extreme example... McCarty sure rectified that business the following season though, eh?

:handclap: People have to let go of their nationalistic biases. I'm Canadian through & through, but jerks exist in all countries. Anyone who is defending the spotless white linen of Canadian hockey should go take another look at the Summit Series and see how they can justify some of the Canadian team's actions (Do a google on ankles & Valeri Kharlamov)

I'm getting pretty tired of these cheap shot comments thrown into any/every thread about trashing hotel rooms and the like. Let it go. I guarantee you if it had been the Canadians that had got rowdy after an unexpectedly early exit, all we would have heard about was "The Canadians were so frustrated and wanted to win so badly, they needed to releave some stress, it just goes to show how important the tournament was to these players"

Well said. It always seemed as if the Nagano room trashing incident was Canadian journalists way of "kicking the dog." If Team Canada had taken home the gold in '98, it would not have gotten nearly the media attention that it received. The Hockey News took years to let it finally go. Does that excuse the behavior? Of course not. To put it into perspective, it was a few hundred dollars worth of damage. Because of where it was, that made it an international incident. To his credit, Chelios paid for the damages.

I agree. Let's wait for this story to get some legs from an English (most likely Canadian :shakehead ) source before we make too much of this. I don't condone spitting and what not, but let's not kid ourselves here, this was a bitter battle fought to the very end by athletes that are on the edge. I'm not surprised if foul play ensued at the end.

So you mean that Finnish press and their information isnt important or honest enough to ensure you in Canada or in the U.S.A?? :eek:

Do you think that either of them would admit bad sportmanship???

Of course not --> they would blame Nieminen for doing something that justifys them to "spit" or not-shake-hands or what ever Chelios and Tkachuk were accused of doing.

If that news is true and confirmed I´m sorry, i thought Team USA would be above this kind behaviour :shakehead

When the better one wins :D you should take it like man not a schoolgirl :lol

So you mean that Finnish press and their information isnt important or honest enough to ensure you in Canada or in the U.S.A?? :eek:

Do you think that either of them would admit bad sportmanship???

Of course not --> they would blame Nieminen for doing something that justifys them to "spit" or not-shake-hands or what ever Chelios and Tkachuk were accused of doing.

Obviously, this was directed at Rabid Ranger. Hopefully, you won't mind answering on his behalf. Miss Hockey, with all due respect to your pride & loyalty to Finnish hockey, you are incorrect on both counts, regarding any potential Canadian and American coverage of this incident. Members of the Canadian media would salivate at the opportunity to finger an "Ugly American," and only the specialized media would give it attention in the U.S. This comes from a (fairly) impartial observer. Although, my support was with Team USA, Team Finland did include 3 members of my favorite NHL team (Kiprusoff, Lydman & Niemenen).

chelois and keith r dirty too so i dont know what they r complaining about.
i still remember chelly elbowing bryan propp.

On this issue, you are for the most part correct, but I again find it kinda ironic that you apparently think that the answer is & that it is ok for you to constantly engage in discourse that you find offensive.
Btw, I think if it wasnt Tkachuk who was the protaganist, the response would be alot more tempered.


I call a spade a spade. If an American acts like a jerk, he's a jerk. My problem is when people generalize and spout off about stuff they have no idea what they're talking about, and worse have little concrete information to support. I have no problems with Canada, or Canadians in general. It's a few people around here that get on my nerves.

There's nothing about Tkachuk spitting in the original Finnish article. Literally, the article says that after the match Chelios wouldn't shake hands with Nieminen and Tkachuk even "sneezed" his nose during handshaking which led into an altercation between the players.

So Keef shoved his mitt at Ville's face. No classy behaviour that's for sure, but a far cry from spitting. Just another piece of good sportmanship Tkachuk-style, nothing worse. Chill out, everyone.

As for Nieminen, his comments were (and I quote): "At least there's no need to wonder why St Louis never make it. Chelios in turn showed what a sore loser he is." Never one to shy away from controversy, our Ville. :D

Ville is the man.

This isn't surprising about Chelios or Keith either, never have been classy, never will be.

So you mean that Finnish press and their information isnt important or honest enough to ensure you in Canada or in the U.S.A?? :eek:

Do you think that either of them would admit bad sportmanship???

Of course not --> they would blame Nieminen for doing something that justifys them to "spit" or not-shake-hands or what ever Chelios and Tkachuk were accused of doing.

If that news is true and confirmed I´m sorry, i thought Team USA would be above this kind behaviour :shakehead

When the better one wins :D you should take it like man not a schoolgirl :lol


No, what I'm saying is a badly translated Finnish recap of what happened isn't exactly a concrete source IMO. Yet what do we see around here? Two pages of threads filled with animosity towards Tkachuk, Chelios and the United States without knowing the whole story. That is WAY to common around here.

Ville is the man.

This isn't surprising about Chelios or Keith either, never have been classy, never will be. There is a certain level of hypocrisy there, unless you're being sarcastic.

There is a certain level of hypocrisy there, unless you're being sarcastic.

Ville is not at all classy when the game is on, but he doesn't trash hotel rooms, he's good to his fans, and once the game is over he's respectful to his opponent.

The same can't be said about Chris or Keith.

Yeah Nieminen is dirty, but that is no reason for anybody to not shake his hand after an elimination game. Not only that, for guys like Tkachuk and Chelios to not shake his hand is one extremely hypocritical gesture, or lack thereof (assuming that is why they didn't shake his hand). Those two guys are as dirty as they come.

Agreed. Any issues they had with Ville they should have settled it on the ice.

I'm getting pretty tired of these cheap shot comments thrown into any/every thread about trashing hotel rooms and the like. Let it go.

Why? I'm American and I think we deserve to get our faces rubbed in about this anytime it's brought up. Our American players are a bunch of spoiled, childish, gutless jerks for that incident.

No, what I'm saying is a badly translated Finnish recap of what happened isn't exactly a concrete source IMO. Yet what do we see around here? Two pages of threads filled with animosity towards Tkachuk, Chelios and the United States without knowing the whole story. That is WAY to common around here.
RR, what's curious though is the why. People can like or dislike who they want, but at what point did Tkaczuk or Chelios become representative of a country. Frankly I do it sometimes. I loved Chelios in Mtl., he, along with Roy carried the Habs thru the 80's, though it doesn't mean I have any respects for his off ice antics, which were legendary in those days. I don't think your athletes form your foreign policy so jumping on them seems unfair. It seems the country to the south, that in fact shares a lot of culture with us, isn't too popular with hockey fans to the north. I don't know, it seems kind of petty and a bit too easy to take a lot of the positions I'm seeing here. Most of Canada resents how national sports stories are presented from a Toronto point of view, I'm sure you've all seen examples on the board. From a sports fan pov, it's probably the same thing on a larger scale. Then again,what the hell do I know.

as for the Pat Elyniuk [sp.?] fan, yes, i am very familiar with Tkachuk's tenure in Winnipeg... sure, he's like any other hockey player i ever met from Massachusetts--brash, competitive, and passionate about hockey.
i think Keith was unfairly thrown under the bus and made a convenient scapegoat for Selanne-worshipping teenyboppers who are still crying in their beer to this day that he got shipped off to the Ducks (not saying you are one of those people, but that seems to be the theme around Manitoba).
sure, Keith's a stat-***** and didn't produce in the postseason for Winnipeg, but bear in mind that his line was the only line a team needed to shut down in order to be successful against the Jets... let's face it, other than Zhamnov and some other inexperienced forwards (and Khabibulin), there really wasn't much of a supporting cast.
get off Tkachuk and Chelios's nutsacks.
i'm not being 'cryptic' as you call it, i'm just not willing to debase an entire city, or call it 'Loserpeg' or something assinine like that.
enough of the nationalist b.s., too, most canadians i know are tolerant and don't judge players/people based upon national origin.

Keep in mind that I do like Tkachuk. While Selanne was always my favorite and I was extremely furious to see him traded, I was one of the few Jets fans who supported Keith after the deal. I do think they dealt the wrong guy, but I still saw what Tkachuk brought to the team, and yeah, he was unfairly dealt with much of the time, by both the media and fans. He always brought 100% to the ice, and that garnered my respect. However, it wasn't just a matter of him being brash, competitive, and passionate. I had first-hand experience with the two faces of Tkachuk...the good, where he treated me myself and family members graciously and kindly on a few occasions and always made a point to make eye contact and wave to toddlers in the crowd during pre-game skates...and the bad, again first hand experience of him mouthing off to fans, and reliable second-hand accounts of his exploits in the Winnipeg night-life where he often acted like a complete and utter arse. Combine that with the fact that he signed a contract with another team, polarized the team and had to be stripped of his captaincy, and consistently took poor penalities much to the ire of the rather intelligent Jets fans, and you create the hard feelings Winnipeggers have for Tkachuk. I like the guy, but his rep. in Winnipeg is well-earned. He'll have my respect for being a great great hockey player, a charitable and loyal guy (to his friends...loyalty to his team is debateable), and a fierce competitor, but he's done more than enough over his career to bring this heat upon himself.

Chelios I have no comment on. I've never cared for his on-ice tactics, though he's undoubtedly one of the better d-men all-time. I don't have a solid line on his off-ice personalities, so I won't make the personal shots others are making. I don't have much affinity for the guy.

This thread is supposed to be about two players, not nation-bashing. That, in no uncertain terms, disgusts me. Its sad how many of us Canadians feel the need to continually bash Americans with faulty and ignorant stereotypes, and make ourselves look like immature, pathetic *****. Get some pride in yourself instead of feeling the need to tear down our neighbours to make yourself feel more pride. We have a great country with great people, and yes, some great neighbours.

LOL...Tkachuk and especially Chelios are two of the dirtiest players you can find.

This shouldn't surprise anybody, whatever it is they did.

I, which is kind of ironic since this is an American site.

nice attitude.Thats an american cockyness..You cant give critic to american players because this is an american based web site. :banana:

I call a spade a spade. If an American acts like a jerk, he's a jerk. My problem is when people generalize and spout off about stuff they have no idea what they're talking about, and worse have little concrete information to support. I have no problems with Canada, or Canadians in general. It's a few people around here that get on my nerves.
Funny, cause your the guy who generalizes all the time about Canadian hockey fans. But I guess thats ok, cause your the guy doin it.
Insofar as calling a spade a spade, any reason why there is no shovel work concerning Tkaczuk?

nice attitude.Thats an american cockyness..You cant give critic to american players because this is an american based web site. :banana:

Is RR a USA hockey player?

If not then you just proved his point and disproved yours.

Is RR a USA hockey player?

If not then you just proved his point and disproved yours.



I was wrong ,i admit it. Keith Tkachuk is real gentleman and very nice person and i will never critize american player ever again.

Nieminen - :D

Tkachuk - :cry:

Chelios - :cry:

That about sums up everything.

I was wrong ,i admit it. Keith Tkachuk is real gentleman and very nice person and i will never critize american player ever again.

How about replying with something of substance?

It was Chelios and Tkachuk who trashed that Nagano hotel room too. :shakehead

Funny, cause your the guy who generalizes all the time about Canadian hockey fans. But I guess thats ok, cause your the guy doin it.
Insofar as calling a spade a spade, any reason why there is no shovel work concerning Tkaczuk?

How do I generalize? Please cite some examples. If I come across that way I apologize, I just get sick and tired of several of the Canadian posters here who go off on the United States, Americans, and American hockey based on false or misleading information. As for Tkachuk, if he in fact spat on another player, he deserves to be vilified. If he's a royal ***** off the ice, he deserves heaps of ill repute. If he acts like a smug SOB to the media, lampoon him. I don't care, just make sure you have you're facts straight and don't jump to conclusions.

It was Chelios and Tkachuk who trashed that Nagano hotel room too. :shakehead

Do you have proof of that?

Nieminen - :D

Tkachuk - :cry:

Chelios - :cry:

That about sums up everything.


That about sums up the mindset of many on this board.

That about sums up the mindset of many on this board.

Take it easy, we all know Tkachuk & Chelios have a history for being sore losers. If anyone on Team Canada acted like those two clowns, I'd be embarrased.

Take it easy, we all know Tkachuk & Chelios have a history for being sore losers. If anyone on Team Canada acted like those two clowns, I'd be embarrased.


I think alot of players have a history of being jack-offs, but it just so happens being American opens up Tkachuk and Chelios to further criticism. If that's how some people get their jollies, so be it.

I think alot of players have a history of being jack-offs, but it just so happens being American opens up Tkachuk and Chelios to further criticism. If that's how some people get their jollies, so be it.

We are talking about guys that were being jack-offs a couple days ago. It would be nice to include all jack-offs from the past but this for World Cup discussion and Tkachuk & Chelios are the only 2 players being jack-offs. Being Americans has nothing to do with it.

If it were Russians, Canadians, Czechs, Finns, Swedes, Slovaks, Germans, it doesn't matter, they would still be sore losers.

This also has nothing to do with being sore losers either. If they skipped the handshakes altogether, then yes, that would be the case, but they singled out Nieminen. I hardly see that being a sore loser seeing as Ville more than likely deserved much worse than the lack of a handshake.

i honestly would like to know, why is there such anti-american hostility on this board?
my two best friends in the world are from Montreal and Sudbury, respectively, i've been to Canada to visit and for hockey tournaments many times over the years and have never received more than a light-hearted ribbing for my national origin, team loyalties, et al, but one disagreement and this place becomes a neo-patriotic cess pool.
but unlike some, i won't judge an entire province or nation based upon some myopic, narrow-minded people.
it's like you can't wait for someone american-born to screw up so you can jump all over them...
why the animosity?

i love hockey, i'd watch just about any match-up, it's not about some perceived national pride.
wtf?

lighthearted, competitive discourse is one thing, but a couple of you are just so played out with this whole canadian/u.s. thing, get over it.

Not sure if this is news to you, but Canada is extremely anti-American. Obviously size and location have a lot to do with this, but I am always embarrassed by how sniveling Canadians get about the States. It doesn't have to be this way, but opposing Americans in any way possible seems to make Canadians feel better about themselves. Sure there are lots of valid things we Canadians have to complain about, like some serious crack-head trade practices, but all the important stuff gets lost in the huge, younger, smaller brother whine that fills the news and now actually defines us. Sad.

Imagine Chelios a sore loser, isn't he the one who jumped off the bench to prevent a breakaway in an all-star game?

Not sure if this is news to you, but Canada is extremely anti-American. Obviously size and location have a lot to do with this, but I am always embarrassed by how sniveling Canadians get about the States. It doesn't have to be this way, but opposing Americans in any way possible seems to make Canadians feel better about themselves. Sure there are lots of valid things we Canadians have to complain about, like some serious crack-head trade practices, but all the important stuff gets lost in the huge, younger, smaller brother whine that fills the news and now actually defines us. Sad.


it's not news to me, but i was a bit surprised as i got older and witnessed how resentful some [not most, but a few] Canadians were about being confused for being American...they were very quick to clairfy their nationalism (as if one needs to apologize for being American these or any days)...
i'm not an average U.S. citizen, i know this, i like hockey MORE than the next guy and in my oblivious lust for the sport, just assumed that 'you're ok, we're ok', and didn't see the schism until much later in life... have been asked multiple times by people if i am from Canada, but i sure didn't get into a snit about it.
it's a shame, because in the U.S., there seems to be a preponderance of foreigners across the board who make a decent life for themselves here, reap the benefits of an education/trade and life in this country (which is great, IMO, i feel fortunate), have a family here but seem so despicably obtuse about this America because of its politics and foreign policy.
it's hypocritical, and i notice it even more because my wife is originally from Japan, came to the U.S. originally on a work visa, and she is THE most patriotic person i have ever known, by a long shot... from her families perspective, they feel a great deal of affinity for a country that allows them the opportunities we have here.

conversely, i can understand some of the hard feelings, i mean, i think a lot of people here in Calif are a bunch of knuckleheads, with the ignorant redneck Nascar hicks almost as nauseating as the hip-hop A-hole culture.

in closing, no matter what some of you think of us, i love Canada, love Canadians, and am eternally grateful for your country bringing us all the best sport in the world.

This also has nothing to do with being sore losers either. If they skipped the handshakes altogether, then yes, that would be the case, but they singled out Nieminen. I hardly see that being a sore loser seeing as Ville more than likely deserved much worse than the lack of a handshake.

So now this is Nieminen's fault ?? Unbelievable. :shakehead

This has everything to do with being sore losers IMO.

Usually sore losers take it out on one player. Just because he didn't try to jump the whole Team Finland, that doesn't mean he isn't a sore loser. He took it out on the player he dislikes the most on Finland. That's usually how it works with sore losers.

This also has nothing to do with being sore losers either. If they skipped the handshakes altogether, then yes, that would be the case, but they singled out Nieminen. I hardly see that being a sore loser seeing as Ville more than likely deserved much worse than the lack of a handshake.

Yeah, like either of those players have any room to talk, Tkatchuk was the dirtiest player in the tournament.

Talk about being able to dish it out, yet not take it.

Anybody would like to shake that man's hand?

Can you say evil? j/k :D :joker:

They should have jumped Nieminen and beat his ass 2-on-1.

lmao :joker: :handclap:

Unfortunately it is the cool thing these days to be anti - American in almost any way, shape, and form. :shakehead

Unfortunately it is the cool thing these days to be anti - American in almost any way, shape, and form. :shakehead
And in America it is always almost the cool thing to be Anti - French. Reap what you sow.

Chelios never shakes the hands of players he doesn't respect. As for Tkachuk spitting, someone had to do it.

[QUOTE=MrMastodonFarm]And in America it is always almost the cool thing to be Anti - French. Reap what you sow.[/QU


It might have been 2 years ago....you're living in the past. America has forgotten the French, like a 10 second old fart.

Watch the Canadians turn when VN boards Marios from behind. He's dirty, and if I had to battle him the way he plays, might not shake his hand either.

[QUOTE=MrMastodonFarm]And in America it is always almost the cool thing to be Anti - French. Reap what you sow.[/QU


It might have been 2 years ago....you're living in the past. America has forgotten the French, like a 10 second old fart.

I hope this is tongue-in-cheek... I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.

Not sure if this is news to you, but Canada is extremely anti-American.

It's news to me and I'm Canadian. Nothing like painting everyone with the same brush. I am anti-Bush administration and I think the majority of Canadians are, but does that make me anti-American? Nope, not at all. Hell, half the American population hates Bush. Am I anti-American hockey? You bet, but I hate all teams that play Canada.

Chelios never shakes the hands of players he doesn't respect. As for Tkachuk spitting, someone had to do it.


Reilly311 it sounds like your about as classy as the two of them.

:shakehead

Ok I'll judge now, all the canadians are like Bertuzzi..a from behind cheapshot artist who almost paralyzed another player...must mean that all canadians are like this :shakehead

Come on now...I dont believe this...and you shouldnt believe it either about americans. If its true which I highly doubt because its newsworthy and only one paper said something which is fishy...but if true dont judge us by a couple of meatheads...Its just crap...all of it. Judge a person by thier soul not thier nationality. America doesnt equal bad, its just a peice of named land. Judge as individuals, not a group.

I say, unless you were there on the ice and you know what really happened, then shut your trap.

I say, unless you were there on the ice and you know what really happened, then shut your trap.
Geez, I guess no one can comment on anything according to you, unless of course they were there.
Thats just too rich.

Ok I'll judge now, all the canadians are like Bertuzzi..a from behind cheapshot artist who almost paralyzed another player...must mean that all canadians are like this :shakehead

Come on now...I dont believe this...and you shouldnt believe it either about americans. If its true which I highly doubt because its newsworthy and only one paper said something which is fishy...but if true dont judge us by a couple of meatheads...Its just crap...all of it. Judge a person by thier soul not thier nationality. America doesnt equal bad, its just a peice of named land. Judge as individuals, not a group.

I don't think anybody is judging all Americans by the actions of Chelios and Tkachuk.

As for the rest of this thread, here's my drive-by:

-there certainly are Canadians who resent or dislike anything American. I think that's a fact. It's unfortunate, and is pretty unflattering to Canada as a whole.

-there are also Canadians who were pretty happy to see Team USA knocked out of the World Cup. In hockey, they're a rival. I don't see a problem here. When Canadians think of US hockey, they think of every Woody Paige article blasting Canadian cities, every time a US fan reminded us who won World Cup '96, Ron Wilson and his "1972 made Canadian hockey complacent" take, every "Woe Canada" article written by an American media guy after all the Canadian teams are knocked out of the playoffs. It's a sports rivalry. It doesn't mean anything outside the realm of sport.

-many people on both sides of the border have believed that Chelios and Tkachuk were buttholes long before they refused to shake Vile Niemenen's hand.

-yep, Niemenen's a punk too, and one of these days he's going to get it. Hopefully it's via a fair fight or a clean hit.

-yeah, lots of Canadians (and people all around the world for that matter) were happy to see the US men's basketball team flop at the Olympics. When you're a bad winner, people will remember it when you lose. Doesn't have much to do with hockey, though.

so other than the poor sportsmanship, he's an ok guy in your book because he signed his hockey card for you?

Chelios is a "loser"?

great, thanks for weighing in.

gimme a break, i could form some delicious pun based on that word and the city you hail from, but what would be the point?

I never said Tkachuk was "okay". I obviously dislike him as an athlete, as a role model...same goes to Chelios. I've never sat down and talked to either of them so I can't tell you first hand if they're good guys or not, but from trashing hotel rooms - to holding out for money owners obviously don't have - to spitting on players etc etc - I'd say "loser" is a good word to describe them.

When you're a grown man making millions upon millions of dollars for playing a game you have a responsability. You owe respect to the fans and to your opponents. At least that's what I was taught growing up in Canada... and I never made a cent.

You know what I find most ironic is that most people in the US wouldn't even know were Tkachuk and Chelios are, hence they wouldn't care if most Canadian hockey fans think they're sore losers.

Is even possible to have discussions on the World Cup board without most of the threads turning into some nationalistic ********? Tonight will probably be the last hockey game most people will see for awhile featuring NHL'ers, yet this pissing match continues.

You know what I find most ironic is that most people in the US wouldn't even know were Tkachuk and Chelios are, hence they wouldn't care if most Canadian hockey fans think they're sore losers.

Is even possible to have discussions on the World Cup board without most of the threads turning into some nationalistic ********? Tonight will probably be the last hockey game most people will see for awhile featuring NHL'ers, yet this pissing match continues.

I'll see the next game featuring NHL'ers on friday!

Reilly311 it sounds like your about as classy as the two of them.

:shakehead

He just loves to mix it up. Gets a kick out of the attention. Take it with a grain of salt.

It's news to me and I'm Canadian. Nothing like painting everyone with the same brush. I am anti-Bush administration and I think the majority of Canadians are, but does that make me anti-American? Nope, not at all. Hell, half the American population hates Bush. Am I anti-American hockey? You bet, but I hate all teams that play Canada.

Actually, I find it to be quite the epidemic here. America-bashing with little to no substance to back it up. When you challenge the bashers, more likely than not you get the "cmon, they're so arrogant!" response. It really is sad.

Actually, I find it to be quite the epidemic here. America-bashing with little to no substance to back it up. When you challenge the bashers, more likely than not you get the "cmon, they're so arrogant!" response. It really is sad.
Maybe you should talk to some other people then. Look up the recent NAFTA rulings on google and report back to me. Look up BSE + borders while you're at it. Heck, look up Negroponte for an added bonus or Paul Cellucci rebuking us over Iraq (where we were right) and commenting how our social policies are ill-founded. Is it really so sad, or can your friends just not debate?

This thread is supposed to be about Chelios and Tkachuk, two jerks solidifying their reputations at the end of their careers; not anti-americanism, ill-reasoned or not.

Maybe you should talk to some other people then. Look up the recent NAFTA rulings on google and report back to me. Look up BSE + borders while you're at it. Heck, look up Negroponte for an added bonus or Paul Cellucci rebuking us over Iraq (where we were right) and commenting how our social policies are ill-founded. Is it really so sad, or can your friends just not debate?

This thread is supposed to be about Chelios and Tkachuk, two jerks solidifying their reputations at the end of their careers; not anti-americanism, ill-reasoned or not.

I probably should talk to some other people. Keep in mind I'm no fans of America's politics. Unfortunately, the average Canadian I speak to knows less about the above issues than I do (which is quite little), and is referring only to Americans on a personal basis. And thats where I draw my contempt, and yes, that is rather sad. Politically, you won't find me arguing too much with you, now or even once I get more informed. My beef is with Canadians using blanket statements to describe Americans on a personal level.

And you're right, the thread was supposed to be about those two individuals. I lobbied to get it back on course a page or so ago. Unfortunately, the thread's taken the turn and isn't likely to be rectified.

Chelios never shakes the hands of players he doesn't respect. As for Tkachuk spitting, someone had to do it.

You're singlehandedly making our country look like a bunch of idiots.

Please stop posting your drivel if it won't be something of substance.



And I do agree with RR about a lot of the anti-American BS posting here. There are way too many childish posters on this board as of late. I figured that the little boys going back to Elementary school would've caused some of our younger, animosity filled, pre-pubescent posters to crawl back in the hole they came from. There is so much anger here at these boards from some people that it makes a thread on this, which could've been an actual nice debate, turn into a shouting match about how Americans are poor losers and a lot of biased comments being thrown around (from both sides, as the above quote will show). But you really can't deny the obvious anti-American sentiment stemming from many a post here on these boards.

Bring back 2002. That would make me happy.

The argument on the spitting shouldn't even have happened. It was a very poorly translated newspaper article obviously since there was not even a mention of spitting IN it. But, as soon as it's heard that an American somehow does something stupid like that, everyone comes and jumps into the fray.

And anyone who defends someone for not shaking the hand of a known dirty player is dumb. But anyone who defended Bertuzzi even a bit for what he did was trying to give a better look on a bad thing that happened.

Hmm...

That might not be the best example, but at 3:40AM it's all I can think of. There is just so much ******** floating around these posts that its hard to read them anymore.

This is the kind of story you get when papers have some extra space to fill in the sport sections.

EXTRA EXTRA! Small altercation after a hockey game. Read all about it!

It's news to me and I'm Canadian. Nothing like painting everyone with the same brush. I am anti-Bush administration and I think the majority of Canadians are, but does that make me anti-American? Nope, not at all. Hell, half the American population hates Bush. Am I anti-American hockey? You bet, but I hate all teams that play Canada.

Well then I suggest you open your eyes and ears a little more to what's going on around you, because you would be very hard pressed to support any argument that doesn't support what I said. By far the majority of our news, be it print, tv or radio carries an anti-american bias. Want attention in the Canadain political arena? Slag the Americans or at least be seen as disagreeing with them. If you can't understand that when someone says "Canada" they are refering to a general zietgiest rather than a 100% consensus opinion, then maybe discussion is an area you'd want to concentrate on improving. It should be clear that I was generalizing and that you had no need to point out that you personally weren't anti-American...

I don't think anybody is judging all Americans by the actions of Chelios and Tkachuk.

As for the rest of this thread, here's my drive-by:

-there certainly are Canadians who resent or dislike anything American. I think that's a fact. It's unfortunate, and is pretty unflattering to Canada as a whole.

-there are also Canadians who were pretty happy to see Team USA knocked out of the World Cup. In hockey, they're a rival. I don't see a problem here. When Canadians think of US hockey, they think of every Woody Paige article blasting Canadian cities, every time a US fan reminded us who won World Cup '96, Ron Wilson and his "1972 made Canadian hockey complacent" take, every "Woe Canada" article written by an American media guy after all the Canadian teams are knocked out of the playoffs. It's a sports rivalry. It doesn't mean anything outside the realm of sport.

-many people on both sides of the border have believed that Chelios and Tkachuk were buttholes long before they refused to shake Vile Niemenen's hand.

-yep, Niemenen's a punk too, and one of these days he's going to get it. Hopefully it's via a fair fight or a clean hit.

-yeah, lots of Canadians (and people all around the world for that matter) were happy to see the US men's basketball team flop at the Olympics. When you're a bad winner, people will remember it when you lose. Doesn't have much to do with hockey, though.


Well said!

This thread has gone off topic. I suggest you continue your discussion about bush, anti-america, generalization etc etc and the political forum.

Watch the Canadians turn when VN boards Marios from behind. He's dirty, and if I had to battle him the way he plays, might not shake his hand either.

Then you'd be a sore loser as well.

Then you'd be a sore loser as well.

Exactly. After the final buzzer, win or lose, you must respect your opponent. Everyone expects things get dirty out there from time to time, it's the name of the game. Whether or not you feel like shaking someone's hand or not, as a highly paid athlete in the public eye, sometimes you have to have enough class to go through the motions in order to do what's right.