Kelly Hrudey seems confused: "So here it goes -- literally, to a man, every single player or ex-player I spoke to believed that Fitzpatrick should not be included in the game."
Yeah, so? Their votes count just as much as anybody else's, for starters, and second, the NHL said explicity that fans get to vote. That means just that: the votes of the fans count. Players don't like who the fans select? Tough titty, that's what living in a democracy is all about. Don't like the results of the vote? Either work to change it next time, or get out. Either way, don't attack the people who voted contrary to how you would have preferred; that's just stupid.
Did Mr. Hrudey miss the point of the huge "Thank you for your support fans!" all over the rinks last season? Without us idiots who don't know who deserves to play and who doesn't, he wouldn't have his job. He'd be yet another irrelevant retired player, likely the subject of the occasional hometown article about the real estate business or car dealership he's running.
Granted, he didn't come right out and say everybody who voted for Rory Fitzpatrick is an idiot, not like a few other jerks, and his conclusion is probably correct, but still. "Don't hate the playa, hate the game." In the end, you got the result you wanted - lunchbucket Rory out, Very Deserving Fresh Hot Scoring Machines like Cheechoo and Staal in, real All-Stars Iginla and Pronger not even listed as "selected but injured," so quit your bitching. Your candidates won, isn't that enough?