Now that the All-Star voting is over, and while I'm ripping NHL icons new ones for being jerks... Wayne Gretzky, you're an asshole for slamming Rory Fitzpatrick. Your career was spent being protected by players even more marginal than Fitzpatrick. It's true, Dave Semenko scored a hat trick, and Rory never has - but that was because he was on your wing, not because he was a prolific scorer. Marty McSorley wasn't a hell of a lot better than Rory either. Oh, and where is your good buddy Marty who you couldn't do without in LA now anyway? I'm surprised he doesn't have a job with the Coyotes like most of the rest of the Gretzky-extended-clan. Maybe there was a falling out. Or maybe consorting with gamblers is a step above consorting with guys who ended their NHL careers with an ill-chosen stick, I don't know.
Don Cherry, you're an asshole too - same reason. How many hat tricks did *you* have? I'll be generous and let you count the ones from your long, long *AHL* career.
I'm with mudcrutch79 on this one, and especially with Lowetide's comments in the comment thread there. The "professional" media should hang its heads in shame for their attacks on Rory Fitzpatrick. And like cambo in that comments thread, I *might* have watched the All-Star Game had Fitzpatrick been selected. It's an irrelevant game anyway, but at least there'd have been some interest. Now? Not so much. Players are always talking about how great the A-SG is because it gives them a chance to have fun; they're always being pictured talking to other players who are normally rivals. Save it for the golf course, because I don't care if you have fun at your jobs, guys. Why should I? It's not like you care if I have fun at mine, nor do I want you to.