Believe it or not, the most soft spoken player on the Penguins roster, has been arrested. Jordan and Eric Staal were among 14 persons that were arrested at a bachelor party for Eric. Both were charged for disorderly conduct and not following legal procedures . Also, Jordan was cited for underage drinking since he is still only 18.
With all the hype that is building towards next season, this was one thing that no one expected. However, this isn't as big of a deal as it will be made. Luckily we live in the United States and not Canada, because this will get as much attention as Pacman Jones did here. No one should condone this type of behavior, but it was a bachelor party. Also this is the off-season. It's not like he punched out a cop during a playoff run.
What's the big story on tsn.com/nhl? Not Patrick Kane, #1 overall pick in 2007, being signed to a 3 year deal. Not even that the historic franchise of the Edmonton Oilers are going to be sold to a billionaire, who said he will build a new arena, and spend the maximum amount allowed on players. No. The big story is the Staal brothers being arrested. And all the Canadians wonder why no one follows the NHL anymore. This is terrible publicity for the NHL. The same thing happens in the other major sports as well. However football will never lose its steam in the U.S, neither will baseball. Well, that is until we discover that everyone in the MLB is using steroids, and everyone in the NFL is either smoking weed or is entirely to fat. The NHL doesn't have the fan base to stand up to events that downplay it. The doubters will turn to the t.v. and just say, "Thats why I don't watch anymore."
At least ESPN's hockey section had Kane as the lead story. However upon further snooping, it has the Penguins logo under the "Team News" column with the story headline of the Staal brothers. Don't you think the Hurricanes logo should be on it since it was Eric's party? This is clearly because the Penguins are THE team in the NHL. If people see the Penguin's logo they will be more interested than seeing the Hurricane's logo.
Just look at the last Penguin to have legal troubles. Ryan Vandenbussche was involved in a fight with 3 cops and had to be subdued with Tasers and pepper spray. Did anyone outside of the hockey fan clubs hear about this story? Didn't think so. It's obvious that no one heard because the Penguins finished second to last in the NHL one year ago.
Shame on the media, not the Staals.
-Cdubbs
1 comment:
Although this was only a bachelor party gone a wry, the Staal brothers must learn from this incident, and in the future avoid these types of situations. This party being for Eric's wedding, the violation is completely excusable in my mind. However the NHL, along with many other professional leagues, expresses the concept of Zero Tolerance. They will not condone this behavior, as it does discredit the leauge to some extent. Do not mistake this as an incident that harms the reputation of the NHL. This is simply a minute bad decision made on the part of the Staal brothers that is almost ignorable. Nothing is harmed, and although this may slightly tarnish the reputation of both Eric and Jordan, it says nothing negative about their character. They will both remain two of the true class acts in the NHL.
Post a Comment