Combating Hockey Ignorance One Letter To The Editor At A Time

For those of you who don't know, I go to school in Clemson, SC which despite it's many wonderful qualities, is not exactly a hotbed of hockey activity. So imagine my surprise (and joy) when I found an article about the US men's Olympic team in the March 5th issue of The Tiger (our campus newspaper).

My initial thoughts were along these lines: Finally! Some recognition for the team in a very nontraditional market! Then I read the article (which is linked here). At this point, I was really irritated, borderline angry actually. Here was someone who probably spent as much studying the game as I do studying nuclear physics blasting a group of athletes because they were professionals!

Now my thoughts went something like this: Alright Mr. Writer, prepare to feel some hockey girl wrath. I wrote my very first ever letter to the editor (copied below) telling the author, and his superiors, just what I thought about his theory, his fact checking skills and the 2010 men's Olympic silver medalists.

I was horribly disappointed in your article “Inspiration in favor of domination”, largely due to the fact that the writer selectively chose the facts he included.

First, the NHL doesn’t allow players to “start fist fights or purposely injure someone on the other team” without consequences. Every fighter is given a 5 minute major and possibly up to an additional 12 minutes in penalties. Whether that’s an appropriate punishment is up for debate, but the fact of the matter is there are punishments and to claim otherwise is a lie. Additionally, players who intentionally injure others are penalized through fines and suspensions. The adequacy of these consequences can be debated, but that doesn’t negate the fact that they exist.

Second, every team uses professional hockey players at the Olympics. NHL players could be found on every Olympic hockey roster. This is not a case of the United States sending “dream teams” to beat up on wide-eyed amateur athletes from other countries. To imply otherwise was intentionally glossing over the facts to make a point. In addition, your claim that every player on the US team made over $1 million is yet another example of poor (or nonexistent) fact checking on your part; Jonathon Quick makes $770,000.

In conclusion, professional athletes are just as proud of their nationality as amateur athletes are. They’ve worked just as hard. They are no less deserving of being able to represent their country simply because they collect a paycheck. To answer your question about whether the US team’s success qualifies as an upset, most hockey pundits picked the US as a long shot to come in fourth let alone second. That is an upset. For them to beat Canada’s All-Star team (only 5 of their 23 players have never been selected to play in an All-Star Game as opposed to 18 of 23 Americans) whose collective salary is more than 50% higher than that of the Americans is an upset. Hate the NHL if you want. Hope for amateur players to be used in the future if that’s what you wish. But to claim the 2010 silver medalists don’t deserve the nation’s pride or respect because they are professionals is doing a disservice to the 23 men who played their hearts out for their country.

A few weeks went by and I didn't hear anything so I naturally assumed my letter had been discarded with the probably 20 or so other letters they get a week. But The Tiger had one more surprise in store for yours truly when I found my letter in this week's edition of the paper! Excuse me while I do a little happy dance!!! Woo hoo! I'm published!!!!

Now I don't harbor any delusions that my letter to the editor will make any difference to the author the next time he writes an article. I don't think for a second that the editor will sit him down and tell him to fact check every now and then. But I do have a hope that other people will come away from this with a little more hockey knowledge and a greater appreciation of what 23 men accomplished during a few cold February weeks in Vancouver.