Hypocritical empty threats

Mario Lemieux was a great hockey player, no doubt. In fact, for a brief moment, if you forget how incredibly fortunate he has been as the current owner of the team he unintentionally sent into a bankruptcy tail spin and subsequently transformed into world champions, one can say he's equally a great owner in the same right. But there has always been this feeling that his sacred Penguins have been pampered by the league as a respect to the owner who was arguably the greatest forward to play the game.

For a team who finds it necessary to pay the salary for one of the grimiest punks in the league, maybe he should step back and think about the players he chooses to employ before lashing out at the league. What more does he wish from the league as a response to what he found as a “travesty” for the state of the sport? Islanders players were suspended. The team was fined. Does he expect them to be contracted from the league and done away with forever? Did he think the punishment was not severe enough for the crime? Maybe he’s a little bitter that his all star tandem are out long term and he’s taking it out league. I don’t know but it’s a bit surprising that he became this vocal about the matter. Not.

So, Mario, cry me a river. All this time, I wondered to myself where and how his franchise savior turned into a gigantic whiner. But maybe in my respect for the player who dominated the game when he wasn’t battling devastating injuries and cancer, I simply chose to forget about how much of a giant cry baby he was when he still laced it up. Clearly, some things just don’t change and it’s become quite obvious that he’s taught Sidney Crosby the art of being an enormous baby.

Perhaps, it’s tough for one to really have much sympathy for the guy – he’s been successful in just about every aspect of the sport and it has all been well documented. He essentially was handed the franchise for free. Maybe he should be a little grateful before suddenly becoming so anti-NHL. But let’s get serious now for a moment. Do you think he would give a rat’s ass if this happened between, say the lowly Florida Panthers and the Columbus Blue Jackets? I’m willing to wager he doesn’t even know who plays for either of those teams, much like most of the casual NHL fan. So, hypocrite much? Yeah, just a tad bit.

Maybe I’m sitting in some sort of minority, but I thought what happened Friday night was pure entertainment and what makes hockey so different than the other big sports in the USA. It's unfortunate everyone did not skate away injury free. In the end, the league did what they thought was necessary and on par with how they've handled situations similar to this in the past.

So Mario, if you decide to leave the league, I hope someone makes sure the door hits you on the way out. But your empty threats are just that, empty.