When The Vancouver Sun was established roughly 100 years ago, the founders probably never saw this coming.
What’s “this,” you ask? Why, it’s a photo of a hockey-playing rat, and oh, look! He’s got Brad Marchand‘s face! And jersey! That rat looks like Brad Marchand! I get it!
The newspaper ran a story titled, “20 things we know now about the NHL in 2011-12.” No. 1 on that list states “The rats have taken over.” The comment references Toronto general manager Brian Burke‘s comments about how ushering fighting out of the game will lead to players taking more liberties with each other. Specifically, he worried “that the rats will take this game over.”
Without referencing Marchand by name (though the Photoshop job, which looks like it took at least 120 seconds to complete, kind of gives it away), author Cam Cole said the following:
“Brian Burke is right, or half-right, anyway. Maybe not about the good old days when men were men and all villainy was stamped out by goons. But there definitely is more rodentry in the game now than ever before, and it’s astounding how little effect the Shanahammer’s [Brendan Shanahan] tougher, longer suspensions have had on the number of cheap-shotting weasels (you know who you are) running around.”
The article also called into question Alain Vigneault‘s comments about Marchand one day will “get it,” as in get injured by an opponent. The writer intimated that such a comment isn’t the best one to make as the head coach of a franchise with a “history of ‘he has to pay the price’ [that] has already come back to haunt them (see Marc Crawford/Todd Bertuzzi/Steve Moore).”
You know, now five days after this Bruins-Canucks game, I think we’re all ready to move on. If it wasn’t clear before, one look at the silly rat in the Vancouver newspaper should get us there rather quickly.
Photo of the day
Clever or lame?
Screen shot from Vancouver Sun
Quote of the day
“Whoever said all that, they’re out of their minds and just trippin’.”
–Jets defensive lineman Marcus Dixon, on an anonymous Jets player calling out Mark Sanchez
Tweet of the day
You don’t need a sarcasm font to pick up on this satire.
Video of the day
You could watch this video and think, “OK, whatever.” But I watch this video and think, “Who films air hockey games?”
