Thanks for the Memories, Flower

This is one of the toughest things about sports. No matter how much it feels like comrades-at-arms, no matter how much it feels like family, it only works because it is a business.

One of the best people in professional sports was recently stolen from my favorite hockey team: Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury was selected by the Las Vegas Golden Night’s in the NHL Expansion Draft.

Firstly, let me say how much it irks me that a bunch of upstarts from Sin City can walk into the NHL and swipe one player from every other NHL team. I think of the blood, sweat, and tears that NHL franchises put into forming those rosters, and it seems the epitome of unfairness. Make Vegas earn a competitive NHL roster just like the rest of them.

I know, it makes more sense financially to make the new team competitive right away, to capitalize on the curiosity, but competitively it’s a move more befitting a Golden Pirate than a Golden Knight.

But the sad fact of the matter is that had Vegas not come along and plundered Fleury away from us, we would have had to trade him. It’s just the nature of the business of professional sports. And it’s a shame. Fleury took so much heat from his own fans over the years, but at the end of the day he was a monumental piece in three Stanley Cup Championships, and an unparalleled, unselfish teammate. So as I swallow hard and realize that a great run is really over, I just want to say thanks, Flower, for the memories. You are one of the best.

 

We Are the (City of) Champions

Yet another championship for the city of Pittsburgh! This time it’s the Penguins, going back-to-back as Stanley Cup Champions! Seriously, people, how do you root for anyone else? The Pirates collected 5 championships before there was quite so much money in baseball and small markets had a legitimate chance to be winners. The current generation of Penguins, captained by one of the all-time greats, have become one of the best hockey teams of the modern era and have eclipsed the accomplishments of the previous generation of champion Penguins – also captained by one of the all-time greats. The Steelers have the greatest dynasty in the history of the NFL in their background and in recent years have won as many Super Bowls as any team that hasn’t cheated.

I say again, people, just give up the argument. America’s Team, City of Champions, Titletown, Hockeytown USA; there isn’t any city in this country that can make a better argument for any of these titles than Pittsburgh. We are The Greatest.