January
5, 2004
Come
Together...Right Now
By
Mike Eidelbes
Remember Bill
Murray's impassioned rant to the mayor of New York City about
the onset of the apocolypse in "Ghostbusters", specifically
his claim that the arrival of the four horsemen would result in
chaos including "dogs and cats living together"?
 |
| Ex-Buckeye
Ryan Kesler was one of the top two-way forwards at the recently
completed 2004 World Junior Championships. |
There have
been no media reports from Finland regarding an uptick in paranormal
activity. But in the comfort of my own home, I saw phenomena similar
to that predicted by Murray live via satellite from Helsinki.
And I've got the entire episode TiVo'd to prove it.
Wolverines hugging
Spartans. Black Bears embracing Eagles. Badgers celebrating with
Fighting Sioux. Tigers hugging Pioneers.
They are, of course,
all Americans. And they won the country's first gold medal at
the World Junior Championships Monday, rallying from a two-goal
deficit to secure a 4-3 victory against Canada, the Stay Puft
Marshmellow Men from the North. It's a great moment for hockey
in this country, even if it wasn't a great game.
Actually, it wasn't
even a very good game. Entertaining, yes. A classic? No. The game-winning
tally came when goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, the first overall
pick in the 2003 NHL Draft, tried to clear the puck out of his
zone but instead shot it into a teammate's backside. The puck
caromed straight back past Fleury and into the net. Not exactly
Bobby Orr in the 1970 Stanley Cup Finals, but it counts.
And while
it's not a galvanizing moment for the country by any stretch,
the best part of the game for me was that post-game scene. No
East hating West, or NCAA pitted against the major junior ranks,
or Michigan loathing Michigan State.
It seems like sports
fans exert a lot of energy in dispensing venom toward their enemies.
We're all guilty of it. But we shouldn't have wait for these players
to wear a jersey we don't mind cheering for in order to applaud
or, at the very least, appreciate their abilities.
Maybe it's
just me getting older, but I appreciate great performances –
even from players on teams that once caused my blood to boil.
So if you're lucky enough to hold a ticket to the Michigan-Michigan
State game at Munn Ice Arena later this season, take delight in
the duel between gold-medal goaltenders Al Montoya and his WJC
backup, Dominic Vicari. If you've got seats to this month's North
Dakota-Minnesota series in Minneapolis, marvel at watching Zach
Parise, who, for at least two weeks, was the world's best player
in his age group. If you're bitter about the pipeline of underclassmen
heading into the professional ranks, reflect on the play of ex-Ohio
State forward Ryan Kesler and realize he belongs in the NHL...or
at least on the cusp of The Show.
After all, as we learned
today, dogs and cats living together ain't that bad.
