Corey Perry
Right Wing, Anaheim Ducks
Why You Hate Him: He’s whiny, he has been known to embellish a play or two(though shouldn’t that endear him to fans of the Canucks? I kid.), his body hasn’t managed to tell his face that he’s not 14 any more, he’s quiet, and there’s a pretty massive amount of incredibly likable Ducks players he’s constantly put up around. Seriously. Name another player on the Ducks you don’t like. I’ll wait.
Why I Don’t: I’ve always liked Corey Perry. I thought he was unbelievable with the London Knights, he was incredible on a line with Patrice Bergeron and Sidney Crosby on the greatest Canadian World Junior squad of all-time, and he sure scores some damn beautiful goals. He also manages to mix toughness and being a pest with being one of the best players in hockey, which is no easy feat. Kesler had to get rid of his pesky side to become great, and while Perry did that to an extent, I don’t think there are too many players who can mix the sandpaper and skill like he does. And two of the only ones are not only on his team, but on his line.
I also have a really hard time hating someone who was so instrumental to the Team Canada gold in 2010, and a really hard time hating someone who wins the league MVP and has to quit his speech because he gets choked up when he starts to talk about his family. And before HBO 24/7, he was responsible for the greatest Mic'd Up moment in hockey history. Well, aside from that Trottier thing, but that’s so good it can’t even count, can it?
Sidney Crosby
Centre, Pittsburgh Penguins
Why You Hate Him: Because he’s a so-called diver/whiner(see: “Cindy Crysby”), and....I don’t know. Because he doesn’t play for your team? The hate of Crosby perplexes the hell out of me, and the argument that Ovechkin is the best player in the league over him is even worse. That’s for another time. When we’re all less bored of it. Or the gap becomes so far we can’t even talk about it, as defenses continue to shut Ovie down.
Why I Don’t: He’s one of the best players I’ve seen. If you play the game, you appreciate the skill it takes to make the plays that he makes, and he does so many of the little things right that make every shift he’s on the ice a pleasure to watch. He also was huge in Canada’s ascent to the gold medal in 2010, and once he heals from his concussion, there’s even more coming.
Chris Pronger
Defence, Philadelphia Flyers
Why You Hate Him: He’s a bit of a sarcastic smart-ass with the media(and by a “bit”, I mean a whole heck of a lot), he does weird things like stealing the puck after games, if you’re a Flyers fan, his presence may or may not have led to the departure of Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, he has a tendency to be a dirty player, he refuses to put on a visor despite nearly losing the vision in his eye, and he just has that smirk. You know the one.
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| Man, that's easy to hate. |
Why I Don’t: He’s a bit of a sarcastic smart-ass with the media. We criticize players all the time for giving vanilla answers to questions, but an interview with Pronger is comedy gold. I can get past the inherent arrogance and just appreciate how FUNNY Pronger actually is, and the repartée he has with some of the Philly beat reporters is fantastic. He’s also an incredibly good defenseman, one of the few players left in the NHL who legitimately scares opponents, and he eats a LOT of good minutes, particularly in the playoffs. I also feel like he’s actually a bit underrated, as aside from the Hart Trophy season he had in 2000, he has quietly been one of the best defenders of our time, with the focus seeming to be on his antics rather than his ability. He’s a throwback, and when he retires, with all the changes the league has undergone, he might be the last truly scary defender the league ever sees.
Patrick Kane
Right Wing, Chicago Blackhawks
Why You Hate Him: He’s young, brash, and arrogant, he grows a stupid mullet in the playoffs, he has his mouthguard hanging out of his mouth constantly, he punched a cab driver over less than the amount of money he makes jumping over the boards(literally just the time it takes him to hop the boards), he’s cocky, he plays for the Chicago Blackhawks, he did that "heartbreaker" celebration in the playoffs a few years ago, I mean, the list is endless.
Why I Don’t: I think he acts the same way a lot of us would act in the same position as him, and that’s why it bothers people even more. He has a ton of money, fame, and success, and he plays the part. He’s like the hip-hop artist of the NHL: he brags about his wealth and is clearly very pleased with himself, yet to me, his talent is undeniable(like some rappers) and he’s still a hell of a lot of fun to watch play. His emergence as a playmaker this year has been something to watch, as he’s taken his talent for sniping goals and added an amazing chemistry with Marian Hossa in this early part of the season. I don’t condone the whole cab driver ordeal, but we also weren’t there, so who knows exactly what happened, and the fact he made fun of himself over it in front of a million people was a pretty solid piece of atonement. Drunk, drunk atonement. And once the disappointment wore off, I loved the heartbreak celly. I’m just a celebration fan, and that was one for the ages.
Brad Marchand
Left Wing, Boston Bruins
Why You Hate Him: He destroyed Vancouver in the Stanley Cup Final this season, he punched Daniel Sedin in the face a million times, his chest comes out to his chin, his nose can double as a ski jump when it snows outside, and he’s also riding pretty high on the Patrick Kane Arrogance Train(that rhymes. I smell a sitcom.)
Why I Don’t: Is this too fresh of a wound? I don’t know, but I just can’t help but love the way this guy plays. Those silky smooth hands emerging out of nowhere in last year’s playoffs and his continued upsurge as an elite power forward in the game this season has been great to watch. He recently fought PK Subban and was asked about it after the game, since him and Subban were Team Canada teammates, and he said “there’s no friends on the ice.” More hockey players should share this opinion, as it’s getting too damn friendly out there. He was also instrumental in two Team Canada World Junior gold medals, and his national pride was out there for all to see. And I’m a sucker for patriotism.
Okay, he’s kind of a douche.
Also for the hated player list - Steve Ott. I hate him and Marchand equally... naw, I hate Marchand more. Another excellent and balanced piece by this young upstart. It's about time this man gets paid.
Great read and great choices for those guys that people hate, but would love to have on their team. My thoughts:
1. Your argument makes it tough to hate Perry, but I still just do. I can't help it.
2. Totally agree about Crosby. I love the guy.
3. Pronger is one of those guys I kind of love to hate.
4&5. Being a Canucks' fan, I have to hate Kane and Marchand, although I'll admit they're good players.
You should get the job for replacing the KB, as the guy who blogs about a team he secretly hates. I think it'd be fun to have two bloggers writing Jekyl and Hyde style posts. Keep up the good work, John!
good stuff man... i also hate steven stamkos cause the whole world is obsessed with him and all he does is chill beside the net and reap the benefits of marty st.louis' infinite skills in getting the puck to his lazy ass. he's a wannabe brett hull.
Alex Burrows (biting, pulling hair, whining), Ryan Kesler (anti-Canadian) and Kevin Bieksa 8smug arrogance displayed by an average player) are detestable players but don't really fit into the cateogory as there is no reason to like them.
Okay, you're right on 4 of the 5.
Perry is a talented guy who will get nasty too. This isn't a bad thing. This is hockey, not checkers. Perry is fine.
Sidney is a great player, period. The only other all-time greats who had to put up with the physical abuse he does were Orr and Lafleur. Gretzky would have screamed his guts out if he had to put up with even 1% of what Sidney does. Sidney is fine.
Pronger is a the monster everyone would love to have in their room. He's nasty, abusive, arrogant and 6'6". In medieval times, he would be the Ruler and have all the women. You can be jealous of that, but you can't hate it. Pronger is fine.
Marchand is the new Ken Linseman, which isn't necessarily a good thing. But he has talent and plays with heart. And he punched Dank in the face 7 times because Dank wasn't man enough to put a stop to it. I wish someone would make me that deal. Why did Marchand do it? 'Because I felt like it'. Who wouldn't? Marchand is fine.
But...
Kane is a peckerhead. He is the NHL version of Eminem, and that can't be celebrated. He can't have his head put through the boards soon enough for my liking. Any millionaire who smacks a cab driver for not having the required 20-cents change due should be forced to do a thousand hours of community service in Flint, Michigan as a reminder of what a privilege it is to have money....and what it means to have none. If we start tolerating the likes of Patrick Kane, the terrorists have won. You all know this to be true.