In case you haven’t been following the NHL this year – or the past half-century or so – things haven’t exactly been going well for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The team is currently in the midst of an extraordinarily tumultuous year on AND off the ice, and its tortured fan base has responded accordingly.
At several points throughout this season, Toronto fans have been fed up enough to throw their jerseys onto the ice, a display of frustration that hasn’t sat well with many who cover, support and play for the team.
After an embarrassing 4-1 loss to the lowly Carolina Hurricanes produced more abandoned sweaters on Monday night, two fans were arrested for public mischief as a result of their protest. Maybe more ridiculous than that, though, was the comparison that Toronto-based writer and musician Dave Bidini imagined on Tuesday morning.
i said this to @Taggart7 but seeing a sweater on the ice reminds me of seeing a dead soldier. sick imagery and ugly gesture.
— dave bidini (@hockeyesque) January 20, 2015
As you can imagine, his take didn’t sit well with many of his followers, who wanted an explanation. He did his best to justify and clarify, but the comparison didn’t seem like any less of a stretch as a result.
@highstickery a sweater is a uniform and is sacred. and there it is limp on the ice.
— dave bidini (@hockeyesque) January 20, 2015
ok, lemme clarify. the bodyless sweater on the ice reminds me of someone fallen face first in the street: soldier, civilian, whomever. limp.
— dave bidini (@hockeyesque) January 20, 2015
It seems that – despite his valiant efforts – the follow-up explanation didn’t seem to quell the anger that his opinion triggered.
wow, total BLOCKFEST going on.
— dave bidini (@hockeyesque) January 20, 2015
And here’s a necessary reminder that comparing sports to war is always a pretty bad idea.
About Pete Blackburn