Every true hockey fan has heard the name before. Ogie Ogilthorpe, the crazed goon featured in the classic film Slapshot is a legend like no other, the Paul Bunyan of the hockey
world. What many people don’t know is that he is based on a blond-afroed man from Hornepayne, Ontario. Bill Goldthorpe was and is the greatest hockey enforcer of all-time. According to my father, a childhood friend of Goldy’s, he could play
the sport, but was more famous for his fist-handling skills than his puck
handling. Need proof on why he’s hockey's top goon? Well for one, while
imprisoned in Syracuse during the AHL season, he would be escorted back and forth from prison in between games. Today marks his 59th birthday,
and with that we raise a glass to the man, the myth, the legend, the goon.
As was the storyline for most of his career, Fedor Emelianenko’s final
matchup leaves fight fans with little more than another question of “what-if?”
Squaring off in his final career fight versus UFC veteran Pedro Rizzo tomorrow
night on a card for M-1 Global, many wonder what could have been for the
once mighty Russian.
It’s no secret in the MMA world that Fedor missed the boat,
failing to capitalize on his once-untouchable status as one of the pound-for-pound
baddest men on the planet. He built his kingdom on the corpses of UFC
throwaways, but never took the plunge into the world’s biggest fight promotion.
Fedor’s management team has taken the bulk of the blame for the signing never
materializing, with several negotiations with Zuffa falling apart over the years.
So what can be gleaned from Fedor’s
meteoric rise, and subsequent fall from grace? Well, if anything, his story
serves as a cautionary tale for any young hotshot thinking that they are bigger
than the sport. It’s an old cliché, but those who think of themselves in that
light often see negative karmatic returns, as the business of sports inevitably
balances it’s own moral ledgers sooner or later (see “Allen Iverson”).
Seeing Emelianenko face off with Rizzo will be a bittersweet
affair for hardcore MMA fans. While still enticing on a billboard, this fight
would have the makings of an instant classic had it taken place several years
ago, when both fighters were much closer to their primes. A match-up of that
calibre could have, at that time, been a legitimate UFC main event, but fans
will now endure a match-up of two men who are undeniably shells of their
former selves.
During the post-PRIDE period, when Fedor was destroying
lesser opponents like Tim Sylvia and Hong Man Choi, UFC fans could have been
treated to fights that would have been far more intriguing, not just from a raw
skill standpoint, but also in terms of sheer status. Fedor vs. Nogueira 2,
Fedor vs. Randy Couture, Fedor vs. Brock Lesnar, all fights which would have
had massive pay-per-view buy rates. Emelianenko could have cemented himself as
a true legend of the sport by stepping onto that stage, but seemed more
concerned with maintaining status quo than achieving ultimate status. His preoccupation
with the preservation of his legacy will now be the defining trait that
ultimately tarnishes it.
One more what-if for people to ponder: What if Emelianenko
shows up in St. Petersburg and absolutely dominates Rizzo like the Fedor of
old? Will the competitive bug in him seek out one more fight? And if not, is a
dominant performance over a 38-year-old Rizzo enough for people to say that he
left on top? As fighters like Bob Sapp have proven, there is plenty of money to
made headlining on the independent circuit, and if nothing else, Fedor is a
name that will put butts in seats.
If this really is the end for “The Last Emporor”, his body
of work, although still truly great, will always have a stigma hanging over it;
the stigma of greed, the stigma of vanity, and the stigma of never proving his
greatness on the world’s biggest stage. What a sin.
The NBA Finals will be fueled by the likes of top stars such
as Kevin Durant, LeBron James & Dwayne Wade. Shuffled among these big
names, one man stands out from the rest of the pack. That man is James Harden.
This year’s 6th Man-of-the-Year Award winner will be the Thunder’s
secret weapon on route to an NBA title. He has hit several clutch shots over
the course of these playoffs and continues to play with consistency. On a team that’s run by the NBA scoring champ, and one of the top five point guards in the league, Harden has
managed to make himself an impact player. Powered by a beard that would make Zeus jealous, Harden will
be the X-Factor and will one day soon be one of the top guns in the league.
It isn't just a product of the right combination of personalities, which LA evidently is, but something is to be said for Darryl Sutter's ability to not just light a fire under his team, but keep that fire raging. LA never lost consecutive games until the finals, nearly tying the record for fewest games played in a championship run (I smell smoke). The parity in hockey means that nearly every team has the talent to be great, so the voice leading the way is increasingly becoming the biggest strategic difference between champs and chumps.
Rory MacDonald (left) and GSP (photo courtesy of cagepotato.com)
GSP may be on the mend, but he's never off his game. The UFC welterweight champ has been helping along several young fighters on his Tristar team, and the results speak for themselves. Georges' influence has been evident, with Rory MacDonald, Mark Bocek, and most recently Yves Jabouin, all registering very impressive wins. Not only are they winning, but they're each exhibiting mutual distinctive traits that mirror St-Pierre's game: tactical striking, ring control, and a nearly impenetrable sprawl. Plus, fighters are fight fans too, how jacked must they be to see GSP in their corner after each round? Regardless of what his in-ring future holds, it seems like St-Pierre has the goods to become a full-time trainer. We saw it on The Ultimate Fighter, we're seeing it now, and we could see it a whole lot more in the future.
Hollywood couldn't have scripted it better; Cross-city rivals Manchester United and Manchester City tied atop the table on the last day of the season. United, the juggernaut of the EPL. City, the kid brother. United's game finished moments earlier than City's, and that was all it took for history to happen. City, down 2-1 in stoppage time, scored two massive goals to steal the title from the jaws of what would have been a crippling defeat.
City has drastically changed their culture in recent years, becoming big spenders in an attempt to turn England's big 4 into a big 5. After so many controversies, and the scourge of their powerhouse rivals at Old Trafford, it seems their mission has been accomplished. With a single strike, a title was won, a team was relegated, jobs were saved, and history was rewritten.
Game seven in the Big Apple was a tightly-contested match that offered Ovie the opportunity to change the narrative about his worth as a big-game player. Instead, he withered under the pressure, failing yet again to make the big play and carry his team to victory. Pressure creates gems, but it also creates rubble, and Ovechkin is running out of chances to show us what he's made of.
At the 2012 IIHF World Championships, Canada boasts yet another roster that is oozing talent, but *gasp* they've failed to utterly dominate thus far. Canadian fans don't accept mediocrity. Despite an epic gold medal at the Olympics, Canadian hockey has begun to show an alarming trend; players are putting on the red and white, automatically saying "gold medal, please". American basketball and Brazilian soccer have had similar problems; heavy hangs the head that wears the crown.
Canada lacks chemistry. A group of stars are playing as individuals, just as they normally do in their respective NHL roles. The goaltending depth is not what it used to be, so bailouts are harder to come by. Canada's sheer talent does win out sometimes, i.e. today vs Finland. The question is: is that going to be enough to rule the world?
