Krys Barch takes aim at hockey writers
NY Post writer Brett Cyrgalis takes exception to this tweet by former NHL enforcer Krys Barch:
Would like to propose a rule change in the world of hockey media.All writers/media must have played at least one pro year of hockey #painful
— Krys Barch (@krysbarch) November 13, 2014
In response, Cyrgalis wrote an article titled 'This washed-up NHL enforcer doesn’t think I should have a job'. Ok then. He goes on to explain further:
There’s no way to win the majority of public opinion on this one. Agree, you look like a rock-headed jock. Disagree, you look like a whiny writer. Both of those stereotypes exist for good reason.
Yet Barch, who is not rock-headed and was rather articulate — in contrast, I can be rather whiny — did not back down from his statement. He seemed to take joy in people reacting to what he said, because it’s something he, and so many other fans and athletes, so foolhardily believe in.
“A lot of the people that are writing this stuff don’t know the emotion and the intricacies of the sport,” he said. “They’ve watched a lot of hockey, but did they grow up with the culture of hockey? I’ve been playing since I was three years old, and I don’t think you can really understand all the nuances of the game without having played at a high level.”
He then said, “that is not a blanket statement” for all writers, and instead singled out two prominent columnists: Damien Cox, formerly of the Toronto Star and now writing and broadcasting for Sportsnet in Canada, and James Mirtle of the Globe and Mail, Canada’s version of USA Today. Both have been outspoken against fighting in hockey.
Ahh fighting in hockey. The debate that will never stop. Now it's pitting enforcers versus writers.