Not just the title of a really bad cop buddy comedy, it’s the ongoing narrative of the Stanley Cup playoffs as we seem to be hearing more about Ryan Kesler, Chris Neil and their ilk than we are of the few big names stars still skating.
The latest example followed Sunday’s 5-3 Anaheim win over Nashville; Ryan Johansen expressed his disgust with Kesler’s play.
“His family and his friends watching him play out there, I don’t know how you cheer for a guy like that…It just doesn’t make sense how he plays the game. Y’know I’m just trying to go there and play hockey, and it sucks when you gotta pull a stick out of your groin every shift.”
I’m happy to hear Kesler get called out for the crap he’s allowed to get away with in the playoffs. To some self-professed hockey people, the sin is Johansen’s for calling a guy out for his ‘gritty’ play.
In the Ottawa-New York series, thug Chris Neil was lauded for about two-and-a-half minutes worth of play that ended up with him beating up the Kesler-esque Tanner Glass. That’s not why the Senators won that series.
As usual, it comes down to the so-called ‘let ’em play’ philosophy of not calling the rule book that allows players like Kesler to get away with murder, rather than allowing the stars to shine.