Penguins Radio Guy Calls Goons, Criminals
On Tuesday night, Capitals forward Tom Wilson took a suspendable shot at the Penguins' Zach Aston-Reese.
The hit left Acton-Reese with a broken jaw and Wilson suspended for three games. A very reasonable punishment for the hit that Wilson laid on Reese. A day later, Pittsburgh area radio host Mark Madden hopped on his soapbox and had a few choice words for Wilson, and all “Goons” as he called them.
You can read the full article here.
Here's the breakdown of some of his more colorful comments:
“When it comes to the continued presence of the goon in hockey, we have only ourselves to blame. We have made the notion of the goon amusing. We’ve turned them into cartoon characters. “They’re great guys! They’re so popular in the dressing room!”
Ok, so admittedly, Mark doesn't do a great job of explaining what a “goon” is in his mind. But for arguement's sake we can take his rant on the Wilson hit to mean he sets the line at 6'4, 210lbs, Tom Wilson and his 13 majors this year as one. Ok, so Tom Wilson is a goon and we are all to blame for liking when a guy stands up for his teammate/respects the code/polices the game when the refs won't. I guess.
“Goons are criminals, not hockey players. They go on the ice to menace and provoke fear. Their job is to hurt people.”
I think we can agree that Tom Wilson's (or that of any other fighter, or goon as Mr. Madden wants to call them) job is not to hurt people. Is it to police the game for more skilled players to be allowed to do their job? Absolutely. Is it also his job to add something to the lineup and play the game of hockey that we so love? His 35 points this year would say yes. But gone are the days of the “goons” as I would see them. Guys like Gary Rissling, Krzysztof Oliwa, and even Eric Godard no longer find themselves with everyday spots in NHL rosters. Some would say that's sad, but Mark Madden would not count himself one.
“If they did that (hit someone) on the street, they would be arrested. Nothing is amusing or fun about a goon.”
A little off the rails here Mark, I can't help but feel your emotions of being a Penguins fan. There are a lot of things that happen on the field of sport that wouldn't be allowed in a “normal street encounter”. I am not allowed to slap a frozen puck at someone on the street. I'd definitely get a ticket at least. That said, hitting isn't just a rule change that came in this season. Hockey has always been one of the roughest and toughest sports out there. These guys all know what they are signing up for.
“We rate the best fighters.”
Hey, wait a minute. He's talking about us, isn't he? Why yes we do rate fighters. How does that affect anything in your life?
Goons aren’t good people. They’re goons. They have no honor. You can’t have honor, or respect for your opponent, and do what Wilson does.
As a matter of fact they ARE people. I haven't met Tom Wilson myself, probably never will. But he is good people, he is also people that you (Mark Madden) just don't understand. Wilson has worked his butt off day in and day out to be where he is right now, on a playoff team. He has thrown caution to the wind when it comes to his body physically, in a pursuit of his passion. He does it with fewer accolades and far more criticism than the Sidney Crosby's and Lemieuxs of the world ever will. Does that make it so the Mark Maddens of the world have to like him? No. But they should damn well respect him.
The Way I See It:
The Mark Madden piece is likely written more in his fan voice than his reality voice. That's fine. We all are fans of a team and the game. But to call Wilson not a good person because of an action in a fast-paced high intensity game, that he regrets? That's out of line to me.
What do you think? Let me know in the comments below.
