Hey Beer League Hockey Fans...
So a while ago, we had the pleasure of our interviewer-extraordinaire, Aubrey Parker, chat things up with Andrew Raycroft for our FarParker.com site...back when he was a stinkin', no good, Maple Leaf (thanks though Andrew - the interview was awesome!!). Now, Andrew has joined the NHL elite with a backup position to Bobby Lou.
As expected in this town of goalie gravediggers, Vancouver hype is huge for Raycroft - "the poor buggar has to backup the league's top goalie and will never see any action!" Well...BOO F'ING HOO. Thanks to our ever-accurate media for stirring up yet another pot to build frenzy. As a pretty crappy goalie who'll never see any real NHL action, I felt compelled to state my layman's view on this topic...cuz you know...us beer league guys know EVERYTHING about playing in the big time. Anyway:
Point #1 - Money. Now don't get me wrong, but if someone came and offered me half a MIL to sit and keep the pine warm for Lou's arse all year and basically not risk my body to potential injury, would I turn that down? Yeah...probably not.
Point #2 - Ice Time. Think Andrew doesn't get to see any action? Sweet bajesus, he's practicing daily with one of the league's top teams, opposite Bobby Lou. No offense to the guys in the other nets during my games, but hell...if I had Roberto down the ice, you can bet the farm I'd be pretty stocked.
Point #3 - Fan Experience. Okay...so you have to let fans admire your cool back-of-head haircut and how neat your name looks on the back of your jersey, but let's not forget you do get to show off in the pre-game warmup, or have crazed fans check you out at 8-Rinks during practice. And you still get a hockey card made of you...
Point #4 - Coolness. I don't care what any media dork says...playing in the NHL is cool, and you beat out tens of thousands of other wannabes like me who never made it. 60 guys get the privalege to state they're in the big show, and nothing can take that away. Plus, I like Raycroft's style.
Point #5 - Last One, I Promise. For those of you who've had the privalege like I have, playing at GM Place (and The Coliseum for that matter), is just awesome. And let me tell you...it's awesome with nobody in the stands. The ice is the best you'll ever get your ass slamed onto, you could run your tongue around every inch of the boards and not get also much as a blister, and looking up at all the seats, billboard ads and the juicy jumbotron just make being there an experience worth remembering. Some of the photos in my gallery are from those rinks, but I DON'T BE PAID NOTHIN to play there...
Am I jealous of Raycroft? You're damned right I am...
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