There is a really good posting from Islanders blogger Dee Karl on this subject… but I gotta weigh in.
Szymon Szemberg is a PR hack for the IIHF. That is known. Now we also know that he is clueless about the game he supposedly promotes. Mr. Szemberg posted a screed to the IIHF's website that blasts players that don’t want to help the IIHF make money by participating in the IIHF’s tournament that they call the World Championship.
Oh, he doesn’t say that directly. He callously couches his (and his organization’s) greed by wrapping it up in patriotism. He directly states that…
… pride and honour seem to be very selective qualities. When a player wants to play – in the Olympics, for example, where he finds the stage big enough and the setting appealing enough – he talks about pride and honour. But when he doesn’t feel like showing up when the national team is calling – despite being healthy – representing his country is suddenly not honourable, and wearing the jersey that represents your entire hockey system is no longer a matter of pride.
Here we have another organization, trying to manipulate its own success by calling it “saying no to your country.” Bullpuckey… it is not saying no to your country, it is saying no to a corrupt organization that refuses to follow its’ own rules or enforce valid contracts. It is saying no to being manipulated and used. It is saying yes to fully healing and spending time away from the game. It is saying yes to family. Face it... The IIHF is simply mad that the “superstars” didn’t want to support their attempt to cash in, and this piece posted to the IIHF website is their little conniption fit. What’s next? Will they hold their breath till they turn blue?
The really sorry part of this entire piece is the angle that Mr. Szemberg plays about “paying back.” I quote from his piece and respond to each point…
It was due to the efforts of the national federation and its affiliated clubs that made it possible for the player to join a youth hockey program where the player developed into a star.
So… I don’t know how things go in your neck of the woods Mr. Szemberg, I guess the player’s parents had nothing to do with this. The player’s parents were the ones paying for youth hockey fees and equipment, getting up at 4am for 5am practices, loading the kids up for travel weekends, putting life on hold to support your player… NOT the IIHF or national federation. How arrogant… BTW, I have never seen a player, when appearing on TV say “Thanks IIHF!” instead of “Thanks mom!”
It was the national federation and its regional affiliate that educated the coach who was ready to teach fundamentals when the player joined the program for the first time. The same organizations funded the clinics that educated the referee who stood there at centre ice when the player took his first faceoff in his first novice game at the age of six or seven.
The federation educated the coach and funded the clinics that educated refs??? Really??? Last time I checked, there are significant fees to attend and be certified as a coach or a ref, this is not done from the goodness of their heart, but as a means to increase the number of coaches and officials. It is a necessary thing, but don’t be fooled… it does cost someone to be certified to coach or officiate. To say that it is funded by these organizations is a gross misstatement.
It was thanks to the funding from the national federation and regional affiliate that the local club could build a rink.
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA… is he serious? Again, maybe in Europe this may be the case, but it is NOT the case in North America. Ice time is expensive… and I don’t see handouts coming from the IIHF for support.
It is because of the very costly national team program that the player could play his first national team games at under-16 or under-17 invitational tournaments testing his skills against the best youngsters from other countries.
It is thanks to the national federations’ and the IIHF’s efforts that the World U18 and U20 Championship programs were established. It is in those events where the players are scouted by professional teams, laying the fundament for a future career where the average NHL salary is two million dollars
Hmmm… and that pesky little juniors program in North America has nothing to do with a 16 or 17 year old testing his skills or being scouted… clueless, completely clueless.
Then this hack from the IIHF tries to connect the hard work done by programs in the US, Canada and Sweden with how players should forget about all else, drop everything, and “play for their country.” Injured or not, tired or not, contract or not. OK we get it… but then, later in the article, he turns from hack, to complete ass.
He calls out specific players for not coming to the tournament. He calls out Sidney Crosby and multiple members of the Detroit Red Wings, who in the past three seasons have played 246 regular season games and more than 57 playoff games each, plus the Olympics this year and the associated travel that goes with all of it. Over 300 games in 30 months, and this idiot is wondering why they may want a break??? Worse, he draws a comparison with “eight Swiss players from SC Bern and Geneva-Servette who played a punishing seven-game final series which ended on April 24 are here and representing their country.” He conveniently leaves out the fact that the Swiss league season is less than half the length of an NHL season.
This author then compares Ilya Kovalchuk, who freely decided to come and play for Russia, despite his upcoming free agent status, to Alexander Steen, who refused to come because of his unsigned status. Do you think it may have something to do with the fact that Kovalchuk made $7.5 million in each of the past few seasons? Steen made $1.7 million last season and is completely unsure of his upcoming status. An injury would cost him dearly… Look, I know we are talking about a lot of money here, but a hockey players career is not lifelong.
What the IIHF doesn’t realize is that their attempt to shame NHL and KHL stars into appearing in their tournament will backfire on them. The reality is, no one really cares about this tournament outside of the city that hosts it… the lack of interest is even more intense in an Olympic year… the World Championship has already been decided, perhaps you saw Canada’s overtime win over the US back in February, Mr. Szemberg.
Why should professional players support this endeavor? Seriously… why? The IIHF has proven to be a toothless organization who refuses to enforce their own rules. Need proof? Two words… Alexander Radulov. A player allowed to walk out on a legally binding, valid contract… and his punishment?
Bupkas.
He was allowed to play in all IIHF sanctioned events, including the Olympics, flaunting his disregard for rules and contracts… and the IIHF seems to be saying “heaven forbid we piss off the Russians.”
I appreciate the audacity of this PR hacks piece… it takes real stones to try and mount your high horse on a subject like this. I know that the comedy was unintentional, but it showed in sharp relief how irrelevant the IIHF has become.
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