Page 12 - Sports Energy News, Cornwall, Issue No 85

12 Issue #85 December 2019 www.sportsenergynews.com

Harv’s Diner SPORTS MURPHY’S SPORTS LAW

THE BREAKFAST PLACE WORD By David Murphy

brings you SEARCH
‘Tis the season to be jolly…you know the
Christmas rest. The sports world naughty and
nice list is always fun to write
C H R I S T M A S E E R T Q B H about. This year’s naughty list
has to include NHL coaches
F L E U F M F S X Y L M D P D N
(or former coaches) Mike
O R N A M E N T G D G A I E Y Q Babcock and Bill Peters.
You could sense there
P E O P L E A R D N Y N C P C D were problems in the Leafs

S E V S P H E L G A E O E L U R dressing room early on this
season when Babcock didn’t
Y V H E A E O N C C R P A N K A dress Jason Spezza for the

Maple Leafs’ home opener. The
O O I W T C I I Z A P U R P A C
same Spezza who grew up in the
T L R I U V K W T E S R E A J C Toronto area, who took a discount to
sign with his hometown team and who has
S S N D I P O I R E J E T L B S been a solid addition to the lineup when he’s been dressed. That

T G A G B L O M L L N E N H O T incident reminded me of the Mike Modano playing in Detroit
fiasco. Modano, a Hockey Hall of Fame member, born and
L H P N J N I W Y I H D I G O A raised in Michigan signed with his “hometown” Detroit Red

Wings to play his final NHL season. Babcock, the head coach
C L G L T N O B B I R N W I Y R
made Modano a healthy scratch for the final 10 games of the
D S E I T A L E G N A I J E X I regular season. That left Modano with a career total of 1499
games played. Let that sink in! Then we hear about Babcock
O B Q B L X A W O N S E X L J T asking a then 18-year-old rookie in Mitch Marner to rate his

S T O C K I N G B Y Z R Z S B F teammates on Toronto during his first NHL season. If that
isn’t bad enough, the coach takes the list and reads it to all
P R E S E N T V V E L D N A C O the players and then informs them it came from the rookie!?!?!
Who does that??? To answer my own question, a fired NHL
ANGEL SLEIGH TOYS coach who will be hard-pressed to find another coaching gig

EVE CANE COLD that’ll last more than 1-2 seasons. Google Mike Commodore/
Mike Babcock, you’ll be entertained.
RIBBON LIGHT PEPPERMINT
Then there’s former Flames head coach Bill Peters. His
BELL SNOW TREE racial insensitivity and physical style of coaching has come

GIVING CARD DAY back to haunt him, and rightfully so. Nobody should have to

SACK LOVE PINE put up with the racial rant directed towards one of his players
when Peters was his coach in the American Hockey League
CANDLE STAR WINTER almost a decade ago. Once that story broke thanks to Akim

GREETING CHRISTMAS DECORATION Aliu, Michal Jordan (also a former player under Peters) brought

SANTA ORNAMENT PRESENT up an incident(s) of Peters punching and kicking him during a
game(s). Both stories have since been corroborated and the
CANDY STOCKING ELF fallout continues.

HAT CLAUSE REINDEER Lumps of coal for both Babcock and Peters this Christmas.
As for the nice list…well…that’s too long a list to put in this
PEOPLE column. I like to see the positive in people until it’s time to not
Harv’s Diner see the positive. Let’s just say, it’s good to treat others as you

THE BREAKFAST PLACE wish to be treated. Do unto others, only do it first. Be kind.
Open that door. Say please and thank you. Let that vehicle in
ahead of (you don’t have to let 2-3 in ahead of you). Life is too
“ Where Winning Teams Start Their Day”
short to be nasty or mean-spirited to one another. Soak in the
619 Pitt Street, Cornwall positivity and let the negativity melt away.
613-938-8250 Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

And that’s Murphy Law.