"Hate" is such a strong word, but...

This post may be a bit of rant. It may seem out of character, and it may seem childish and inconsiderate. Some might say, "but you don't really KNOW these people, how can you talk about them this way?" I don't really care. I'm a pretty easygoing guy, and pretty adept at finding the good in people and liking them for that goodness. But boy, there are just a few guys that I CANNOT STAND. They pull me chain, they rub me the wrong way, they bug the crap out of me, whatever you want to call it. I simply do not like them. Interestingly, they're all defensemen, just like me.

I know you've waited a long time for this, so here it is, my top 3 least favorite players in the NHL:

#3: Chris-Waste-Of-Pure-Hockey-Talent-Pronger

Physically, Chris Pronger is everything you want in a hockey player, especially a defenseman. He's huge (6'6, 214 lbs) and hits like Warren Sapp on speed. His size also lends to a good skating ability; he's not the smoothest skater, but that huge, Clydesdale stride helps him cover a lot of space in a short amount of time. He's also extremely gifted offensively with a booming shot. During the power play, it's common to see him alone at the top of the blueline, mid-ice, just waiting for that one-timer. Apparently, he's also a good leader, having been a captain or alternate captain on every team he's played for (St. Louis captain, Edmonton alternate, Anaheim captain/alternate). So why am I hating on him? Because he wastes every bit of talent he has by playing sloppy and dirty. He hooks, he carves, he punches, and evidenced by last year's little incident, he steps on other players... remembering that when hockey players step on someone, they have a BLADE on the bottom of their foot! He's been suspended a whopping eight times in his career. EIGHT. Every time he says he's sorry, that he's "not that type of player"... Well Chris, you obviously are if you've been suspended that many times. The biggest thing for me I guess is the disappointment, he's an incredibly gifted player who just wastes all that talent on cheap shots and consistently dirty play. Like I said in a past entry about Pronger, he's like the really smart kid in school who cheats just because he knows he can get away with it. It's too bad.

#2: Scott-Rules-Don't-Apply-To-Me-Stevens

Scott Stevens might just be the dirtiest player I have ever watched play hockey. And he does it all under the guise of this blue-collar, silent type. Sorry Mr. Stevens, not fooling me. It's one thing to play hockey, it's another thing to play dirty. Scott Stevens was a good hockey player when he wanted to be, but he was dirty. Consistently. Most point to his hit on Paul Kariya in the Stanley Cup Finals. I'm still a little unsure about that one... for me it's all the little things he did on a consistent basis to get his way no matter what. Hockey is a game. It's not a war, it's not Ultimate Fighting, as much as people want it to be. The game has rules which makes it more enjoyable. Rules never applied to Scott Stevens apparently. Never. My favorite moments were in the 2001 Stanley Cup Finals. First, Scott Stevens tries to go in to the boards with the smaller Joe Sakic (my favorite player all-time). Sakic lowers his shoulder and BOOM, knocks Stevens over! The look on Stevens face as he lay on the ice was probably a lot like Goliath's when David nailed him. Then what happens, in Game 7 Sakic has the puck right in front of Stevens... He jukes one way, jukes the other, then puts a shot right through Steven's legs and into the net. Pure beauty. Pure karma.

#1: Chris-You-Are-Everything-Bad-About-This-Sport-Chelios

Sure he's the oldest player in the league, and sure he's been around the block a few times. I don't care. Chris Chelios, while not being quite as dirty as Pronger or Stevens, is ten times the whiner of any player in the league. This guy whines as much as most people talk in a given day. It's just constant jabbering at the officials or other players. When he's not on the ice, he's whining about how he's not getting enough playing time. Hello?! You're 46 years old, Chris! There's a reason you're not playing that much: You're not as good as the other defensemen on the team. Chris is lucky the Wings have kept him around this long, because judging by his play, particularly in last year's playoffs, he definitely doesn't have what it takes to continue to be a full-time player in the NHL. In last season's Conference Finals, I swear I saw just about every member of the Dallas Stars skate around Chelios. And where was he during the Cup Finals? Oh yeah, didn't play. Then, who's the third player to hoist the Cup after the Wings won it last year? Yep, Chelios. The guy who didn't even PLAY in the Finals gets the Cup ahead of heroes like Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Rafalski and Osgood who did all the work. Sure, he wants to chase his dream of playing until he's 50 million years old, but does he really want to do that at the expense of his team? Stop whining Chris. You're the oldest, most experienced player in the league, the NHL's elder statesman. Act like it.

Disclaimer: I am a pretty loving person. Really.