Wednesday, May 26, 2004
Why Jarome Iginla may be my favourite player...
Now, I might draw scorn as a bandwagon-hopper for choosing this particlular time to write this, but, as a fine writer made a fine book out of saying...so it goes.
In a nutshell, I love Iginla's enthusiasm for the game.
When they interviewed him after he found out he had made the the 2002 Olympic team, he had a big shit-eating grin that he couldn't seem to wipe from his face.
When they interviewed him prior to his first playoff game this year, he had that same BSEG. You could tell he was just chomping at the bit to get at it after an 8-year absence from the post season. I remember thinking at the time: "I hope it's a long series before he gets knocked out".
So it goes.
But it's that kind of enthusiasm that I love to see. It's the enthusiasm of a guy who loves his sport so much that it bubbles to the surface. In a sports world of straight faced, paint-by-cliche interviews, his enthusiasm is refreshing.
Although I thought his playoff run would be finished early, I'm thrilled that he's co-carried (with Kipper) the team this far. As the Globe and Mail points out in an excellent piece yesterday, it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy, or a better hockey player.
Update: Looks like I'm not the only one who's noticed Iginla's infectious joy for the game. I saw this post from Steve at PuckUpdate this morning.
In a nutshell, I love Iginla's enthusiasm for the game.
When they interviewed him after he found out he had made the the 2002 Olympic team, he had a big shit-eating grin that he couldn't seem to wipe from his face.
When they interviewed him prior to his first playoff game this year, he had that same BSEG. You could tell he was just chomping at the bit to get at it after an 8-year absence from the post season. I remember thinking at the time: "I hope it's a long series before he gets knocked out".
So it goes.
But it's that kind of enthusiasm that I love to see. It's the enthusiasm of a guy who loves his sport so much that it bubbles to the surface. In a sports world of straight faced, paint-by-cliche interviews, his enthusiasm is refreshing.
Although I thought his playoff run would be finished early, I'm thrilled that he's co-carried (with Kipper) the team this far. As the Globe and Mail points out in an excellent piece yesterday, it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy, or a better hockey player.
Update: Looks like I'm not the only one who's noticed Iginla's infectious joy for the game. I saw this post from Steve at PuckUpdate this morning.
