To offer up the other side of Sasky's post... The Flames have lost a guy with one of the biggest hearts in the dressing room. On ice, Andrew Ference works hard. Off ice, he's one of the most cerebral players in the league. His environmental awareness and activism are well documented. I'm in a little bit of shock here. We're listening to the Fan 960 online for post-game reaction, listening to the people calling in when all of a sudden - BREAKING NEWS! The host goes on to inform listeners that the Flames have traded Andrew Ference and Chuck Kobasew to Boston for Brad Stuart, Wayne Primeau and a draft pick. My emotional reaction to this news shocked me - my stomach dropped, my heart hurt and my eyes teared up. Kobasew, fine, he's your average hockey player but Andy? Oh no...
Here is a guy who signed a 3 year contract earlier this year for less than he's worth so he could stay playing in Calgary. Here is a guy who gives back to the community immensely through his work with Right to Play. Here is a guy who plays with heart, who is defeated when the Flames lose. The other night after the Flames lost, he had a post-game interview and you could tell he felt horrible because it was his penalty he took late in the game that led to the loss.
The people on the radio and on the message boards are busy talking about whether or not the Flames picked up rentals in Stuart and Primeau, whether or not Sutter can sign Stuart (Primeau not so much) who is an UFA next year.
What gets me is how this trade went down - the team was sitting on the bus, waiting to go to the airport, waiting, waiting, waiting when assistant coach Rich Preston comes on, takes Andy off the bus to tell him the news. The news of the trade sucked the air from my lungs, I can't imagine what it did to Ference. I'm interested to see what he has to say about the trade.
I think that this moment right now defines one of the major differences between male and female fans - I sit here mourning the loss of Andrew as a person and as a player who is part of the Flames organization and others are talking numbers, looking at it logically. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure the guys we picked up are great, but right now I can't look at that side, maybe in the morning... I apologize if this is rambly, I just had to get it out.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Sadness. Pure sadness for me.
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6 comments:
I wish we could clone him and then you guys wouldn't lose him.
But a guy like that. God I can't wait.
I wish we could too. I'm starting to see it with clearer eyes now, what the implications are, how this can make the Flames better and how this can give Ference and Kobasew a chance to shine in Boston.
I wish those boys nothing but luck and in the morning I will look at what the new kids in town can offer.
Brad Stuart is a loaner at best - he still owns his home in Cali and lived there in the off season - he'll head back to Cali as a UFA.
Andy was nice to look at. I'll miss that at Flames games.
OC, Andy brought a whole lot more than his pretty face to the games; he brought his heart and soul.
I've been to a number of Flames games this year - I am well aware that Andy was more then just a pretty face - I've actually met the guy.
Gah - it posted before I was done. He was a nice guy, and he had a ton of heart on the ice. He was also hot. I wasn't denying anything you said about him having a lot of heart - I was just adding that he was a pleasure to look at.
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