Good Kingston boy Jamie Arniel (pictured) has captured how his hometown serves as the dividing line in the Battle of Ontario.Arniel is considered a likely first-round choice in the 2008 National Hockey League draft -- but apparently he'd prefer to be taken by any team but the Toronto Maple Leafs. The other day, when confronted with a Facebook group based around the theme that Leafs fans should not cheer for the Senators in the Stanley Cup final, he was every bit the 17-year-old rather than the mature NHLer-to-be that pro scouts envision, writing (with all sympathies to his English teachers):
"The leafs are absolute shit, so if chirping ottawa helps you to get your mind off of the awful leafs then so be it. But id definitly rather watch the sens choke in the finals (which they havent lost yet) than to watch the leafs choke in the fuckin season, embarrasing, LEAFS ARE SHIT"
For pity's sake, Jamie. Didn't your coaches with the Guelph Storm or your uncle Scott Arniel, an 11-year NHLer and an upwardly mobile coach in his own right, ever talk to you about keeping your cool and not retaliating?
The younger Arniel probably had a weak moment, but it's funny as hell. On every broadcast from the world juniors or the OHL, Quebec or Western leagues, you can't go 30 seconds without hearing the Pierre McGuires and Peter Loubardiases of the world go on about how much "character" these "fine young men" have. Once they're away from their coaches and other adult influences, they're the same as most teenagers, prone to the kind of temper fits that culminate in misspelled message-board outbursts.
Arniel's kind of articulated, in his inarticulate way, how Kingston illustrates how the Battle of Ontario is generational. The Leafs were the most popular NHL team in the area back in the day, but it was rivalled by the Canadiens, plus there were always a lot of Bruins fans, along with the other teams that had fans everywhere, like the Oilers and Flyers. (Remember when the Bruins mattered?)
When the Senators started up, there was no mass shift in loyalties among the locals. It remained so once Ottawa started having good regular seasons in the late '90s. However, among the young crowd now, most of whom have grown up all their lives with two teams within a two- to three-hour drive, there's no attachment to the blue and white, and Jamie Arniel has captured that sentiment clearly.
(As for the ethics of reporting this, do you think John Tavares and Sidney Crosby talk smack on Facebook using their real names?)
(UPDATE, June 7, 2007: Jamie Arniel responds.
Mr. Sager,
I was sent a link to your blog Out of Left Field and I'd like to explain something. I am pretty concerned after reading the blog.
The comment you quoted from Facebook has been taken out of context. I have been a die hard Sens fan since I started going to games when I was little. I did get caught up with my friends trying to chirp the Leafs fans who, for some reason, won't cheer for a Canadian team. Some of those Leaf fans who were chirping Ottawa were my close friends and I was trying to get under their skin.
It was a joke! I realize now that there are many more people reading Facebook whomay not feel the same way that I do. I have no bad feelings towards the Leafs AND I would jump at the chance to play for them.....let's think about it, Toronto would be an awesome place for me to play so close to home. I would play for any NHL team if I am given the chance.
It wasn't a temper tantrum, I would say it was a moment of weakness as you call it without thinking of the consequences. I was simply trying to get under my friends' skins....as they have continually chirped me over the years due to Ottawa's poor performances and I jumped at the chance to give some back to them, which wasn't the smartest thing to do. I am one of the few Ottawa fans in my group. I grew up playing hockey in Ottawa, I have many relatives in the area, and I went to a lot of games as a kid.
It has nothing to do with my character, just a sign of poor judgement. Also, I understand what you were saying about the poor English structure, and I'd like to tell you that it isn't an accurate judgement of my intelligence. It was what you may call, Facebook and MSN "lingo." As I said, I would love to play for Toronto, and I strongly feel that your article falsely displays my true feelings and I wanted to explain this to you.
Thanks a lot, I appreciate your time, and I hope you understand my situation. I've learned a pretty good lesson from this.
Jamie Arniel)
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9 comments:
I find it quite funny that you would write a blog about this. You're making it seem like he would not want to play there which im sure he would, although you never know. If a person who liked the leafs said bad stuff about my beloved Red Wings I would also say things like that. He's a teenager and i'm sure theres alot of other prospects saying worse stuff on facebook about things more serious than this like alcohol and dare i even say drugs!
It's not as funny as your lack of sack (not being able to nut up and leave your name) or your lack of reading comprehension. Mr. Arniel just had a very 17-year-old moment, and no doubt next June he'll be happy with whatever organization drafts him. The thing is, NHL teams do seriously look at "character," and this might fall under that heading.
It's cute to see that come out, no more, no less. And if you have prove of NHL prospects saying worse things on Facebook or "doing drugs," by all means, share with the group. Seeing as you can't even leave your name, I'm not going to hold my breath.
True, you might have the same reaction if someone shit-talked your Wings, but you're probably not being scouted by the NHL, where they put great emphasis on character.
Sounds more like Mommy wrote this. Jamie istn't that articulate. He always seems to get himself in this type of perdicament. The thing is every time something like this happens to Jamie it's always a missunderstanding. Shut up and grow up!!!
Good Lord,
Who couldn't tell that he was just talking smack with some Leafs fans? Seriously, any talk of "immaturity" in this context is pathetic, or the reaction of sensitive Leafs fans.
As a teacher I can tell you that many kids this age type one way for the net and another for English assignments so you simply cannot judge their brains or abilities based on some net smack talk.
Anyway, lets cut to the chase here... Leafs are shit.
Since you don't like the Leafs, I assume you've withdrawn from the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan?
This post was merely intended to point out that the era of Facebook gives you a window into what junior hockey players are really like, instead of the boy-next-door routine they do when there's media around. Of course it's no real comment on Jamie Arniel's skills, but I would point out to you that he was the 20th-ranked North American skater by Central Scouting and he slipped to the middle of the fourth round.
What's really pathetic is that a schoolteacher, a leader of young people, would stoop to commenting anonymously and wouldn't know to put an apostrophe in let's.
As a long time teacher, as well as a long time Bruins fan I must gloat a bit and say how great it is to have this kid aboard. As any teacher of high schoolers knows, the main thing to look for in a teenager is passion. The fact JA has struggled a bit to "get along" tells me that he is that much closer to adulthood. And as any teacher in 2008 North America knows, we have far too many kids stunted and held back from grade mooching and ass kissing. Welcome to the Bruins Jamie. (We do well with Sens fans--ask Peter C.)
Well what do you think about poor Jamie now! Facing 6 charges tread article in the Kingston Whig Standard. Bruins must be really proud of this selection now. I don't like to gloat but I told you so!!!
It's one thing to have a very stupid teenaged moment in front of a computer and another to have it behind the wheel of a car.
He's the luckiest man alive that he didn't kill someone. Everyone's innocent till proven guilty, of course, and I don't like to think the worst of anyone, but one would hope this smartens him up right quick.
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