Mixing Work and Play

Good news for Belarus, as well as for Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, the Kostitsyn brothers are set to arrive Friday in Europe for the rest of the World Championships.

Maybe any party antics by Andrei Kostitsyn will be met with the good humor that greeted Getzlaf and Perry last Saturday night.

I am trying to reconcile the treatment/judgment of Alexander Radulov and Andrei Kostitsyn in North America with the laughter and raised glasses that composed the approach to the antics of Canada's two players during a major tournament.

Double standards, clearly. And to be honest, when did we begin to think professional athletes were saints around here?

I just watched HBO's "Namath" documentary again on Sunday morning and took special note of the police officer noticing that a very tired New York Jets quarterback was leaving a Midtown hotel at an odd hour on the morning of the A.F.L. championship game with the Oakland Raiders.

The cop bet against the Jets, which he said was his team, and lost his money. And we all know that Namath enjoyed his adult beverages. So, again, why didn't the Jets suspend Namath for the Super Bowl? Because he got the job done.

By that standard -- of getting the job done -- if you want to punish Radulov or Kostitsyn for anything, punish them for their play in Game 2. Bag skate them, make them run in the hot sun or send them to a kitchen where a lard and cottage cheese sundae is being prepared for them. But make sure you are doing for their actions on the ice, not what they did the night before. I cannot name one person in the Lounge who hasn't stayed out too late the night before a big day at work.

Not one person. And you don't know of one either.

And now for an added starter, here's Elliotte Friedman of the CBC with his 30 thoughts, starting with the coaching power play in Chicago.