This is going to be a relatively quick commentary for no reason other than you need to get off Fear The Fin as soon as possible and head over to MC79 Hockey.
Tyler Dellow, a civil litigator based out of Toronto, has been writing at MC79 Hockey since December of 2005. During that time span he has published an immense amount of fantastic coverage on the Oilers and the NHL, covering topics that range from the CBA, legal musings, the NHL’s business operations, statistical analysis, and commentary on historical trends in the League. It’s strictly a must-read for anyone looking to gain a deeper appreciation for the sport of hockey. This much is undeniable.
At any rate, here’s how he closes the article. Make sure you read it first thing in the morning, because if the MSM is doing it’s job, this should be all over the news tomorrow.
The morals of this little tale? There are many. Never put anything into an email that you wouldn’t be fine with seeing in print on the front page of a national newspaper. If you’re a Bruins fan, you’re now forever justified in bitching that every call went against you because Colin Campbell hates Marc Savard. If you want your team to be treated favourably, acquire Greg Campbell, because Colin Campbell will watch all your games and bitch about bad calls. Also, it would appear that if you’re a GM and you’re not constantly filling Campbell’s ear in an attempt to get the refs you like you like, you aren’t doing your job.
Oh and one more – if you suspect that the NHL is run by bozos (in fairness to Walkom, I don’t think he comes off poorly in the emails, although he wasn’t found to be a particularly credible witness), Campbell’s emails aren’t going to do a lot to convince you otherwise. Funny stuff.
>> MC79 Hockey: “Who did Colin Campbell call a ‘little fake artist?'”
[Update 10:58 AM]: Due to heavy site traffic, MC79 is currently down. Tyler believes the site will be up around 11:30 AM PST, but until then, a cached version of his piece can be found here.
The ramifications for the League if the MSM actually picks this up could be astronomical, especially with all the attention on supplementary discipline over the last couple years. Campbell’s word choice, seemingly preferential treatment of certain players (his son), vendetta against other players (Marc Savard), comments about employees of the League, and overall tone are especially intriguing.
As Tyler mentioned in his piece, the optics don’t look good. At the least it’s a PR nightmare– at the most, Campbell’s job as the NHL’s principal disciplinarian could very well be over, and the League will take immense steps at creating a transparent operation when it comes to suspensions such as the one we suggested two weeks ago.
You can follow Mr. Dellow on Twitter, read a brief biography of him here, and stay updated on his thoughts concerning the Oilers and the NHL at MC79 Hockey all throughout this season and beyond.
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