On 19 Jan 2007 02:29:07 -0800, "earl" >
proclaimed:

>
>---abum--- wrote:
>> I think Gretzky makes for a good trivia question, but he's a bit too
>> much like Michael Ignatieff for my tastes. He plays the part of a
>> Canadian when it suits him, but he lives in the States, makes all his
>> money in the States and so on and so forth. At least the China
>> Clipper stayed in Alberat and tried to do something positive for the
>> province and country. Gretzky might talk like a humble Canadian, but
>> he's just out there for the bucks.
>>
>> Adam.
>
>Before the Toronto Star made Ignatieff their Liberal Leadership BoyToy
>you'd be hard pressed to find a Canadian that could pick him out of a
>lineup. (hell in a 2005 survey of York University Campus, a majority
>of students couldn't identify Paul Martin, Stephen Harper or Jack
>Layton when handed recent pictures of the men). Even when given hints
>like "he's our Prime Minister" , many failed miserably.
>
>However Gretzky is iconic. So much so that I'll bet more Canadians
>can identify Wayne, and possibly father Walter, more than any
>politician or person of influence in this country. Referring to such
>an icon, whether you're fan of his hockey play or not, as a "good
>trivia question" is itself trivializing.


There's a difference between an icon and a brand. Gretzky is so
easily recognized because of the fact that his strangely rodent-like
face and unnaturally white teeth have been splattered over TV and
magazine ads for the last two and a half decades.

Gretzky is a corporate product and his influence on this country is
that he has gotten millions of Canadians to buy a certain kind of gas
or eat a certain kind of donut or whatever. Gretzky is the NHL's
version of synergistic marketing, he has helped many different
businesses link up under his image and sell their crap to all kinds of
different markets--most of companies have been US companies with
subsidiary branches in Canada. I personally don't want to define my
Canadian identity by what products I buy or what clothing I wear on my
body. I'm getting sick of people saying that a product like Gretzky
or a place like Tim Hortons is what Canada is all about. It's
pathetic to believe something like that.

If it weren't for all of this commercial hype, I don't think anyone
would remember Gretzky's face. Let's face it, the guy may have scored
a lot of goals, but he has all the personality of a sack of flour.
The guy is blander than unbuttered toast. I don't think anyone who
didn't watch baseball would be able to recognize a picture of Hank
Aaron, for example. Not to take anything away from Aaron, who is
obviously one of the great players of all time, but I can't picture
what he looks like because he was never marketed as a product.

Gretzky meant something to Canada once, but this was long ago
perverted into a big cash grab by every group Gretzky whored himself
out to. I have no respect at all for the guy. Plus he put together a
just awful team at the last Olympics--I mean, who the hell sends Doan
to the games?

Adam.

---abum--- > verbally sodomised in
:

> On 19 Jan 2007 02:29:07 -0800, "earl" >
> proclaimed:
>
>>
>>---abum--- wrote:
>>> I think Gretzky makes for a good trivia question, but he's a bit too
>>> much like Michael Ignatieff for my tastes. He plays the part of a
>>> Canadian when it suits him, but he lives in the States, makes all his
>>> money in the States and so on and so forth. At least the China
>>> Clipper stayed in Alberat and tried to do something positive for the
>>> province and country. Gretzky might talk like a humble Canadian, but
>>> he's just out there for the bucks.
>>>
>>> Adam.
>>
>>Before the Toronto Star made Ignatieff their Liberal Leadership BoyToy
>>you'd be hard pressed to find a Canadian that could pick him out of a
>>lineup. (hell in a 2005 survey of York University Campus, a majority
>>of students couldn't identify Paul Martin, Stephen Harper or Jack
>>Layton when handed recent pictures of the men). Even when given hints
>>like "he's our Prime Minister" , many failed miserably.
>>
>>However Gretzky is iconic. So much so that I'll bet more Canadians
>>can identify Wayne, and possibly father Walter, more than any
>>politician or person of influence in this country. Referring to such
>>an icon, whether you're fan of his hockey play or not, as a "good
>>trivia question" is itself trivializing.
>
>
> There's a difference between an icon and a brand. Gretzky is so
> easily recognized because of the fact that his strangely rodent-like
> face and unnaturally white teeth have been splattered over TV and
> magazine ads for the last two and a half decades.
>
> Gretzky is a corporate product and his influence on this country is
> that he has gotten millions of Canadians to buy a certain kind of gas
> or eat a certain kind of donut or whatever. Gretzky is the NHL's
> version of synergistic marketing, he has helped many different
> businesses link up under his image and sell their crap to all kinds of
> different markets--most of companies have been US companies with
> subsidiary branches in Canada. I personally don't want to define my
> Canadian identity by what products I buy or what clothing I wear on my
> body. I'm getting sick of people saying that a product like Gretzky
> or a place like Tim Hortons is what Canada is all about. It's
> pathetic to believe something like that.
>
> If it weren't for all of this commercial hype, I don't think anyone
> would remember Gretzky's face. Let's face it, the guy may have scored
> a lot of goals, but he has all the personality of a sack of flour.
> The guy is blander than unbuttered toast. I don't think anyone who
> didn't watch baseball would be able to recognize a picture of Hank
> Aaron, for example. Not to take anything away from Aaron, who is
> obviously one of the great players of all time, but I can't picture
> what he looks like because he was never marketed as a product.
>
> Gretzky meant something to Canada once, but this was long ago
> perverted into a big cash grab by every group Gretzky whored himself
> out to. I have no respect at all for the guy. Plus he put together a
> just awful team at the last Olympics--I mean, who the hell sends Doan
> to the games?
>
> Adam.
>

Yeah.

--
Phil Kyle™

T
h i
i s
s l
f i l
S o n o
i u e n
g r s g

"Phil Kyle" > wrote
>
> Yeah.
>
Bobby Orr, unlike Gretzky, was not protected from tough players by the likes of
Marty McSorley and Dave Semenko in one of the world's toughest sports.

That was because why Bobby's career only lasted 12 years. He was also paid a
relative fortune ($1 Million) in his last year with Chicago and gave the money
back when he didn't have to because he retired. He could have kept it.

That's why Bobby Orr, not Wayne Gretzky, is the greatest player of all time.

Wayne Gretzky was paid only $300,000 / year for the 9 he played in Edmonton, and
that held back players salaries in the NHL big time. He was on a 20 year
"Personal Services" contract with Peter Pocklington. It was tough for anyone to
ask for more than $300,000 when the greatest player of the time was making just
that!

Gretzky's contract with Pocklington did more damage to player salaries than
anything else in those days.