Post-game press conference
Q:
So, Brawlie, how d'you feel about the editorial team's chances this year?
A:
Well, I hear a lotta talk about how the Wikipediaphiles are the class of the division, and that they're gonna go all the way. And they look pretty good on paper, but y'know, the games are still played out on the rink. It ain't over till the fat lady sings, and she ain't even in the building yet.
Q:
You've been with the franchise almost since the beginning. Most of your original teammates have been traded, retired, or sent down.
A:
Well, y'know, Big Jim, the new general manager shook things up this year, brought in some high flying free agents and stuff. Guys who talk big about how they're number one the way all the modern kids seem to do. Punks who played well in the minors and got a fat signing bonus. I dunno what ownership wants, and the coach don't say nuthin' about it. Back when I came inta the league kids didn't shoot their mouths off until they earned some respect.
Q:
You sound a little bitter.
A:
Nah, nah, I'm still happy for the chance to play, and we're all just doin' it for the fans, y'know.
Q:
But still...
A:
All I'm sayin' is, I came up through the minors, I rode the motherlovin' bus from town to town, and I made it to the bigs after years of grindin' it out in the corners, takin' one for the team. Nobody ever described my plays as 'poetry', right guys?
Q:
(laughter)
A:
... but here I am, still on the Grind Line, on the kill, takin' the body. I like it as much as anyone when the flashy kids break down the ice and put one up on the top shelf where Grandma keeps the cookies. But the little pukes don't back check much, and that's where you win games, on D.
Q:
What are you getting at?
A:
Just this. Bullshit doesn't win games, work ethic does. If kids with their posses and their poetry and their rap albums and their bling-bling (whatever the crap that is) are still around in a few years, then we'll see if they're still full of piss and vinegar. In the meantime we're all on the same team, and we've got one goal, which is to make this fun for the fans and put an entertaining product out on the ice. Leave it out there during the game. Write your memoirs when you retire.