Good read Chaotic. You are one partner here that I click on the links for.
Well written, evocative.
For me I didn't hate Kass in the same way, I felt conflicted. I was a huge Gagner fan and as much as the play disgusted me at the time I got over it.
Kassian to me is a throwback, in hockey and way back. His missing tooth grin and his antics reminds me of a Mongol. Not as in Mongoloid but as in club carrying Mongol horde. He's a warrior, got warrior blood pulsing through his veins. A guy that takes this perennial aspect of hockey and cherishes and enjoys it.
years ago, as a child, I loved Spinner Spencers game because he as this madcap, hard scrabble type of guy with a perennial chip on his shoulder well learned. Who had more Demons than Kassian and had those at the hands of his father who would beat him to make him tough and who, in Kass's first game with the leafs went to the local CBC station in a small town in BC armed and DEMANDING that they put the leafs game on so he could watch. Tne Nucks were on. The RCMP could not calms Spinner Spencers father down and ended up having to shoot him dead in the armed standoff. The Young Spinner Spencer found out about this after the game, a game he played well in, because nobody had the heart to tell him his father was shot dead during the game.
Spinner spun out of control at times and inevitably into early drug induced retirement and hanging with the very wrong crowd in Florida and getting shot dead himself.
Now we all want a much different future for Kass, obviously, but theres something about the on edge personality type that can get and stay too close to the flame.
heres the Spencer story for those that don't know it. Whether Kass knows it or not he's part of that hockey lineage, he's one of those trained warriors. For the sake of Kass, and the Oilers I hope and believe it will end better for the young Kass.
http://thehockeywriters.com/spinning-out-of-control-the-short-violent-life-of-spinner-spencer/