Michael Farber And The Vincent Lecavalier Rumours

Michael Farber, current ''hockey reference'' at Sports Illustrated and a few radio shows in dire need of guests, wrote a blog warning Vincent Lecavalier not to come play hockey in his hometown, for the Montréal Canadiens.

He notes a trade to the Habs would benefit both teams, but tells Lecavalier that the pressure might be too much to handle for a player of his calibre, what with the team being the most-followed team in the league, both by fans everywhere on the continent (and in Europe) and by the numerous (and bilingual) media outlets.

Farber, who was third-or-fourth-ranking hockey journalist when he worked for the Montreal Gazette, way behind Red Fisher, Pat Hickey, and that 'Monday Morning Quarterback' Todd guy, seems to think a top-5 player in the world, former 1st overall draft pick, Stanley Cup and Olympic Gold-winner, two-time captain of the same team, has the same limitations he does and can't perform under pressure.

Would Troy Aikman have rather played in Alaska, or win 2 Super Bowls in Dallas? Would Mark Messier have been on the David Letterman show had he won the Cup with the New York Islanders rather than the Rangers? Don't baseball players line up to play for the Yankees and Cubs and Red Sox?

Yes, hockey is a religion in Montréal. What Farber doesn't seem to understand, though, is that the players are the Gods. Do you think José Théodore ever paid for a meal at Mike's? Do you think fans threw punches at Ryan O'Byrne on the street after he scored in his own net? Of course not: they told him to keep his head up and forget about it, they encouraged him.

Players here are revered. Who wouldn't want to win a championship on the winningest team ever, in its 100th season, full of fans who will follow their every move on the ice as they move towards a 400th-straight sellout crowd (rather than an empty building in the middle of nowhere)? Apparently, Farber wouldn't, and he thinks Lecavalier is from the same mold.

Somehow, I doubt that.

Alexander Semin Has Balls

It's a little old in terms of news but the Washington Capitals' Alexander Semin has called out the NHL's superstar and #1 attraction, Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby, as not being as talented as the hype surrounding him would suggest.

In a TSN.ca article, indeed, the NHL's leading scorer (that would be Semin, by the way) goes as far as saying sophomore Patrick Kane of the Chicago Black Hawks has better moves and an overall better game.

While I haven't seen Kane play enough to either agree or diagree with that last statement, I do agree that Corsby has been overhyped and is nowhere near the best player in the league as of yet. Tampa Bay Lightning forward Vincent Lecavalier, Detroit Red Wings defender Nicklas Lidstrom and Calgary Flames power forward Jarome Iginla, among others, would be way ahead.

He's not even the best in his age range (the Caps' Alexander Ovechkin and Calgary Flames defenseman Dion Phaneuf would be ahead of him in that last category, in my book).

But he is still young and could develop into a real force if he bulks up and stops whining. And is likely in the top 30 forwards in the game as it is, which is still ahead of most others.

It's a debate that will only be settled when all players have retired and comparisons can be made. In the meantime, though, Alexander Semin's first real interaction with the North American media has been one in which he's shown tremendous character. After all, you don't get recognition by beating puppies (unless you're Michael Vick), but by going for one of the top dogs.