Duncan Keith
The choice for the Hawks should have been harder but to me it wasn't. "No Michiganders? Ooo! There's a Sparty on the roster! Sold!!"
I got to thinking after I picked Duncan. Is a Sparty still a Sparty if they walked away from the team? The school? East Lansing?
Duncan completed one full year as a Michigan State Spartan and even scored the game winning goal during the cold war game against the Spartans nemesis from Ann Arbor on October 6th, 2001. The next year after just 15 games with the Spartys, Duncan left Michigan State University to play in the WHL for the Kelowna Rockets. Now things turned out well for Duncan but I can't see the reasoning behind leaving in the middle of the school year and middle of the season. I would have like to see him finish his college career at State or stay as long as he possibly could. Collegiate players are usually really awesome role models for kids. "Hey look kids! I didn't have to give up my education or my dream and I'm in the NHL!" Don't get me wrong, I understand that many college hockey players leave their teams for the NHL. However, Duncan didn't leave the team for the NHL. He left the team for Canadian juniors the season after he was drafted by the Blackhawks (2002). This whole situation has led me to question the Blackhawks. Did the Hawks pressure Duncan to leave Michigan State? Did they pressure him to leave college to go play in the Canadian junior league? I don't know which I'd rather hear the scenario is. If Duncan left because he wanted to then I question his loyalty. If Duncan left because the Hawks made him then I lose respect for the organization. It's a very touchy situation. I pretty much guarantee that Hawks fans will take a "Who cares! It turned out well" mentality when it comes to the questions I have. At the end of the day, I just don't see why he couldn't have finished the season out before leaving for the WHL. That part baffles my mind. College hockey isn't like the NHL. You can't just go out and get a guy from Ohio State or Notre Dame to fill the void left by the unexpected departure. It just doesn't seem right to do that to a team.
Since Duncan walked away from Michigan State, is he less of a Sparty?
Here's how I break down scenarios involving Duncan Keith and other players:
Duncan or A U of M player - I pick Duncan because he was a Sparty even for a short time
Duncan or A Red Wing - Usually the Red Wing because strong loyalties towards the Wings.
Duncan or another Sparty - Usually the other Sparty wins the battle especially if they stayed as long as they could prior to being drafted or called up to an NHL club
"He left us! He left us!"
No comments:
Post a Comment