[blueandwhite]

This just in - The Nashville Predators have signed forward Jordin Tootoo to a $1.95-million, two-year contract extension.
He's only ever been with the Preds. this year he has 7 goals and 6 assists - he's been out with a groin strain.

[Gotham Dark Knight]

The Inuit player... some say he is a bit of a dirty player, do you buy that...or is he jsut short and scrappy?

[blueandwhite]

is he short?
I think, Nobody pushes him around.
That's nice - The Inuit Player. Is that like what it says above his cubbyhole?

[blueandwhite]

hey i just read Tootoo has two gordie howe hattricks - goal, an assist and a fight all in one game.
He's gritty, yeah.
from wikipedia:
On March 19, 2007, the NHL suspended Tootoo for five games. Tootoo punched defenseman Stephane Robidas of the Dallas Stars with his glove on during the Stars game against Nashville on March 17. Robidas suffered a concussion and was rendered unconscious. The NHL issued a five game suspension without pay, and accusations of "dirty" play have been leveled at Tootoo. These accusations were resurrected after an incident on October 11, 2007, in which Tootoo hit the head of Daniel Winnik, of the Phoenix Coyotes, with his shoulder.[8]


the best part is his number - 22. Anyone else would get beat up for that.

[Gotham Dark Knight]

Originally Posted by blueandwhite

is he short?
I think, Nobody pushes him around.
That's nice - The Inuit Player. Is that like what it says above his cubbyhole?

he is stocky, but 5-9, which is short by hockey standards, no?

And I thought his claim to fame is that he is of Inuit descent?

[blueandwhite]

he is Inuit, from Nunavut in Canada. He's a huge role model.
It sounds funny, to give him that label- The Inuit Player.

[Gotham Dark Knight]

Originally Posted by blueandwhite

he is Inuit, from Nunavut in Canada. He's a huge role model.
It sounds funny, to give him that label- The Inuit Player.

Well, he is a huge role model because he is Inuit and he gets publicity for his culture by playing hockey... why is it funny to call him the "Inuit player?"...We refer to Sundin as a Swede, Fedorov as a Russian, and American born players as American players...would he rather be "the Canadian player whose family's geneological origins can be traced back to the indigenous people of the region around the Artic region?"

Honestly though, how can you take pride in being a role model for a culture, and then have a reference to the culture sound funny?

Now, if I made reference to how he plays hockey and attached it to his culture, I can see an issue with it...but I correctly identified him as an Inuit, who happens to play hockey...or a hockey player who happens to be Inuit...what is the harm in that?

[Lefty Noob]

Originally Posted by blueandwhite

hey i just read Tootoo has two gordie howe hattricks - goal, an assist and a fight all in one game.

Some hockey fan I am. First time I've ever heard of the "Gordie How hattrick". I like it!

[blueandwhite]

I'm not asking for a fight, first, right?
maybe you are right, maybe I am too sensitive. But would you call a Jewish player The Jewish player? or a black player The Black Player? The Catholic Player? The Native Player?
Me personally because I am greedy I like to just claim him as ours - Canadian.

[blueandwhite]

Originally Posted by Lefty Noob

Some hockey fan I am. First time I've ever heard of the "Gordie How hattrick". I like it!

Isn't that hilarious? i love that tribute to him.
But there should be an elbow as part of that, too.

[Gotham Dark Knight]

Originally Posted by Lefty Noob

Some hockey fan I am. First time I've ever heard of the "Gordie How hattrick". I like it!

Yeah, see I was familiar with the term...Gordie had sharp elbows...and his shoulders bowed foward like a boxer, which helped him in a scrap...of course, he scored a few too...

[Gotham Dark Knight]

Originally Posted by blueandwhite

I'm not asking for a fight, first, right?
maybe you are right, maybe I am too sensitive. But would you call a Jewish player The Jewish player? or a black player The Black Player? The Catholic Player? The Native Player?
Me personally because I am greedy I like to just claim him as ours - Canadian.

Jewish player or Catholic would be bringing religion into it...though Sandy Koufax and Shawn Green have been refered to as that, in reference to them observing a Jewish holiday during baseball season...if they were the first of their faith in a sport, then I would probably make a reference to it too... Dale Murphy is LDS, and a good credit to his faith by way of charity involvement and clean cut image...and I would refer to him as LDS if it came up...Wally Joyner the same way...and on and on...

There are very few references to say Jackie Robinson without the additon of saying he was black and that he broke the color barrier...which is close to the case of Tootoo because he is a first, a player of Inuit decended playing in the NHL...if Inuits made up a fraction of the population of the NHL then the reference would probably drop...

...and yes, I would make references to someone being Native American...Jim Thorpe was Native American...he also happened to be a US citizen who represented the US in the Olympics and did a pretty good job of it...Johnny Damon is partially of Native American origin ( I am pretty sure, he is from Orlando and that was in the news at one time down here)...

Being originally from Cuba, I would not see anything wrong if someone where to refer to me as Cuban...being an American citizen who has spent a great deal of his life in the states, I would not mind being called an American either...or a Latin-American...or any variation of the theme...

Jose Canseco is Cuban...so is Tony Perez, who happens to be Cuban and black for that matter...as a Cuban I would be proud (well Jose is a piece of work though) to have them refered to as "Cuban players"...

On a personal note, I never understand how someone can embrace diversity and then white wash all references to culture etc in the process...seems like an oximoron to me...

[blueandwhite]

Gotham, no one is proposing white washing all cultures and not embracing diversity - that is way off. I would never suggest such a thing.
I'm glad you are comfortable with saying it the way you are.
In the end, Good for Jordin Tootoo. I'm glad the Preds know how to treat him.

[Gotham Dark Knight]

Originally Posted by blueandwhite

Gotham, no one is proposing white washing all cultures and not embracing diversity - that is way off. I would never suggest such a thing.
I'm glad you are comfortable with saying it the way you are.
In the end, Good for Jordin Tootoo. I'm glad the Preds know how to treat him.

You mean they are not going to stencil "The Inuit Player" on his jersey???... -just kidding

But we will have to agree to disagree on the white washing issue...since apparently a benign reference can't really be made to the culture of a player (who happens to identify and take pride in being of that culture - horse of a different color if he did not like it, or disassociated himself with it) without one having to follow up with the obligatory defense/explanation on what he meant by it...color me so over this whole PC madness…

[blueandwhite]

Of course he is proud of where he comes from, of his culture and his story, his family and the legacy he leads as the first Inuit player in the NHL. no one argues that. What he has achieved is a milestone. When i said I prefer to think of him as Canadian i wasn't saying he isn't Inuit or we'll ignore that part - i was being silly just claiming him as canadian as opposed to non canadian ie Swedish or American.
I just don't agree with labeling someone The Inuit Player when his name comes up. I don't want what I said initially to be turned into some kind of white washing of his culture.
Label it silly PC and dismiss it, a lot of people will and do - but some people say benign, some people say not benign.
I know you'll get the last word in, GDK - just don't put words in my mouth.