The 2010 Olympics are taking place in hockey mad Canada, only a short 1 hour flight away from Calgary. One would think that any NHL player would jump at the chance of representing his country in the tournament, in any capacity, but that’s not the case for Flames’ goaltender Mikka Kiprusoff. He doesn’t want to come unless he is assured to be the number 1 goalie for Finland.
Considering he is most likely their best option, with Minnesota’s Niklas Backstrom being the only true competition, his comment, “If I'm not going to start for sure, I think I'm going to take that time off and rest," reported in the Calgary Herald, is completely uncalled for. The only thing accomplished is that he shows selfishness and a lack of support for the Finnish hockey program.
So what happens if he is selected to represent his country, starts the first game and plays a stinker? If he is asked to sit the next game out, will he pout? What if he is outplayed in the round robin portion? Is the team obligated to play him in the elimination rounds, just because they promised him the number 1 position? Will he hop on the first flight back to Calgary if he is asked to sit?
Finland hockey should think this through before pushing Kipper into attending. Do they really want such a self-serving, individualistic player on their roster? Come to think of it, do the Calgary Flames even want a player with his attitude? Kiprusoff is obviously not a team player and this mind-set cannot help any team he plays for.
To read CTV's report on this story, click here.
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