Dinner is Served, Willie

Vancouver's defenseman, Willie Mitchell,
thought it would be a good idea to play some head games with Chicago by taking a shot at one of their stars in the Vancouver newspapers. He claimed that Patrick Kane wasn't a guy worth worrying about when it was 5-on-5, that he was only dangerous when on the power play. He compared him to Sidney Crosby--of all people--saying that he was just lucky and happened to be at the right place at the right time on most of his goals. Here's some reasons that Willie Mitchell should eat crow and shut up.

First of all, don't compare someone to Sidney Crosby if you are intending to criticize them. Sure, Sid's not the face of hockey anymore, he's not even the best player on his team anymore, but that doesn't mean that he's bad. He's still incredible. Want proof? Okay, he put up a hat trick in tonight's playoff game against the Washington Capitals.

My next point is not my own. I have to give credit to Pat Foley and Eddie Olcyzk--Blackhawk's game-callers for Comcast Sports Net--when they asked something similar to: "Isn't being in the right place at the right time a skill?" Isn't that just knowing hockey? Knowing where to be is HUGE! I'll admit, a lot of Kane's goals are scraps from other player's shots, but he still has sick moves. Ever watched some of his highlights?

This next point is my favorite. And that's because Kane scored a goal in Game 2. This was because all 5 of Vancouver's skaters huddled around 2 of Chicago's. This included Willie Mitchell who let Pat Kane go. A quick pass to Kaner and deke one-on-one against Luongo lit the lamp to put Chicago up 5-2 on Saturday. A personal "Shove It."

Lastly, be a player of value yourself before you start talking about star players in the NHL. Until this series, I don't distinctly remember hearing about Willie Mitchell, and he's been in the league 8 years. So, unless you're really bringin' it, don't talk trash.

So, Willie Mitchell, do shut up.