Let's be straight here, I don't agree with what Dany Heatley is doing to the Ottawa Senators. He's handcuffing them -- and he damn well knows it.
I really truly believe that the minute a player walks into a GM's room and says "I want a trade", that said player should have to sign a document that says he wants his stupid, irritatingly dumb, "no trade clause" waived.
It's not fair to teams that a player says he doesn't want to play here, but you can only trade me to x, y or z. What if x, y, or z don't want you Dany Heatley? What if they can't afford you? What if they're afraid you'll do the same thing to them. Love 'em then leave 'em... but only like half leave 'em. Like leave 'em but keep coming back to the apartment for your tshirt, or a pencil, or your mp3 player...
Anyway that's not what I really want to talk about today.
My concern is as the Team Canada summer evaluation camp opens this week, fans and columnists alike appear to be factoring Heatley's douche-factor into him making the team.
He's going to be on the team.
Because:
Steve Yzerman is not an idiot.
Dany Heatley has a long and loyal relationship with Hockey Canada. During the World Championships while players like Sidney Crosby sat out with a bit of an injury... or Dion Phaneuf just wanted to frolick on a PEI beach with Elisha Cuthbert, Dany Heatley was on the ice and scoring in bunches for Canada.
He's also got the Olympic experience under his belt, something that will be valuable for a team that may boast quite a few Olympic virgins.
In fact in the past nine years, Dany Heatley has played 10 tournaments for Hockey Canada. TEN!
But really we shouldn't even have to be validating this experience. Unless he starts playing like shit, or ends up not playing at all.
I would think that Hockey Canada would prefer that Heatley not have the distraction of the dispute with the Senators, but I also think they'd rather have Dany Heatley on their team than not.
Sidney at Province House sporting his new medal
