CrashingTheGoalie

by Ron Spence

I see that nucks centre/winger Ryan Kessler has been selected to play in the 2010 Olympics. It’s not a surpise. He’s a great two-way player.

What is a surprise, however, is that R.J. Umberger was excluded.

But, now that I remember it, U.S.A. GM Brian Burke said that Kesler was a better player and worth more money than Umberger – when they were both Canucks’ prospects.

“I think R.J.’s challenge is consistency,” Burke said in 2003. “He had points in the season where he dominated and points where he didn’t. That’s what he’s going to have to develop to take the next step.”

And Burke didn’t sign the latter and ended up trading him for some brief jock straps.

You don’t think that Brian holds any hard feeling do you?

*****

photo courtesy of cbc.ca