Maybe it is a result of withdrawal due to the lack of playoff action at Commonwealth Stadium this fall but, honestly, there is no suitable way to satirize this:
Craig MacTavish was fined $10, 000 today for his criticism of referee Mick McGeough following last night's debacle against the Stars. As I noted late last night, I think it would be a nice symbolic gesture for the hockey blogosphere, and in particular the Oilogosphere, to help pay the cost of MacT's fine. I think enough of us in hockey land have had enough of Mr. Magoo's antics, and this is a good way to show it. As Tyler noted in the comments last night, we can send whatever we raise to MacT. If he doesn't want it, we'll request that he give the cheque to the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, or another suitable charity of his choice.
I know, I know. I have a weakness for making fun of the idiot greaseball lovers over at Battle of Alberta, but their stupidity has reached new depths. When a ref blows a key call, there are a number of courses of action a fan can take: throwing empty OV cans at the telly is one; writing a letter to the editor of the local paper is another; contacting your representative in parliament is a third. Heck, I'd even go so far as to suggest that loading a pile of manure in the driveway of a neighbour of the referee could be considered reasonable.
But offering to help pay a fine for a coach who makes, whatever, half a million dollars a year, is almost as retarded as an NHL coach who calls a ref "retarded" in front of a a set of press microphones. This isn't the first time MacTavish has been fined by the NHL and it won't be the last. He knew the consequences of his actions before he mouthed off and he knows he'll have to pay for it.
More to the point, if those goofballs at BoA want to throw their money away, the least they could do is give it to someone who needs it plenty more than a millionaire NHL coach, like, say, a homeless shelter or to the CNIB, as they put it so wonderfully, "if he doesn't want it". Their over-inflated egos could use a little humility in their lives to realize how selfish and downright ugly their gesture truly is.
Get over yourselves, losers.
