What’s Your Problem with Ales Hemsky

Ok folks, I’ve had enough, enough of people saying how much they hate Ales Hemsky. “He’s always the last one on the ice at practice and the first one off”, “he doesn’t try, and he’s too soft”. STOP IT. Ales Hemsky is one of the greatest players to wear the Oilers Logo on his sweater, and that’s saying a ton considering who has come through the Oilers dressing room and ended up in the Hall Of Fame. (No I didn’t just say that Hemsky is a Hall of Famer).
Let’s look at his stats. Hemsky currently sits 8th on the Oilers in career assists (318) and 8th in career points (451), 10th. He has a 0.76 points/game average and tallied 17 points in 24 games in the 2006 playoffs. Hemsky was also on pace for over 40 points last year in a full 82 game season. Not too shabby for a winger that you think sucks, right?
So what give folks? Is it the fact that he’s scared to go in the corners? Because I would say there haven’t been a lot of players on the Oilers recently that would take the puck to the tough areas as many times as Hemsky would, the man has no fear.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGBam_rB1Wg&w=560&h=315] Did you watch that video? Hemsky never once shy’s away from the battle, even knowing he’s about to get punished by the bigger stronger Regehr. I wonder why his shoulder was a problem. Oh and how about this end to end rush at the end of March last season versus the Blue Jackets
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fGLAl_NZFs&w=560&h=315] Did you enjoy that? Yes? HE HAD A BROKEN FOOT. Maybe Ales’ biggest problem is that he doesn’t know when to quit. He plays hurt too often, maybe if he’d taken more time off to heal, had surgery similar to Taylor Hall or Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Maybe then you wouldn’t hate him so much, wouldn’t be so quick to call out and say he doesn’t try hard enough. Maybe the reasons he’s the last on and first of at practice is because he’s getting treatment for whatever injury that’s plaguing him that week.
Remember 2006, the first round of the playoffs against Detroit. You all loved him then. Remember the 3rd period against Detroit, when he single handedly put the team on his back and led them to the next round and eventually the Stanley Cup Final.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFbaiMS73Ec&w=560&h=315] Did you watch the game last night? Did you notice him initiating contact on the fore check? Did you see when Taylor Hall took the elbow to the head from Vancouver’s Dale Wiese? Who was first in the scrum mixing it up? Ales Hemsky that’s freaking who! Yeah this guy has no heart at all, what a bum we should trade him right now!
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