Here, for the second time today, is the teaser for HBO's much-anticipated 24/7 Flyers Rangers, which should serve to get you appropriately excited for program. It's worth a revisit, especially in light of the delicious back-and-f0rth it has spawned between Jody Shelley and Brandon Dubinsky.
I direct your attention specifically to Shelley's standout moment at the six-minute mark, in which he says the following of the New York Rangers' centre:
Brandon Dubinsky plays like a little weasel. He's a guy you like to get at.
One assumes that Shelley isn't using weasel in a complimentary sense, as I've never known anyone to. It's a shame. The weasel's cleverness is admirable.
Anyway. It would appear that Brandon Dubinsky has taken offense to Shelley's scouting report, as he didn't exactly mince words when asked about the teaser after practice Monday afternoon. From the NY Daily News:
"First of all, if I was him, I'd keep my mouth shut if I don't play, especially since I never see him on the ice," Dubinsky said of Shelley, who has played in only 10 of Philadelphia's 23 games this season. "He's usually just yapping from the bench, and I guess now he's yapping from behind the video camera. So that's about all I have to say."
It's a classic defense when a fourth liner lashes out at a star player. How would you know how I play? We're hardly on the ice together, which is weird, since I'm on the ice a lot. It's both an effective putdown and a humble brag.
But Dubinsky wasn't done there. Despite saying "That's about all I have to say," the media scrum wisely kept their recorders running, and he said something else.
"Jody Shelley - it won't be long before he's out of the league, because he's a terrible hockey player," he added.
Wow. You'd think a guy that plays for John Tortorella would be a little more tactful about things, you know?
I wasn't sure it was possible for my appetite for 24/7 Flyers Rangers to be anymore whetted, but oh man, this is juicy awesome. This show is going to rule.
One wonders how long these two have held such negative opinions of one another. Only two seasons ago, the two were teammates in New York.