Hockey legend Ken Dryden skated into Victoria today as part of his campaign for the federal Liberal leadership. Wearing a black-on-black sports jacket and turtleneck outfit, the former Martin administration cabinet minister spoke with more than 70 local party notables about his aspirations. But that speech, which was delivered at the swanky Hotel Grand Pacific and featured crustless finger sandwiches, seemed somewhat short on policy substance and long on found poetry. The following are some verbatim examples in verse form.
On the ice (and spending "long-times in Opposition")
I have a goalie's mentality.
And on a team,
as you know,
there are two goalies.
But only one plays at a time.
And the problem for the goalie who isn't playing,
is that the goalie who is playing,
if he plays well enough,
the other goalie
may never see the ice again.
And you never want to leave the ice.
You never want to leave the ice.
You never want to leave the ice.
You want to stay on the ice.
And find those answers on the ice.
And stay there.
And keep staying there.
And the longer you're not there,
the longer you're not going to be there.
We need to win.
That's what holds all of this together.
On the ultimately
It's easy to say,
and it's mostly true,
that governments defeat themselves.
They don't get beaten by the underdog.
But that's ultimately.
That's what happens ultimately.
And how long is ultimately?
You have to wait for ultimately.
You work on the ultimately.
But ultimately takes a long time.
On the air
As the oil and gas are in the ground,
the wind is in the air.
The sun is in the air.
They're there.
Use it!
We use the stuff in the ground,
Why don't we use the stuff in the air?
It's there.
Mr. Dryden was also asked by an audience member what made him different from the other Liberal leadership contenders. His eventual response, after travelling a somewhat winding road: "It's a general sense that people will have inside here. And it works. And it's there. Or it isn't - in terms of others. But you have to feel more confident of me than of somebody else. (You have to feel) that when, in terms of something that comes up - some problem, some opportunity - that I'm going to have a better answer because of my understanding of this country than somebody else will on that." A second later there was applause and the question and answer period ended.
But, despite his haiku-like answers and difficulty in fully-articulating how he was different from his competitors, Mr. Dryden presentation seemed odd compelling to some Grits. One senior Liberal your humble organ spoke with admitted any of the other leadership candidates could have said the things Mr. Dryden did. The difference: "I actually believed him." Mr. Dryden is the latest hopeful to make a campaign swing through British Columbia but the only one so far to visit areas outside Vancouver and Victoria.
Permanent link
Ken Dryden has let
the Liberal leadership go
through the five hole
But he should still
be set to break away,
beat the Iggy and Kennedy
and take the prize
in Overtime.
(hilarious post Sean)
Ice, ice baby!
Very funny found poetry but Dryden sounds more like Vanilla Ice than Ice T or the Iceman.
Yes, Dryden will win in the fourth period of overtime. He's got game.
Tieleman and Vanilla Ice ... parallel career success
The Central Canadian Bob and Doug Mackenzie crowd, the people who populate the suburbs and apartments of the Ontario donut belt, are not going to vote for a guy who's supposed to be a hockey player, but instead composes poems.
The scary part is Dryden said almost the same stuff at his Vancouver reception. There we were thinking he was adlibbing when he was actually working from a script. You'ld think he could trim the script down to make it less wordy. Oh yes,and why does any event James Hattan is involved in always include sushi?
Budd, he's not supposed to be a hockey player. He "was" a hockey player and he won 6 Stanley Cups. He has moved onto other things and so should you.
"but the only one so far to visit areas outside Vancouver and Victoria ..."
au contraire, Sean ...
I was in lovely Saanich this afternoon and peaked through the glass door of a certain lecture hall to see a rumoured leadership aspirant (interloper, surely) speaking to what looked like a full house.
Yes, the first being since Christ to have an Ontario day of rest named after him. Holding forth on "Why universities matter" Apart, I suppose from providing convenient faculty-sponsored (with my tuition?!)public speaking opportunities for people to whom the Gibsons and Clarkissens owe nothing.
Judging from the dominant colour in the sea of heads, it could have been a Council of Canadians meeting. Except for our two fine local pundits named Norman ... who are not particularly grey and who must have been there our of professional cuiosity ... or having lost a bet.
I don't care if he was a hocky player then. He's a mealy mouthed Liberal now. He won't appeal to the workin' man. Now if they got Tie Domi or Donald Brashear to run, maybe.
You don't suppose Dryden took too many pucks to the head whilst playing on all those Stanley Cup teams.
I'm not a Liberal but like everyone else have an opinion. I figure the Liberals are low balling their leadership folks as Harper keeps trying to look like a leader. The situation will become interesting when the leadership conference actual happens.
The cons do it to themselves so often one would think they would get smarter. Joe tried to raise the cost of gas as a minority leader and got dumped. some body couldn't count. Dief signed on to nucluar weapons, with a majority, without so much as a check with with the folks who would be handling them. The Chief went down the road. Musnt' forget Lying Brian. The Cons went from massive majority to a total of two seats under the Kimmy the Chelo player."Elections are no time to discuss policy" said she, the voters said goodby. The new gang has morphed through a number of names and ended up with such luminaries as Stockboy Day.
Harper has taken to closeting himself behind a number of security guards located out side his office. He won't talk to the press so they will talk for him.
Get the election signs out folks, this won't take too long.
1. Harper's approval ratings have never been higher.
2. Ken Dryden's only major role in Government was to callously insinuate that parents who raise their children at home are pathetic neandrathals attempting to doom their children to a life of unspeakable agony, instead of nobly placing them in their 'proper' place: a sacred, unionized, state-run 'early childhood education' institution.
I'd like to suggest where Ken Dryden can shove his beer and popcorn, but this is probably not the appropriate venue.
3. Why can't the Liberals find somebody who was born after the War of 1812?
"Budd, he's not supposed to be a hockey player. He "was" a hockey player and he won 6 Stanley Cups. He has moved onto other things and so should you."
Posted by Budd's an Idiot on March 28, 2006 08:57 PM
This must have come from Garth. The 'logic' of it starts nowhere and goes nowhere. All the recitation of the 6 Stanley Cups serves to do is prove my point. Were it not for his hockey career, Ken Dryden would not even be a Liberal MP, let alone a contender for the leadership.
"Would not even be a Liberal MP"? Please Budd. Winning the Stanley Cup is not required to become an MP. Adjust the tinfoil hat you're wearing.
At the Rockpile
Broken News
Creatures of Government
Fighting Words
From the Gallery
Letter from the Editor
Loose Lips
Off the Hill
Public Eye Radio
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
December 2005
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005
June 2005
February 2005
January 2005
December 2004
November 2004
October 2004
September 2004
August 2004
July 2004
June 2004
May 2004
Copyright © 2004-2006 Public Eye Mediaworks. Reproductions of any portion of this Website are permitted only with the expressed permission of Public Eye Mediaworks. Public Eye is graciously hosted by TransitionalMedia. Content management services courtesy of Ian King. Layout and graphics courtesy of Art Department Design, Victoria, BC.
This site is powered by Movable Type.