Slow clap for the Flames Organization
Wanye
November 05 2009 12:21PM
Just when this item seems to be getting a little old, more and more information is coming to light about the fateful decision to jump the Calgary Flames and their families to the front of the H1N1 vaccination line up. During a time when thousands of hard-working non-hockey-playing Albertans are waiting in line ups so long that many are expiring of natural causes before they reach the front of the line, the Flames flexed their collective clout and had a special vaccination clinic set up for the private use of the Team and their families.
This story broke earlier in the week when it was brought to our collective attention that the Calgary Flames had jedi mind tricked someone senior at Alberta Health Services into setting up a private clinic to administer flu vaccines to the Flames players, staff and families. This inspired many levels of rage amongst a good many people, who believed that Pro Athletes should be left to die at the hands of H1N1 infected zombie hordes that will be terrorizing major Canadian cities within days.
Once this initial story had made the rounds like a Californian Wildfire, more news comes today that the Flames have defended themselves publicly with one arm and with the other quietly went about having their AHL farm team skipped to the front of the line too.
“Tuesday evening, with the great Flames Flu Scandal still raging, members of the Calgary Flames farm club were quietly inoculated against H1N1 by their team physician.
This, despite the fact that British Columbia has been strictly rationing its flu vaccine from the outset. According to the B.C. health department, only pregnant women, children under five, those with serious chronic health conditions, and caregivers of infants under six months, are currently entitled to receive the vaccine.
Perry Kendall, B.C.'s chief health officer, says doctors in private practice can requisition vaccine for their patients, but only on the understanding that it be reserved for those high-risk cases. Nonetheless, the Heat's team doctor officially diagnosed most of the players as "high-risk" and vaccinated them accordingly.”
Oh man, is this ever rich.
If we actually believed that the swine flu was a threat to 99% of the population we might be more concerned about this. But instead we can totally see how this was a good idea for the medical staffers involved and the heretofore community oriented Calgary Flames.
Not only do NHL hockey players have a greater need to ward off disease than say – oh a 94 year old woman with chronic bronchitis – we can also see how protecting the Calgary Flames of tomorrow should be jobs number 1 and 2 respectively. If this wasn’t insulting enough to the father of four, wearing his Flames hat a little less proudly as he waits in a 6 hour line to have his toddlers immunized today, he can rest easy knowing that the families of both the NHL and AHL teams have been vaccinated as well.
Although
Well, who would want to live with the knowledge that Mrs. Robyn Regehr contracted the H1N1 virus whilst shopping for purses at Holt Renfrew? Would you want that hanging over your head? Would ya? Huh? What if Cory Sarich’s aunt’s cousin’s babysitter were to get sick too? How would that impact the penalty killing unit? Where do you want to draw the line for who to save and who to let go?
Never mind that most of the hockey wives we have met rarely, if ever, leave the confines of their rented Canadian apartment to do anything that interacts with the swarms of “non players and player families” that infest every inch of the city that they have to live in 6 months of the year. These disease ridden germ bags will totally cough on you as you wait in line for your daily Starbucks. Ew!
Look at this picture of people waiting in line for flu shots today:
Babies. Babies, their parents and more babies. How can a baby be expected to post a .600 record on the road? Will a 3 year old score you 20 goals and suck up 15 quality minutes of ice time on any given night? Not on your life brother. No, given the choice between saving the Flames and saving non-hockey playing children and the elderly, what is being called "the biggest black eye in franchise history" has been a great idea.
The other thing that is sad about this business
In addition to the firestorm outlined above, comes news that the Health Authoritados have found the person in charge of this fateful decision and have promptly fired his ass. Think that the players are calling that guy to send their sincere apologies? Yeah, we can totally see the Flames – or even better their families- banding together to assist the long serving civil servant who made the fateful decision to help his local hockey squadron. This poor bastard has just seen a 20 year career in Medical Administration go right out the window to give preferential treatment to a group of people that probably won’t even give it a second thought.
Man, do we ever hate the Flames.
Hopefully Mr King can find a nice job for the (unnamed) fall guy in this debacle a nice job @ Canadian Natural Resources or another somewhat related company.
Or hire him onto the Flames' medical staff to take such fantastic care of the Flames year round.
OK that's enough of that.
Seriously, get vaccinated when you have the opportunity.
Funk Cowtown.
Perhaps the Flames could also be first in line for a "don't-suck-at-life" vaccine.
The Anti-Gary Coleman vaccination?
@Amber McCormick
They HAVE those, finally? I'm totally getting one!
Shameful. Absolutely shameful.
What really annoys me is how instead of just saying "You know what... it was wrong of us to do that. We are very sorry and apoligize for our actions" the whole Flames organization from management to players to trainers just acts like they're a bunch of freaking saints and just deflect blame via an assortment of lame excuses. Ironicly though, none of them use the excuse of "I was concerned for my children, I have 3 below the age of 5 and they have Asthma and I just didnt want to risk bringing it home and having it affect them", which at least the general public could understand and let slide.
But I guess thats typical Calgary attitude for you.
Wanye has some vials in the fridge for all of you. Although in order to be sure that vaccine is accepted by the body it must be immediately chased by 8 pints, 6 shots and a $10 hooker.
This is another reason why someone from the Flames should be held accountable. They denied ever being in the wrong and some AHS worker got axed for supplying them with the shots, yet no one gets fired from the Flames for asking for the shot? And then they go and get the shot for their farm team after the fact? What a joke. Whats next the Hitmen get the shot as well? I hope no one suffers, dies or gets seriously ill in ALberta or BC because of this. I hope someone in the Flames organization gets held accountable for inquiring/requesting the shots for their teams. Ken King your a joke, its all fun and games that you can sit there and tell the media that you would hire the person who got fired from AHS for supplying your organization with the shots. Conspiracy???
You said it Logan. If even one of those D-Bags said they're sorry, they were worried about their kids, etc, people would be cooler with it.
Why? Because most people are REASONABLE. Is it reasonable to get vaccinated before kids, the elderly, women, etc? No.
Turns out H1N1 is good for your +/- anyway. Just ask Smid.
@Logan
The thing about all of this that gets me is that, even assuming they didn't know about a shortage (and I'm not sure even hockey players are that thick), the fact that they were given a private clinic for them and their families just smacks of entitlement. None of these guys thought getting to go to a private clinic while people stood in line was unusual?
I really hope this story doesn't just go away. While I understand that there are perks for being rich and famous and all that, this is a life-or-death situation.
Not to mention that it's pretty obvious from the size of his forehead that Iggy's been hoarding all of Alberta's Brain Tonic...
"$10 hooker"
They have those too?!
Yeah its unfortunate someone got fired, but think about it. If you make a decision to cut someone into line, and you know that its a bad thing, then don't do it! The guy screwed up and now has to work in the real world where people get fired all the time - like for reading blogs at work instead of working. Ummm *click*
I get that joke.
That's hilarious.
@steve
I am only assuming, but Harley Hotchkiss was the Chairman of the board for Foothills Hospital Board in Calgary. You would think MAYBE he has some contacts in healthcare that might owe him a favor?
Tough to fire an owner...
Like Logan said, I think it's awesome that the Flames are treating this like they did nothing wrong, they were just protecting themselves and their families from this awful thing that, according to the media, has a 200% fatality rate and will undoubtedly wipe out the entire human race. Wait, what? A handful of players in the league have had actual H1N1, missed a couple games but are more or less back at 100 percent now? Well thank god the Flames have protected themselves. Lord knows if Corey Sarich or Daymond Langkow missed 2 or 3 games the Flames franchise would be on a one way train to Hamilton.
I think it would have been ironically hilarious if a quarter of the team or more had adverse reactions to the vaccines and got even sicker than if they had contracted the super flu before the shot. A boy can dream can't he?
ALT+TAB is your friend...
I hate those flamers even more....
I suspect (and I have no proof, but I'm probably right) this whole thing started on a golf course or racquetball court between Ken King and some Health bigwig:
'Hey. Can you hook my guys up?' etc. etc.
Wouldn't Jarome be clucking around thinking he was a chicken if he had all of the brain tonic?
@BUCK75
Wasn't that Clemmons, from the hypno? Griffey was just in the wheelchair, chugging away. One of the best eps ever.
Ok, the Oil are owned by a King Pimp Pharmacy Magnate, the team has been ravaged by flu, including H1N1, and even those circumstances didn't lead to vaccination line jumping. The Flames have no legs on this one. And it brings me joy to rub it in the faces of Flames fans.
Seriously, how can anyone defend this? INDEFENSIBLE!!!
Mattingly I told you to cut off those sideburns!
I love watching Ken King squirm. That teflon coated dbag from hanley sask and his 9 dollar words sure has come a long ways.
anyone else notice that stick in the top image is a replica of the regehr family tree, .... well done wanye.. well done indeed!!
Which guy was stuck saving the Baby, dog and the washer and dryer from the burning house? That was my favorite part, and Darryl Strawberry sucking up to Burns.
Seriously though, Iggy has all of the Brain Tonic.
It warms my heart to read that so many Albertans are up in arms about this scandal - the same province that repeatedly voted in Ralph Klein. He wanted to open up exactly this kind of opportunity for the wealthy and privileged. I know that he couched this ambition with political platforms of maintaining a "one-tier system", fee-less private clinics, and claimed that it was merely a cost/tax saving measure, but did anyone actually believe that he wasn't working towards a system where the wealthy could better exploit the benefits of their resources? It begins with things like private rooms in public hospitals for those who could afford them (which is already in place), progresses to private clinics with fees (sometimes covered by extended health benefits for those with good jobs), and eventually leads to things like special rates for anybody who wants to pony up for early vaccinations.
I'm not a commie, by the way, and also am not being cynical when I write that it warms my heart that Albertans are taking this cue-jumping issue to heart; I just hope that there's a connection being made between this issue and broader political questions.
(And what the hell, this is more fun to think about that the Horcoff's shoulder.)
@Andrew W
just listen to stauffers show, he will tie it all together for you
Yeah, the hypnotist did that to Clemmens, Jr had too much tonic!
I'm pretty sure it was Canseco. Which is pretty ironic considering he became largely despised in the baseball world after that whole tell all book/steroids/Surreal Life phase.
Jose Canseco
http://www.snpp.com/episodes/8F13.html
In a related story the Flames were seen early this morning punching babies and kicking replicas of the baby Jesus.
I am also wondering about this fired "unnamed" staffer. How do we know if someone was actually fired if they are in fact "unnamed"?
Well I know I don't have to worry about standing in line, as the local reserve has 15 minute line-ups for the vaccine. lol
It's like a party in my mouth, and everyone's invited!
Yes please, listen to that blow hard ramble on about how woe is Edmonton and that we better bow down and kiss Katz's ass so he doesn't up and leave.
I agree we need a rink, but not with an "or else" threat hanging over our head.
When Stauffer rambles on about politics I turn the dial. I agree that sports and politics are closely linked, but Stauffer's insistence that we have to pander to millionaire businessmen bothers me. And I'm a business owner.
Great site guys...keep up the good work. I like the variety on here.
Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrryllllll....
Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrryllllll....
Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrryllllll....
Alright, why not keep the social/political rant going.
Here are two articles from the past week about gay-slander & gay bashing in hockey and professional sports. They're both good reads:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Gay-slurs-and-hockey-banter-Time-to-take-a-stan?urn=nhl,199909#remaining-content
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/hockey/columnist/bourne/2009-11-02-hockey-culture_N.htm
I had hoped that once Greg Wyshynski chimed in on the matter it would grow some legs and become an issue-of-the-week (ala the Flames vaccination scandal), but it hardly made a ripple and continues to be largely ignored. Most sports fans don't seem to care much about this issue, but I cringe every time there are homophobic comments on the beloved ON.
Anyway, if you're looking for some time to kill at work, have a look at the first link in particular.
ps: Where the hell is the much hyped edit button? I can't fnid it anyhwere...
The Flames organization is trying to distance the players from this ordeal. Supposedly they are a group of borg like beings who don't think and get poked without question. I like to assume they have some level of intelligence and knew exactly what the situation was when they went to their special private clinic. Most of those players truly believe they are better than the rest of the public and are more deserving. Health care professionals, children, new moms and moms-to-be, persons with chronic respiratory conditions and (imo) teachers should all be at the front of the line. Healthy, athletic, and uneducated millionaires can get to the back.
@Andrew W
You have to register an account.
@Andrew W
I always find it interesting that the most homophobic elements in society (i.e. athletes, cops, soldiers) are also the most homoerotic.
I'm with you about cringing when people drop that stuff. To the Admininstrators' credit, they are good about shutting that stuff down in a hurry.
Attention Nationeers: Craig Wark does not care about the Calgary Flames getting flu shots.
That is all.
@Psyche
At risk of being self-serving, public library staff see people from all ages and all (and I mean ALL) walks of life and handle their grubby library books. It is my opinion that we should be on that list as well
Uhh guys, The Oil had their H1N1 shots too, non mandatory and not everyone took one - but we were before even the Flamers
Right, except that public library workers clearly fit into the healthy, uneducated millionaires column - right?
*Stops counting wads of cash in the library vault*
Damn you to hell, investigative person! :)
I watched a really interesting/unsettling documentary about closeted politicians on Capital Hill, and how they are usually the ones leading the charge against same sex marriage and other bills/laws/whatever that would further the cause of gay people getting equal rights. It was so crazy how far they go to try and squash something that would be so beneficial to themselves.
Hmmm... I thought I'd registered one. I guess I'll try again.
@jeanshorts
Yeah, extreme homophobia from people seems to fall into the 'he doth protest too much' category more often than not. I look at people with those attitudes the same way as I look at people who have rotary phones: "Really? in the 21st Century?"
One thing I do know is that if a hockey player comes out of the closet, he's going to have to be a great player, because he will be completely ostracized otherwise.