Letters: Are we falling prisoner to Trumped-up falsehoods?

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None of the above, however, will balance the dismal display of leadership he has shown over “The Bridge.” His “I could have explained it better” was his apology for misleading us.

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It wasn’t going to be hard for Carney to outshine Justin Trudeau’s flickering candle of “look-at-me” management. All he had to do was show up everyday. Now, though, no amount of Davos deception will get him a Mr. Hockey title, regardless of whether his elbows are up or down.

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Larry Baswick, Stratford, Ont.

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Crime and disorder in Canada

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We Canadians tend to view ourselves as morally superior beings, especially in regard to our American neighbours.

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Day after day the National Post, and sometimes even The Globe and Mail, publish articles like Jamie Sarkonak’s column that demonstrate our inability to govern ourselves effectively, as exemplified in this case by the lack of enforcement of removal orders and the endless ability of individuals to access our courts, all at the expense of taxpayers.

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This inability is exacerbated by the lax sentencing imposed on criminals by soft-hearted, or more likely, soft-headed judges who fail to realize that going easy on individual offenders will likely mean hardship for the community at large.

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While the U.S. certainly has its flaws, I’m not certain that theirs outweigh ours to an extent that would justify our smugness. President Donald Trump has a point that securing borders and enforcing laws are the basic things countries should be able to do. If we can’t do that, perhaps he is correct in calling the border just a line on a map.

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John Harris, Toronto

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FIFA World Cup a déjà vu of 1990s NHL hockey

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Watching the final game of the World Cup, my inner — well, I should admit, not so inner — curmudgeon overtook my dutiful enjoyment of a sport I rarely watch. As one of the hosts, we Canadians felt the obligation to suddenly feign interest in a game unfamiliar to many — although I concede the familiarity is growing. But as I watched Spain and Argentina play for nearly two hours without scoring a goal, the thought suddenly popped into my head: I was actually watching 1990s NHL hockey.

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Clutch and grab. Diving with faked injuries. No scoring. Blatant interference, almost always uncalled. Slow play, endless back and forth passing. The left-wing lock.

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In the 1950s, Anatoli Tarasov, a Russian football coach, was asked to create a Russian hockey team, primarily for propaganda purposes. Famously, Tarasov didn’t watch any hockey. Instead, he read the rule book, over and over, until he felt he understood the game. Then he used his football background to devise a system of hockey that became well known to Canadians in the 1972 Summit Series against the Soviet Union.

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It was all about possession. Five-player units who worked as one. Carry the puck up the ice, but if the opening was not there at the blue line, circle all five back into the defensive zone and try again. And again, and again, until the opponent made a mistake. Booooring.

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Admittedly, it required a very high level of technical ability, skating and passing. But it was slow, robotic and mind-numbing. And that’s what international soccer is — Anatoli Tarasov hockey. Combined with Gary Bettman’s expansion-era holding, punching, elbowing and diving.

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To his credit, Bettman allowed hockey to evolve. He had the referees crack down on clutch-and-grab, allowed speed and skill to take precedence. Possession remains an important metric, but stick handling, quick puck movement, and advancing play into the offensive area are the rule. International football could take a lesson

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Tom Curran, Consecon, Ont.

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National Post and Financial Post welcome letters to the editor (250 words or fewer). Please include your name, address and daytime phone number. Email [email protected]. Letters may be edited for length or clarity.

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